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Backyard Croquet

by: Peter Jay

Backyard croquet is a gift that keeps on giving. You can use a croquet set and you can use it again and again and again and again for friend or family entertainment. I recently bought a croquet set and played a game of backyard croquet or poison croquet � another form of backyard croquet � with my family in my backyard. We had a nine-wicket, six player croquet set. Now that we have a set, we can play it as much as we want as a free, fun family outdoor activity. Anyone in the family can also invite their friends over for some cheap outdoor entertainment. They can also take it on dates or other group activities.
For my family it is especially nice to have outdoor games such as croquet to play. Each Friday we have a family barbecue and find ways to entertain ourselves during the barbecue. Outdoor games provide a form of entertainment that we can enjoy many times over for an affordable price. We also have other outdoor games like ping pong, frizbee, Kubb, and more. We just had to buy one croquet set and now we can use it as often as we like.

The last time that we played outdoor croquet in my backyard, during our barbecue, hardly anyone in my family had played it before, so I got to teach them all how to play. It is always fun when it is someone�s first time, especially when they learn the rule of roquet or of placing your foot on your ball, next to another player�s ball, to hit their ball far out of play.

During our first game, the lawn was not mowed, so it made the game a little more interesting. It was harder to aim and set the correct distance for your shot, so it made it more difficult for the experienced players to get an easy win. My brothers and sisters were able to keep up with me or at least keep pretty close throughout the game, although, I had not played for years myself. My sister just younger than me even pulled ahead of me near the end. I thought she might even beat me. My brothers and sisters thought it was fun to roquet or hit my ball, since I was the experienced player. Everyone always gangs up on the leading player in any game, it seems like.

My sister missed the wickets at the end and passed them, so it gave me the opportunity to pull ahead hit the final stick and become poison. I stayed close by my sister just younger than me for a while, threatening to kill her ball with my poison ball, to stop her, but also to give the other member of my family the chance to catch up and feel like they had a chance to win before I crushed them. Finally, I finished my sister off, and subsequently defeated all of the others. Even though none of them had ever played before, I still felt a sense of pride from defeating them.

We mowed the game for the second game, and this time everyone knew how to play and understood the rules, so I did not have to play that time. So it was a little better. I recommend playing on a nice cut lawn. It is more fun to be able to hit your ball a further distance without hitting it hard. The second game was probably a little more fun for everyone once they knew the rules. We did not have to stop and explain things to anyone either, so it flowed a little quicker and more smoothly.
Peter Jay is a Vice President with Yard Game Central and a manager and web administrator with PlayCroquet.com. For more information about croquet sets, visit http://www.PlayCroquet.com.