Jack Osborn - The Formation of The United States Croquet Association

The Formation of The United States Croquet Association

It was Jack Osborn's vision, marketing savvy, energy, and sheer dogged determination that brought together five clubs in 1977 to form the nucleus of the United States Croquet Association. Although the sport had long flourished in the Commonwealth countries, croquet had devolved to a backyard pastime in the United States, and there were no agreed-upon rules.

One of the first orders of business of the new association was to hammer out compromise rules acceptable to all five clubs - Green Gables Croquet Club, Palm Beach Croquet Club, New York Croquet Club, Wasthampton Mallet Club, and the Croquet Club of Bermuda. Since then, the list has grown to nearly 400 member clubs with 3500 members, and the rules have survived with minor periodic adjustments.

The primary distinguishing elements of the unique American Rules game are strict rotation of the balls in play (blue/red/black/yellow) and carry-over deadness. In the first half-dozen years of the USCA, International Rules were virtually unknown in this country, and there were no USCA events using the rules the rest of the world played by. Osborn was the tireless promotor not only of the sport of croquet, but also of the new American Rules.

When Abercrombie and Fitch, the exclusive American distributor of Jaques croquet equipment, went out of business in 1978, Osborn seized the opportunity to become the US distributor, forming his company, Croquet International Limited, which became not only a source of income for Osborn but part of his grand strategy for promoting croquet through making available quality equipment to backyard croquet players who could be persuaded to start clubs and play Osborn's rules.