British Folk Sports
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British Folk Sports
This page lists sports and games which have traditionally been played in rural areas. Predominantly they come from the British Isles. Some take the form of annual events in a particular location associated with the tradition. Others have become more widespread, being played in local fairs or festivities in different areas. Some are pub games. Many remain somewhat obscure, and perhaps due to their unusual or quirky nature, have not developed into established sports. * Aunt Sally – An Oxfordshire game, it is the under arm throwing of the dolly (a truncheon shaped stick) at a suspended target. Each player in the team has 6 throws. The best score out of 24 wins. * Bat and trap – An English bat-and-ball game, played in pub gardens mostly in Kent. * Bog snorkelling – Competitors must complete two consecutive lengths of a water filled trench cut through a peat bog, in the shortest time possible. * Coconut shy – Each player has 6 balls to throw at targets of coconuts balanced o ...
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Pub Games
A pub game is one which is traditionally played inside or outside a pub or bar. Most pub games date back many years and are rooted in village culture. Many derive from older outdoor sports. Pub games can be loosely grouped into throwing games, dice games, card games, board games, cue and ball games, bat and ball games, coin pushing/throwing games, and drinking games. History In his book, ''Beer and Skittles'', Richard Boston claims that the first regulation concerning national control of pubs was about pub games; Henry VII's statute of 1495 restricted the playing of "indoor games which were distracting Tudor pubmen from archery". Many of pub games owe their origins to older outdoor sports, adapted and transformed over time for indoor play, either for convenience, or to allow publicans to maintain their teams during the off-season. Gaming activities associated with pubs included card games such as cribbage, throwing games such as darts, physical sports such as cricket, and b ...
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Royal Shrovetide Football
The Royal Shrovetide Football Match is a "medieval football" game played annually on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday in the town of Ashbourne in Derbyshire, England. Shrovetide ball games have been played in England since at least the 12th century from the reign of Henry II (1154–89). The Ashbourne game also known as "hugball" has been played from at least c.1667 although the exact origins of the game are unknown due to a fire at the Royal Shrovetide Committee office in the 1890s which destroyed the earliest records. One of the most popular origin theories suggests the macabre notion that the 'ball' was originally a severed head tossed into the waiting crowd following an execution. Although this may have happened, it is more likely that games such as the Winchelsea Streete Game, reputedly played during the Hundred Years' War with France, were adaptations of an original ball game intended to show contempt for the enemy. One of the earliest references to football in the cou ...
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Wife Carrying
Wife carrying ( fi, eukonkanto or akankanto, et, naisekandmine, sv, kärringkånk) is a contest in which male competitors race while each carrying a female partner. The objective is for the male to carry the female through a special obstacle track in the fastest time. The sport was first introduced at Sonkajärvi, Finland. Several types of carrying may be practised: either a classic piggyback, a fireman's carry (over the shoulder), or Estonian-style (wife upside-down on his back with her legs over the neck and shoulders). History Eukonkanto originated in Finland. Tales have been passed down of a man named Herkko Rosvo-Ronkainen (aka Ronkainen the Robber). This man was thought to be a robber in the late 1800s who lived in a forest. He supposedly ran around with his gang of thieves causing harm to villagers. From what has been found, there are three ideas as to why/how this sport was invented. Firstly, that Rosvo-Ronkainen and his thieves were accused of stealing food and abducti ...
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Ankle
The ankle, or the talocrural region, or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular joint. The movements produced at this joint are dorsiflexion and plantarflexion of the foot. In common usage, the term ankle refers exclusively to the ankle region. In medical terminology, "ankle" (without qualifiers) can refer broadly to the region or specifically to the talocrural joint. The main bones of the ankle region are the talus (in the foot), and the tibia and fibula (in the leg). The talocrural joint is a synovial hinge joint that connects the distal ends of the tibia and fibula in the lower limb with the proximal end of the talus. The articulation between the tibia and the talus bears more weight than that between the smaller fibula and the talus. Structure Region The ankle region is found at the junction of the leg and the f ...
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Wheelbarrow
A wheelbarrow is a small hand-propelled vehicle, usually with just one wheel, designed to be pushed and guided by a single person using two handles at the rear, or by a sail to push the ancient wheelbarrow by wind. The term "wheelbarrow" is made of two words: "wheel" and "barrow." "Barrow" is a derivation of the Old English "barew" which was a device used for carrying loads. The wheelbarrow is designed to distribute the weight of its load between the wheel and the operator, so enabling the convenient carriage of heavier and bulkier loads than would be possible were the weight carried entirely by the operator. As such it is a second-class lever. Traditional Chinese wheelbarrows, however, had a central wheel supporting the whole load. Use of wheelbarrows is common in the construction industry and in gardening. Typical capacity is approximately of material. A two-wheel type is more stable on level ground, while the almost universal one-wheel type has better maneuverability in s ...
