Croquet Race

The New Game of Croquet Race

is a completely new one on me. The pieces are missing from this example, but are unlikely to have been anything more than a die and counters. The game could have been produced by any of a number of makers, including companies such as Spears, but there is a strong possibility that it was made by Roberts Brothers. The board and cover label are chromolithographs, with the board decorated with characters in clothing of a noticeably earlier date than those on the lid, suggesting that the game may have been poroduced initially in the early years of the 20th century, but that this example was produced in the period of or after World War I.

The rules are pasted inside the lid in this example, so it is possible to understand the game, which is simple but clever and as likely to cause dissent amongst the players as the real game of croquet. Players have to follow a track, passing through hoops (for which they gain an extra throw of the die) in order to hit two pegs (halfway and at the end) with exact throws. If they land on a space occupied by an opponent a new throw is used to send that player BACK and the active player FORWARD, so the players are encouraged to use this technique to delay their opponents.