Croquet Anyone?

[Yellowhouse Sam # 25171]

Trying to introduce my grandkids to the games we played growing up:  Dominoes and 42 (i still play);  Pitch (card game);  horseshoes and washers; checkers; and good ole croquet where you can get even with your inlaws and tick your wife off for a month.  The game we played was pretty loose 6 wicket and not many rules.  However, I thought a quick brush up on the more orderly game was in order and ran upon this "Deadness" thing.   If anyone still plays and uses this rule please advise cause it makes my head hurt:  

 

Rules of American Croquet

PART 7. DEAD BALL

7.1 Deadness

When the striker earns the croquet shot, the striker ball becomes “dead” on the roqueted ball and may not roquet it again until the striker ball scores its next wicket or is cleared of deadness under rule 7.3 (1-back) or 9.2 (blocking).

7.2 Ball Cannoned

Any ball struck by a roqueted or croqueted ball or by a ball hit by the striker ball after a roquet shall be given credit for wicket or stake points it scores in the shot and no additional deadness shall be incurred.

7.3 Special Relief from Deadness

a) As each ball of both sides scores its 1-back wicket, the opposing side has the option of clearing the deadness from one of its balls. The side eligible for this relief, if it chooses the option, shall declare to the opponent which ball it is clearing before playing the first shot of its next turn or no relief shall be given; however, the declaration need not be made prior to that time.

Exception: If a striker has taken ball in hand (moved the ball) after claiming a wire, the striker cannot then clear the striker ball of deadness under the 1-back rule; however, the partner ball may be cleared of deadness.

b) If a striker causes an opponent’s ball to score the 1-back wicket, the striker shall have the option of clearing either ball of the striker’s side after the shot ends. The striker must exercise the option:

1) before the next shot of the turn, or

2) before the first shot of the sides next turn, if the shot ends the turn with the 1 back wicket scored for the opponent.

If the score occurs in the roquet shot, the striker ball may be cleared; however, it shall be placed in contact with the roqueted ball, the croquet shot shall be taken, and the striker ball shall be considered dead on the croqueted ball. If the score occurs in the croquet shot, the striker ball may be cleared of all deadness and the continuation shot taken as if the striker had just scored a wicket.

c) When both balls of a side have deadness and the side declares which ball is to be cleared of deadness after an opponent scores the 1-back wicket, the first color declared by the side shall be the one cleared and may not subsequently be changed.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Never had any deadness there.

[irish ike, SASS #43615]

Croquet, our 30yo daughter and her friends take a set up into the forrest and play. It adds a whole new level of why'd the ball do that and oh crap I'm on hill! They always come back with smiles.

Ike

[Wapaloosie73]

I used to send my ex brother n law down the driveway and out into the county road. He would just go get his ball and bring it back...... cheater.

[Marshal Hangtree]

My favorite croquet is usually made of salmon.  Wait, that's croquette.  Never mind.

[Sedalia Dave]

Never played with a dead ball rule.  Seems to me to make it too complicated.

[Pat Riot]

I used to love Croquet. I haven't played in a long time. I don't know about any "deadness" rule but I did play at a party with some co-workers a few years ago that had all kinds of strange rules. I ended up bowing out of the game for fear that deadness would result in my life sentence. 

[MizPete]

When the first grandchild (not mine by blood, but anyway) was born we had the Angelica rule:  you could choose to play the ball from where it originally was or where Angelica put it.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

14 hours ago, Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 said:

Trying to introduce my grandkids to the games we played growing up:  Dominoes and 42 (i still play);  Pitch (card game);  horseshoes and washers; checkers; and good ole croquet where you can get even with your inlaws and tick your wife off for a month.  The game we played was pretty loose 6 wicket and not many rules.  However, I thought a quick brush up on the more orderly game was in order and ran upon this "Deadness" thing.   If anyone still plays and uses this rule please advise cause it makes my head hurt:  

 

Rules of American Croquet

PART 7. DEAD BALL

7.1 Deadness

When the striker earns the croquet shot, the striker ball becomes “dead” on the roqueted ball and may not roquet it again until the striker ball scores its next wicket or is cleared of deadness under rule 7.3 (1-back) or 9.2 (blocking).

7.2 Ball Cannoned

Any ball struck by a roqueted or croqueted ball or by a ball hit by the striker ball after a roquet shall be given credit for wicket or stake points it scores in the shot and no additional deadness shall be incurred.

7.3 Special Relief from Deadness

a) As each ball of both sides scores its 1-back wicket, the opposing side has the option of clearing the deadness from one of its balls. The side eligible for this relief, if it chooses the option, shall declare to the opponent which ball it is clearing before playing the first shot of its next turn or no relief shall be given; however, the declaration need not be made prior to that time.

Exception: If a striker has taken ball in hand (moved the ball) after claiming a wire, the striker cannot then clear the striker ball of deadness under the 1-back rule; however, the partner ball may be cleared of deadness.

b) If a striker causes an opponent’s ball to score the 1-back wicket, the striker shall have the option of clearing either ball of the striker’s side after the shot ends. The striker must exercise the option:

1) before the next shot of the turn, or

2) before the first shot of the sides next turn, if the shot ends the turn with the 1 back wicket scored for the opponent.

If the score occurs in the roquet shot, the striker ball may be cleared; however, it shall be placed in contact with the roqueted ball, the croquet shot shall be taken, and the striker ball shall be considered dead on the croqueted ball. If the score occurs in the croquet shot, the striker ball may be cleared of all deadness and the continuation shot taken as if the striker had just scored a wicket.

c) When both balls of a side have deadness and the side declares which ball is to be cleared of deadness after an opponent scores the 1-back wicket, the first color declared by the side shall be the one cleared and may not subsequently be changed.

I understood every single word there, but have no idea what they actually said.

[Pulp, SASS#28319]

Dominoes:  everyone else can tell where everything is, all I see is a bunch of spots.

 

Pitch:  tried it once, figgered out if I had point cards and someone else called the bid, I could discard the point cards.  I didn’t know it was against the rules, just seemed like a good way to keep the opponent from making his/her bid.  Worked pretty good too!

[Yellowhouse Sam # 25171]

On 6/29/2019 at 12:05 AM, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

I understood every single word there, but have no idea what they actually said.

 

Theres no hope then!

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

55 minutes ago, Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 said:

 

Theres no hope then!

I wasn't hoping.