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Hints to Young Players (It should be remembered)

It should be remembered that the fundamental principle of successful play is to keep the balls of your own side together and those of the adversary apart. The first mistake made by beginners is trying to run hoops, without considering this important rule. A player without a ball to help him cannot make more than two or three points, at most, in the turn; but with one or two balls to play upon there is no limit to the number that can be made in the break. And if care be not taken to keep the adversary's balls apart, he is sure to get together, and not only make points, but come down and spoil your game. Therefore, when you find that you are not likely to make many more points yourself, you should play for your partner's game, leaving a ball for him to play upon when his turn comes round. You should likewise keep the dead ball with you, or in your game, as it is called. This not only prevents your adversary from getting his two balls together, but enables your partner to progress when he plays; for when you finish your turn, you should send a ball to your partner and another to his hoop, or else leave the balls so placed that he can rush a ball to it; and you should also take care that the next player (the adversary) is either a long way off, or is "wired" or otherwise prevented from inconveniently intruding himself with a "long shot." As to progressing yourself, you should practise well the break, the grand principle of which is, always to send a ball a hoop in advance (the "pioneer" ball, as it used to be called) to be ready for you to play upon when you get there; and you should also remember always to send forward the ball you are playing upon, so as to be able to roquet it again after making your hoop. Thus in the figure, Blue is for hoop 2 to peg, and having sent Black, his partner, to 1 to peg, is taking croquet off Yellow. He now makes a stop stroke, sending Yellow forward to B, and stopping himself in front of the hoop, at A. After he has run the hoop he roquets Yellow again at B, and sends it forward a point in advance to D, near the turning peg, stopping himself at C, close to Black, which he will now roquet and make use of for getting into position for hoop 1 to peg. After he has made this, he can send Black forward to hoop 1 back and go to the peg, where he will find Yellow ready to play upon. The same mode of playing should be followed for all the points, though the application of the principle to the corner hoops in the six-hoop setting is a little more difficult. Then, what is called the "centre ball break" should be followed, as shown in the figure below, in which Blue has, by skilful play, left Red in the centre, and Black at hoop 2 back. Blue, which has just made 1 back with the help of Yellow, now sends Yellow by a stop stroke across the ground to hoop 3 back at A, stopping himself close to Red, the centre ball. He roquets it, and takes-off to Black (this stroke is not shown), by the help of which he makes 2 back. He roquets Black again after making the hoop at B, and by a stop stroke as before sends Black across to near hoop 3 to go out at C, stopping himself near Red again, which he roquets. He can now take-off to Yellow, which, as we have seen, he has previously sent to A, near his hoop.