Wednesday Jun. 03, 1998. For Immediate Release.
Peter Olsen
Sydney, Australia
PRESS RELEASE
In what is believed to be a world first for any sport, three times Australian Croquet champion, Peter Olsen, has challenged previous world champion, Englishman Stephen Mulliner, to a game of Croquet to be played via the Internet.
The idea is for each player to play on a lawn in his own country, with the players being connected to each other via the Internet. A video camera and video conferencing software will be used at each end to relay the progress of play to the other party.
While the Australian is playing, the Englishman will be able to watch him via his computer screen in England. When the Australian's turn ends, the referee in England will position the four balls on the lawn there, as they ended up in Australia. The Englishman will then play his next turn while the Australian watches on his computer screen and so on. Since each turn in Croquet can take up to twenty minutes, the game is ideally suited to such an event.
The game promises to be a settling of old scores, with Olsen having defeated Mulliner when they met in the 1982 International Test series. While Olsen subsequently retired from the sport, Mulliner went on to become the world's top player. Olsen, now on the comeback trail, rates himself only a one in ten chance of winning but says he is hoping the event will pave the way for similar, low-cost international sporting contests in the future. He is also hoping it will help to promote the sport, which he describes as a cross between Snooker and Chess, and gain publicity for his newly opened club at Mortdale in Sydney.
Olsen is no stranger to such events, having organised a 100 hour Croquet marathon in 1978 which earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records.
After hearing of the event, one of Canada's top players, Steve Dimond of Vancouver challenged Olsen to a similar game, to be played on the same day. Dimond, winner of the recent Seattle Open, is an Internet consultant and thus jumped at the opportunity of combining his work skills with his favourite pastime in what he describes as a "ground breaking, world first sporting event".
The games will be played at the Mortdale Croquet Club, beside the Mortale Bowling club, 2 Boundary Rd Mortdale in Sydney, on Saturday 20th June. The Canadian match will start at 9am Sydney time and the English match at 3pm. The Canadian end of the game will be played at the Vancouver Croquet club (3pm Friday Vancouver time) and the England game at the Surbiton Croquet club in London (6am Saturday England time).
For more information contact Peter Olsen of Lugarno in Sydney on (02) 9378-9492 BH, 0414-53-8404, (02) 9153-8404 AH or email to polsen@ar.com.au or see http://www.croquet.com/
See also http://www.ozemail.com.au/~hanscomb/cpa.html
CROQUET
"The Thought Sport"
Overview
Croquet can best be described as a combination of Snooker and Chess, played on a Bowling green. It is a challenging and exciting sport for people of all ages, which will test your tactical ability, judgement and skill rather than strength and fast reflexes.
The Game
The game is played between two sides, red and yellow against black and blue. The aim is to hit the two balls of your side through all the hoops in the order shown on the diagram, then hit the peg. The first side to score all 26 points wins. Coloured clips are placed on the hoops to show where each ball is up to.
A game can be either singles or doubles. In singles each player plays both balls of his side. In doubles each player of the side has one ball and may hit only that ball. A game takes from one to three hours depending on the skill of the players.
The Start
To start a game, each ball is played in turn from either of the starting lines. Thereafter the sides play alternately.
The Turn
You can start each turn using either ball of your side but you must play with the same ball throughout that turn. Each turn consists initially of one hit only, but you can earn extra shots as follows:
- If you go through your next hoop in order, you earn one extra shot.
- If you hit another ball with your ball you earn two extra shots:
- The first extra shot is a 2-ball shot in which you put your ball against the ball you hit and then hit your ball.
- The second shot is another single ball shot in which you can hit another ball or go through your next hoop.
You may only hit each other ball once between one hoop and the next.
Your turn ends if:
- in any single-ball shot, your ball does not hit another ball or go through its next hoop
- either ball goes off the lawn in a 2-ball shot
- you play a foul stroke.
Handicap Play
In handicap games the weaker side receives a number of free turns equal to the difference in handicap between themselves and the stronger side. Handicaps range from 22 to 0.
Making a Break
By hitting other balls as above, it is possible to earn enough extra shots to enable you to get from one hoop to the next. After you score each hoop you become live on all balls again and can repeat the process.
It is thus possible to score many or even all 12 hoops in the one turn but this demands skill, accuracy and careful tactical planning. To make an even bigger break, it is possible to "cannon" your partner ball through some of its hoops on the way.
It is theoretically possible to score all 26 points in the one turn but that has never been done. The maximum break ever achieved in competition is 22 points.
Tactics
The tactics of the game can be as complex as a game of chess and involve a constant battle to try to gain the upper hand. The objective is always to try to make a break but if that is not possible then the aim is to try to leave the balls positioned such that the opponent has little chance of scoring. For the "out player" the tactics revolve around trying to re-gain the advantage.
Croquet provides more mental stimulation than any other sport. In advanced play the tactics can involve thinking 20 or 30 shots ahead!
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