Croquet and is the game most recreational players in those countries call simply "croquet". In this version of croquet there are nine wickets, two stakes, and up to six balls. The course is arranged in a double-diamond pattern, with one stake at each end of the course. Players start at one stake, navigate one side of the double diamond, hit the turning stake, then navigate the opposite side of the double diamond and hit the starting stake to end. If playing individually ("Cutthroat"), the first player to stake out is the winner. In partnership play, all members of a team must
Croquet except that when a ball is roqueted, the striker's ball remains live and two free shots are earned. This enables strikers to play their ball near to another opponent ball and ricochet that too thus earning two more free shots. Running a hoop earns one free shot. The way croquet is depicted in paintings and books says much about popular perceptions of the game, though little about the reality of modern play. On 25 May 2006, the then British Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, was photographed by "The Mail on Sunday" playing croquet at his official residence, Dorneywood. Following shortly