A glossary of terms for American Six Wicket Croquet

July 10, 2011|By Kevin Alexander

Bonus stroke An extra shot given when a striker puts a ball through a wicket or hits another ball that isn’t “dead.”

Cannon A difficult croquet shot involving three or more balls starting off in contact.

First colors The standard croquet colors of blue, black, red, and yellow. In singles play, one side traditionally uses blue and black, while the other uses red and yellow.

Grip The way a player holds the mallet. The three most common grips are the Solomon (knuckles on both hands facing away from the player’s body), the Irish (both sets of knuckles facing toward the body), and the standard (one set of knuckles facing toward the body, the other facing away).

Jaws of a hoop The area between a wicket’s uprights. When a ball stops midway through the wicket, it is often referred to as being “stuck in the jaws” of the wicket, because it takes another turn to get through.

Making a break Scoring more than one point during a turn. “Laying a break” is putting the balls in a good position at the end of one turn, ideally setting up the next turn.

Opening A match’s first four turns.

Peel To send a ball other than your own through the correct wicket (sometimes the only way to get your own ball through a wicket).

Pioneer/pilot ball A pioneer is the ball you hit to your next wicket before making the wicket in front of you with your other ball. Once you get close to that next wicket, the pioneer ball is then called a pilot, because it helps guide you through the wicket.

Run a hoop To send your ball through a wicket.

Rush A shot in which a player sends his ball to a specific position on the lawn.

Striker The player whose turn it is.