Rules of American Croquet

PART 4. SCORING A WICKET

4.1 Scoring a Wicket

	Figure 4. Scoring a Wicket A has not started to score the wicket. B has started to score the wicket. C has not scored the wicket. D has scored the wicket.

A wicket is scored as shown in figure 4.

a) The front of a wicket as a ball about to score the wicket in the proper order and direction approaches it shall be called the “playing side” of the wicket and the opposite side shall be called the “non-playing side.”

b) A ball scores a wicket point when it passes through a wicket in the proper order and direction (figure 1) and comes to rest clear of the plane of the playing side unless the ball had made a legal roquet (rule 6.2) prior to making the wicket.

c) A ball about to score a wicket begins to score the wicket when it breaks the plane of the non-playing side of the wicket. It completes the scoring of the wicket if it comes to rest clear of the playing side.

4.2 Clearing Deadness by Running a Wicket

When a ball (not a rover ball) scores a wicket, it is cleared of all deadness and is “alive” on all other balls that have scored the #1 wicket. If a rover ball is dead on two or three balls it may run any wicket in any direction to clear deadness and earn a continuation shot but will maintain last deadness on the last ball it hit (rule 10.3).

4.3 Ball at Rest

a) If a ball “at rest” moves, the ball is replaced and any effect after the movement is invalid.

b) A ball is at rest if it appears to be motionless and:

1. its position has been agreed upon by the striker and the opponent,
2. its position has been adjudicated by an official,
3. the striker has taken a stance for the next shot, or
4. the striker has indicated the turn has ended.

4.4 Beginning the Wicket

a) If a ball is on the non-playing side of its wicket, it may be played through the wicket for position on the playing side, providing it comes to rest clear of the plane of the non-playing side before being played back through the wicket to score a point (figure 4).

b) A striker may take croquet (rule 6.4) from a ball in a wicket. If the striker ball is in position to score the wicket on the croquet shot, the striker may do so, if no part of the striker ball is breaking the plane of the non-playing side of the wicket when the striker ball is placed in contact with the ball in the wicket.

4.5 Dead on Ball in Wicket

A striker ball that is dead (rule 7.1) on a ball encroaching into the striker’s wicket, shall not hit that ball at any time when scoring the wicket. The penalty is end of turn and replace balls (rule 12.2a). The striker may perform a jump shot to score a blocked wicket or stake but must not hit the blocking ball at any time during the shot (except after hitting the stake when staking out).

4.6 Dead on Ball Beyond Wicket

A striker ball that is dead on a ball lying beyond, not encroaching into, the striker’s wicket may hit that ball while attempting to score the wicket, but must score the wicket on that shot in order to receive a continuation shot (rule 6.1). If the striker ball does hit the dead ball but fails to score the wicket, it is the end of the turn and the balls are replaced. (rule 12.2a)

4.7 Wicket in the Wrong Direction

A ball passing through a wicket in the wrong direction shall not receive credit for that wicket or receive a continuation shot. A rover ball that has 2 or 3 ball deadness can earn a continuation shot by going through any wicket in any direction (rule 10.3).