The laws of croquet, and even the arrangement of the hoops, have not attained complete uniformity wherever the game is played. Croquet grounds are not always of full size, and some degree of elasticity in the rules is perhaps necessary to meet local conditions. The laws by which matches for the championship and all tournaments are governed are issued annually by the Croquet Association; and though from time to time trifling amendments may be made, they have probably reached permanence in essentials.
See _The Encyclopaedia of Sport; The Complete Croquet Player_ (London, 1896); the latest _Laws of Croquet_, published annually by the Croquet Association, and its official organ _The Croquet Gazette_. For the principles of the game and its history in England, see C. D. Locock, _Modern Croquet Tactics_ (London, 1907); A. Lillie, _Croquet up to Date_ (London, 1900).
_Croquet in the United States: Roque._--Croquet was brought to America from England soon after its introduction into that country, and enjoyed a wide popularity as a game for boys and girls before the Civil War (see Miss Alcott's _Little Women_, cap. 12). American croquet is quite distinct from the modern English game. It is played on a lawn 60 ft. by 30, and preserves the old-fashioned English arrangement of ten hoops, including a central "cage" of two hoops. The balls, coloured red, white, blue and black, are 3¼ in. in diameter, and the hoops are from 3½ to 4 in. wide, according to the skill of the players. This game, however, is not taken seriously in the United States; the _Official Croquet Guide_ of Mr Charles Jacobus emphasizes "the ease with which the game can be established," since almost every country home has a grass plot, and "no elaboration is needed." The scientific game of croquet in the United States is known as "roque." Under this title a still greater departure from the English game has been elaborated on quite independent lines from those of the English Croquet Association since 1882, in which year the National Roque Association was formed. Roque also suffered from the popularity of lawn tennis, but since 1897 it has developed almost as fast as croquet in England. A great national championship tournament is held in Norwich, Conn., every August, and the game--which is fully as scientific as modern English croquet--has numerous devotees, especially in New England.