How many Lamberts make a Plummer?

It is useful to know how fast or slow a lawn is.  For major competitions, it is vital.  As we all know, speed affects your shot, and may affect your choice of tactics.  But how do you measure speed?

The traditional method was to time very precisely a ball struck from the South boundary to North.  The time in seconds is the 'Plummer' rating, where 1 second = 1 Plummer.  Tricky -- far trickier than any of our coaching tests!   

Michael Bowker has come to the rescue by making a 'Lambertometer' after discussion with Duncan and Richard. The Lambertometer is a simple device for measuring the speed of a croquet lawn.  In essence it is a 4 foot ramp raised 1 foot,  down which a croquet ball is run.  The distance the ball runs gives a measure of lawn speed.  So, for example if the ball rolled 16 feet, this would be a lawn speed of Plummer 12.  

Thank you, Michael, for yet another helpful practical contribution to the club!

​Richard Peperell