Croquet on croquet, was an event at the 1904 Summer Olympics. As with similar words with a French derivation, the final 't' is silent. British pronunciation puts the accent on the first syllable, American on the second: versus . Association croquet is the name of an advanced game of croquet, played at international level. It involves four balls teamed in pairs, with both balls going through every hoop for one pair to win. The game's distinguishing feature is the "croquet" shot: when certain balls hit other balls, extra shots are allowed. The six hoops are arranged three at each end of
Croquet before Mr. Spratt [mentioned above] introduced the subject to me." Whatever the truth of the matter, Jaques certainly played an important role in popularising the game, producing editions of the rules in 1857, 1860, and 1864. Croquet became highly popular as a social pastime in England during the 1860s. It was enthusiastically adopted and promoted by the Earl of Essex who held lavish croquet parties at Cassiobury House, his stately home in Watford, Hertfordshire, and the Earl even launched his own "Cassiobury" brand croquet set. By 1867, Jaques had printed 65,000 copies of his "Laws and Regulations" of the game.