Rules of American Croquet

PART 9. BLOCKING AND WIRING

9.1 Responsible for Position

A side becomes responsible for the position of any ball that the side plays, passes (waives), or causes to move or shake, either directly or indirectly, as a result of playing a ball, including balls replaced after a fault.

Exceptions:A side is not responsible for the position of a ball that is replaced after accidental movement (such as being hit with the foot or mallet after the striking period) or invalid play (rules 11.1, 11.6, 11.7), unless the side was responsible for the position of that ball before the accidental movement or the invalid play.

9.2 Blocking Wicket

As illustrated by figure 7:

	Figure 7. Blocking Ball Examples The striker ball, Yellow, is dead on all other balls ABOVE: Yellow is not blocked by any other ball. BELOW: Yelow is blocked by each of the other balls.

a) A striker is blocked (stymied) from scoring a wicket if:

1. at the beginning of the striker’s turn, any part of one or more balls on which the striker is dead intrudes in the direct path the striker ball would take in attempting a possible shot to score the wicket, or would hamper the striker’s normal backswing in an attempt to make a possible shot to score the wicket (“Possible shot” means a shot that is not a jump shot and that the referee believes would have any chance of scoring the wicket if the intruding balls that the striker is dead on, and the intruding balls that the striker is wired from and is not responsible for, were removed.); and
2. the opponent created the block by:
   1. becoming responsible for the striker ball’s position, and thereafter the striker’s side did not become responsible for any blocking ball, or
   2. becoming responsible for all blocking balls, and thereafter the striker’s side did not become responsible for the striker ball’s position.

b) A side may block with any ball. All blocks must be called before the first stroke of the turn. If a block occurs on two consecutive turns of the same ball, the striker may clean the blocked ball of deadness on all blocking balls.

9.3 Wired Ball

FIGURE 8. Wired Ball — Examples Ball A is not wired from black; it can hit the farthest point on the right side of black with its left side. Ball B is not wired from black. A test ball T has been placed to assist in making the call. Ball C is not wired from black. A second test ball t has been placed to assist in making the call. Ball D is wired from Black; it cannot hit the farthest point of the right side of Black with its left side. Test balls may be used to confirm a wire by sighting along the sides of the strikers ball and the test balls toward the target ball. * Stake: This principle also applies to a wicket, or a ball the striker is dead on.

A ball is wired from another ball if (figure 8):

a) a wicket, the stake, or another ball on which the striker is dead blocks the clear path required for either side of the striker ball to hit any part of another ball upon which it is alive;

b) a wicket, the stake, or another ball, on which the striker is dead, hampers the striker’s normal backswing of the mallet prior to impact with the striker ball

(The swing is hampered if striker cannot strike the ball freely toward any part of a live ball when striking the center of the ball with any part of the face of the mallet. The mere interference of a wicket, stake, or another ball, with the stance of the striker is not wiring.);

or

c) any part of the striker ball lies within a wicket.

9.4 Wiring Lift

a) If, at the beginning of a turn, the striker ball is wired from all balls it is alive on and the opponent is responsible for the striker’s position (rule 9.1), the striker may lift the striker ball, place it in contact with any ball on which it is alive, and take croquet. A striker who is dead on all balls may not take a lift.

b) In a time limit game (rule 13.7), the striker shall have 45 seconds to play the croquet shot after lifting the striker ball.