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Wheelbarrow Race
A wheelbarrow race is a competitive game in which teams of two players race with one teammate playing the role of the driver, and the other playing the role of the wheelbarrow. The driver holds on to the other player's ankles, while the other player walks with his hands. In the Midwestern United States it is commonly played at fairs and family events. See also *Sack race *Three-legged race A three-legged race is a running event involving pairs of participants running with the left leg of one runner strapped to the right leg of another runner. The objective is for the partners to beat the other contestant pairs to the finish line. ... * Wheelbarrow Olympics Games of physical skill Novelty running {{game-stub ...
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Wellington Boot
The Wellington boot was originally a type of leather boot adapted from Hessian boots, a style of military riding boot. They were worn and popularised by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. The "Wellington" boot became a staple of practical foot wear for the British aristocracy and middle class in the early 19th century. The name was subsequently given to waterproof boots made of rubber and they are no longer associated with a particular class. They are now commonly used for a range of agricultural and outdoors pursuits. Design and use Wellington boots in contemporary usage are waterproof and are most often made from rubber or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a halogenated polymer. They are usually worn when walking on wet or muddy ground, or to protect the wearer from heavy showers and puddles. They are generally just below knee-high although shorter boots are available. The "Wellington" is a common and necessary safety or hygiene shoe in diverse industrial settings: ...
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Wellie Wanging
Welly throwing, also known as welly hoying, welly wanging and boot throwing, is a sport in which competitors are required to throw a Wellington boot as far as possible. The sport appears to have originated in the West Country of England in the 1970s, and rapidly became a popular activity at village fêtes and fundraising events across Britain. The sport is now played in many different countries, including Australia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand and Russia. Rules Depending on local custom, different rules are applied to the sport. In parts of Somerset, for example, the boot is filled with water before being thrown. Some competitions allow a run up before releasing the boot, while others require the throw to be made from a standing position—which may be enforced by making the thrower stand in an empty dustbin. In Welbury, North Yorkshire, the size of the boot thrown must be large enough to comfortably fit the foot of the thrower. Other competitions spec ...
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Tip-cat
Tip-cat (also called cat, cat and dog, one-a-cat, pussy, or piggy) is a pastime which consists of tapping a short billet of wood (usually no more than ) with a larger stick (similar to a baseball bat or broom handle); the shorter piece is tapered or sharpened on both ends so that it can be "tipped up" into the air when struck by the larger, at which point the player attempts to swing or hit it a distance with the larger stick while it is still in the air (similar to swinging at a pitch in baseball or cricket, etc.). There are many varieties of the game, but in the most common, the batter, having placed the billet, or "cat", in a small circle on the ground, tips it into the air and hits it to a distance. His opponent then offers him a certain number of points, based upon his estimate of the number of hops or jumps necessary to cover the distance. If the batter thinks the distance underestimated he is at liberty to decline the offer and measure the distance in jumps, and score the n ...
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Neptune Township, New Jersey
Neptune Township is a township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population was 28,061, an increase of 126 from the 2010 census enumeration of 27,935, in turn an increase of 245 (+0.9%) from the 27,690 counted in the 2000 census. Neptune was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 26, 1879, from portions of Ocean Township. Portions of the township were taken to form Neptune City (October 4, 1881), Bradley Beach (March 13, 1893) and Ocean Grove (April 5, 1920, until the action was found unconstitutional and restored to Neptune Township as of June 16, 1921).Snyder, John P''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968'' Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 120. Accessed October 23, 2012. The township was named for Neptune, the Roman water deity, and its location on the Atlantic Ocean. Geography and climate According to the U.S. Census Bu ...
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Spud (game)
Spud is a dodgeball variant for children and adults, where players try to eliminate each other by catching and throwing an inflated and generally soft ball. It is related to "call ball" and "ball tag". As few as three may play, with no upper limit. A large, open area is required. The game begins with each player being assigned a number, in secret, with the highest number corresponding to the number of players. For example, if 5 people are playing, each player will be assigned one of the numbers 1 through 5. A player is chosen as 'It.' The person who is It stands in the approximate center of the playing area, with one foot in front of the other. All of the other players must then touch one of their feet to its inward foot, and then step backwards 3 paces. This 3-step-backward set-up is required. When all of the players have stepped backward 3 paces, the person who is It throws the ball straight into the air and calls the number of another player. The ball must be thrown straight u ...
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Shin-kicking
Shin-kicking, also known as shin diggings or purring, is a combat sport that involves two contestants attempting to kick each other on the shin in order to force their opponent to the ground. It has been described as an English martial art, and originated in England in the early 17th century. History It was one of the most popular events at the Cotswold Olimpick Games from 1612 until the Games ended in the 1850s. When the Games were revived, in 1951, the sport was included as the World Shin-Kicking Championships and remains one of its most popular events, drawing crowds of thousands of spectators. Shin kicking also became a popular pastime among Cornish miners. Known as clog fighting or 'purring' in the mill towns of Lancashire, it was a combative means of settling disputes popular in the later 19th century until the 1930s. Clog fighting and its associated gambling by spectators was illegal. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the sport was also practised by British imm ...
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