Rules for CRICKET


Contents:

  1. TYPE OF GAME
  2. PLAYERS
  3. EQUIPMENT
  4. THE RACK
  5. OBJECT OF THE GAME
  6. SCORING
  7. OPENING BREAK
  8. RULES OF PLAY
  9. ILLEGALLY POCKET BALLS
  10. JUMPED OBJECT BALLS
  11. SCRATCHES OR FOULS
  12. ENDING THE GAME
  13. VARIATIONS

Except when clearly contradicted by these additional rules, the General Rules of Pocket Billiards apply.

TYPE OF GAME

Cricket Combines elements of strategy with shot making and safety play. It is patterned after the dart-board game of the same name.

PLAYERS

 Two (or two teams).

EQUIPMENT

 Numbered balls from 15 through 20, one solid red ball, plus a cue-ball. A score pad and pencil.

THE RACK

 Numbered balls are racked in a circle around the red ball. The red ball is located on the foot spot.

OBJECT OF THE GAME

 To close all balls and have the highest score.

SCORING

 Only the first ball sunk, each stroke, counts.

Points may not be scored on a ball until it is closed. Points may only be scored on a ball if the player who sinks the ball has closed it, and the opposing player has not.

The player earns points equal to the number on the ball when it is sunk. These points are doubled for one-rail bank shots. For bank shots of two or more rails the point value is tripled.

If the red ball is sunk it counts for 50-points. It's value is not doubled or tripled.

If two balls drop at the same time:

  1. the intended ball counts over any other balls,
  2. if none of the balls dropping were the intended ball, the ball hitting the fewest rails counts,
  3. if an equal number of rails were contacted by all dropped balls, the one with lower point value counts.

OPENING BREAK

 Shooting order is determined by lot or lag. The person in the last position will rack. The person in the first position may break or pass. If passed, the next shooter has the option to break or pass. The last person must break if it passed to him. Any foul on the break counts as a normal foul.

RULES OF PLAY

 Each player shoots no more than three shots per inning. Any legal shot allows the player to continue shooting.

Shots do not have to be called but only the first ball dropped on a stroke counts.

All dropped balls are spotted after every shot. Failure to spot all balls before a stroke is a foul.

Once a player has sunk a ball three times it is closed.

Example
Player A has sunk ball 19 one time.
Player B has sunk ball 19 two times.
Player B shoots ball 19 which contacts three rails before dropping.
Player B has earned 19-points five times and has closed the 19 ball.

ILLEGALLY POCKETED BALLS

Any of the balls pocketed on an illegal shot will be spotted and not count.

JUMPED OBJECT BALLS

 Jumped object balls will be spotted. Shooter will be charged with a foul.

SCRATCHES OR FOULS

 The offending player loses the rest of his turn. The next player has option of shooting the table as is or put the cue in play from behind the head string.

ENDING THE GAME

 Once a player has all balls closed and he has the highest score, the game is over, with that player as the winner. If a player closes all balls but does not have the highest score, play continues until either the player with the highest score closes all balls or until the player with all balls closed obtains the highest score.

VARIATIONS
  1. Suspended game -
    A game may be suspended and continued at a later time by simply re-racking and continuing play.
  2. Cutthroat -
    Play as usual but score as follows:
    when a player closes a ball he may continue to shoot it to give points to all other players who have not closed it.

    The winner becomes the player with the lowest score and all balls closed.

Rules created by Ken Hart, October 2006.

These rules are used by Billy Aardd's Club, NMIMT, Socorro, NM.