Very briefly, what is Ricochet?: It’s a croquet variation, devised in the 1980s by a South Australian, to bridge the gap between Golf and the more complex AC. Like AC, and as opposed to Golf, the aim is to progress each of your balls independently through each hoop in turn and then hit the peg. This is achieved through earning extra turns by making an initial roquet, earning you two extra turns and enabling you to continue to roquet, position and make sucessive hoops by judicious placement of each ball. The winner is the first to take both of their balls through all hoops and onto the peg (or make the most hoops in a timed game).
What skills are needed? That’s the beauty of it – golf players already have all the skills required – roqueting, positioning and making hoops. No new shots to learn. You just need to get your head around a ‘matrix’ approach (traversing the lawn in various directions) as against the usual ‘serial’ approach (all heading for the hoop in play). You’ll be helped in this by your doubles partner providing advice and tactics. Because of this team approach it’s not unusual for a relative newcomer to join up with an experienced player and actually win a competition. Incidentally, if you want exercise, playing just two short (14 point) games can gain you around 8000 steps.
What is the challenge? Like golf it’s a game of options, so choosing the best option and executing the shots which will make you a hoop and put you in a good position to make more (making a ‘break’). (How good is it when you can position your ball in front of a hoop and then have anoher shot to make the hoop – instead of being whacked to the boundary?) For AC players, the challenge is in having to achieve the same objective as for AC but without the benefit of the precise two ball control provided by the ‘croquet’ shot.
Why not try it and see for yourself?
Peter Hamilton
