For information on tournaments taking place around the UK see the tournament section of the Croquet Association web site.
This section collects together information on the management of croquet events. It includes standard recipes, tricks and hints on how to manage tournaments effectively. Note that for new players attending their first tournament there is a guide to etiquette. If anyone would like to contribute to, or comment on, these pages please contact me.
The details of the following events can be found in Regulations F of the Regulations for Tournaments (technically these rules apply only in the domain of the CA). Certain are amplified further below.
Note the coaching section has a section on Handicap Play which may allow timing issues to be resolved when planning a tournament, e.g. Yorkshire Variable Base and other systems.
Note that a book on Croquet Management, by Don Gaunt & Roger Wheeler, is available from the Croquet Association.
American Events
In an American event ('American Blocks') everyone in a block plays everyone else. This all-plays-all can be especially successful in handicap play if there is a wide handicap range within a block. There are standard recipes for generating the cycle of play so that all the games can be played without a log jam. Two different ways of deriving this are given below.
John Riches |
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Phil Cordingley |
Flexible Swiss Events
In Swiss tournaments players are randomly selected and placed on a ladder. The people in places 1 and 2 play each other, 3 and 4 play each other and so on. In the next round the winners of the 1/2 and 3/4 matches play each other as do the losers. People who win rise to the top of the ladder, losers fall to the bottom. The result is that people find players of their own ability. You always play a person on the same or near to the same number of wins.
Running a 'Flexible Swiss' |
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An analysis of running a Swiss to determine a winner, |
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A 'Swiss' system which appears to be a block format |
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Managing a Swiss tournament with examples and exercises |
Egyptian Events
The Eygptian format was devised by Paul Hands of the Cheltenham Club and has subsequently been tinkered with. In essence the tournament is a challenge ladder and you can challenge anyone, or sit out as you choose. To win the tournament you have to increase your initial index, which is related to your handicap, by winning games. The amount your index increases depends on the index of the person you have just beaten. This format benefits from minimal management and complete freedom for players to arrange their time as suits them.
Paul Hand's original description of the scheme |
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Kevin Carter's modifications |
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The Oxford Croquet Egyptian System - comments plus ready made documentation from the highly successful series of Oxford Tournaments |
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Speed Doubles
14-point Association Croquet (Law 44) with chess clocks - great fun and the death of Aunt Emma players!
Croquet against the clock |
One-Ball
Normal croquet but with only one ball per side. Encourages accurate shooting and hoop running. It is also quick and ideal for playing in cold weather as each turn is generally short.
Adjustments to produce appropriate handicaps for the one-ball game |
Draw and Process
A double life event guaranteeing two games. See the Tournament Regulations on the Croquet Association web site for more details.
The algorithm for deriving the process order |
Alternate Stroke Doubles
An excellent method of coaching if a good player is paired with a beginner and also ideal for getting new players introduced to others in the club.
Instructions for running a competition |
Tournament Management Software
John Taylor's [now defunct, 2009] web site offers Excel spreadsheets for managing tournaments. These are biased by the American Tournament format but should be valuable for managing Association tournaments. The standard files are offered as freeware for appraisal with a donation to the croquet foundation if you wish to use them. (customized files must be ordered from John)
Ladders |
The Ladder workbook draws ladders for SINGLE LIFE, DOUBLE LIFE, or DRAW & PROCESS, formats. You simply enter the players names and choose a ladder format and the ladder is drawn for you. The seeding and byes, where applicable, are automatically entered by the computer |
Blocks |
The Block workbooks are for singles or doubles block play where each player, or team, plays everyone else in their block. (Internationally this format is refered to as American event or "all play all" format.) In the Block workbooks you enter the players' names and the computer creates all the game assignments and draws the block diagram. You enter a time and location for each game and a scoresheet and schedule handouts are automatically drawn by the computer. A personalized schedule sheet is created for each player showing the unique schedule of just their games with an area for them to keep track of their results. When you enter the game results from the scoresheet the order of finish for the players in the block is displayed and the USCA handicap adjustment points for all the players' block games are automatically computed. (International users can simply skip, or delete, the handicap tracking page.) |
Waterford Doubles |
This format has been called Progressive Doubles, Scrambled Doubles, and Waterford Doubles when used in different areas. When all rounds are played, each person will have had every other player as an partner one time only and as a opponent twice. Obviously with a lot of players this requires a lot of games. The programs are flexible and allow you to reduce the number of games, however odd numbers of players are accommodated by including a bye in each round of play and the blocks with "byes" must play all rounds if everyone is to have an equal number of games. Many players enjoy this type of doubles as it allows you to play with many different partners. The results (wins, net and gross points) are maintained for each individual player and the final rankings are shown as if you had played singles. The Waterford doubles format should not be confused with "Hi/Lo" doubles or "Equal Strength" teams. Hi/Lo is difficult to maintain with rotating partners. You should use the regular blocks or ladders for "Hi/Lo" doubles. An "equal stength" teams format is very limited in the number of possible games. These workbooks create the entire document package including handout sheets for the players showing the schedule, score sheets to record the results and a sheet with the final standings. |
Miscellaneous
Allows the suspension and resumption of a game, by recording the positions of the balls and the state of the game. Print only the first page! |
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