It is the safe game that wins.

Take every opportunity of practicing the vari-
ous strokes, particularly the more simple ones.

Especially study and perfect yourself in long
shots; make everything within twenty years a dead
certainty on level ground. This may seem a long
stroke, but is perfectly attainable with good mallet
and balls on a good ground.

When a player strikes his own ball so as to hit
another, however lightly, at a distance, he is said to
roquet it. Having thus hit a ball, he can “take the
croquet” before proceeding further in the game, or
not, at his option.

As soon as the ball has gone through the first
arch the player may, with it croquet any ball that
has also passed through the same arch. It is done
as follows: When a ball has hit another at a dis-
tance —that is, “roqueted it’”— the player lays his
own ball against the other so that it touches it. At
this point two different methods of playing come in.
One is called “Tight Croquet,” and the other “Loose
Croquet.” In the former the player places his foot
on his own ball, and strikes his ball with the mallet.
The effect of this will be to drive the other ball
in any direction the player may choose, which of
course, will be governed by whether the ball thus
croqueted belongs to a player on his own side or not.
If the player adopts the “Loose Croquet,” he does
not place his foot on the ball, but merely placing the
two balls in contact he drives them both together by
striking his ball. The results of this is that they fly
off at different angles.

A friend can, by croqueting, send a partner
through the arch he wishes to pass, or else drive an
enemy, who has obtained a good position, exactly
in the opposite direction to that in which he wishes
to travel. Great care must be taken with regard

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