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The Implements

Are usually sold together in a box; but we should advise our young friends, if they wish to derive as much enjoyment as possible from their Croquet set, to see that those they purchase are made in accordance with the following principles:-- 1. The Hoops should be made of round iron or steel wire, half-an-inch thick, and be at least 15 inches long in the leg. The best are square at the top, although round are often used. The width varies from 3 3/4 inches to 6 inches, but they were formerly much wider. The narrowest are used in the Championship matches at Wimbledon and elsewhere, and are made of steel, being either braced together underneath the ground by a piece of hoop-iron, to prevent the legs spreading, or let into holes pierced in a wooden block which is sunk in the ground. The latter invention is very useful, as the ground can be rolled without losing the places of the hoops; the wires being taken out while the block remains in the ground. Hoops not fitted in either of these ways had better be held in a gauge (a piece of wood or iron with two slits to hold the two wires) while being driven into the ground, otherwise they are sure to be found wider than is intended--a point of importance now the hoops are so narrow. The usual colour of the hoops is white; but blue has lately been used with satisfactory results, being found less glaring to the eye in bright sunshine. 2. The Pegs should be about 2 feet long, and not less than 1 1/2 inch in diameter. They are usually painted with rings of colours corresponding to those of the balls, and in the order in which they are played. There should also be a little cross-bar at the top, on which to put the clips. 3. The clips are placed on the hoop or peg which is the next in order for the ball of the corresponding colour. It is always best to use them, as they prevent doubt and possible disputes. The best now in use are made with a spring like a letter-clip, so that the player has only to release his hold and the clip, closing, fastens itself on the hoop, remaining firm in its place even when the hoop is struck very hard by a ball. A white spot is often painted on one side of the clip, to show which way the ball is going; but the best plain is to put the clip on the leg or side of the hoop when it is to be run the second time. 4. The Balls should be made of boxwood. The size used in matches is 3 5/8 inches in diameter, and weighs about 15 ounces--with the large mallets now in use this is not a bit too heavy. The balls are distinguished in various ways. Sometimes half the number of balls are painted one colour, the other half another, each ball with a different number of bands, as in the figure. But the best plan is to paint each ball all over with a different colour, as they can then be easily distinguished at a distance. The colours used are blue, pink, black, and yellow, for the first four balls, blue and black being partners against pink and yellow; the others are either the same with a white ring, or are brown, orange, green, and red. Ordinary oil paint and varnish are generally used. Players often paint their own balls with sealing wax dissolved in spirits of wine, but this comes off rather quickly in wet grass. It is a good plan to oil the balls with linseed oil if used much in the wet, otherwise they are likely to split. 5. The Mallets are very important parts of the Croquet set. Most players have a private mallet of their own and never use any other, and this is not to be wondered at when we consider that some people are tall and others short--some play one way and some another. The modern mallet is a much heavier concern than the tiny stick which did duty in earlier stages of the game. We advise our young readers on no account to be content with a mallet weighing less than about 2lbs.; for as a ball weighs nearly a pound, the two balls in a croquet-stroke will weigh nearly 2lbs., and the mallet ought to be at least as heavy as this in order to do its work effectually. Be sides, it is far easier to play with a heavy mallet than with a light one, not so much exertion being required to keep the mallet in the proper line of aim. There is a great variety of mallets now in use, each called after its inventor. One of the most used is the "Cavendish," which has a cylindrical head of boxwood, 8 inches long and 3 inches in diameter, weight 2lbs. to 3lbs. The end or face of the head is flat, not rounded. The handle is of ash, made of an octagon form where it is grasped by the hand, to give a better hold, for which purpose it is often bound with string like a cricket-bat, or covered with leather. The length of the handle is generally about 32 inches, and it should taper from the termination of the octagon section to within a few inches of the head, where it should increase again up to the point of insertion--this gives a certain amount of "spring" to the handle, which varies according to the thinness of this narrow part or "waist." The handle, if properly wedged into the head, ought not to work loose.

There are several other kinds of mallet, notably that called the sliced mallet, in which the bottom of the cylindrical head is sliced off, so that the part that rests on the ground is flat. This steadies the mallet very much in aiming, and is well worth adoption. The slice may be at any angle, according as the player holds his mallet near or far from his feet. The young player must choose a mallet that he thinks will suit him and keep to it, for nothing is more likely to impede his progress than a continual change of mallets.