U3A Writing: The Games We Played
Jim Hall realls the games he played in his younger years.
For more vivid memories visit www.u3answ.org.au/remember/remember.html
Rounders: Ten or more could form a team. You had a home base and three other bases marked by a rock, tree, fence post, the dunny door, block of wood or whatever you had. Everyone joined in; you had a catcher on home base, the hitter, pitcher, people on the three bases and all the rest as fielders. Simple rules: you hit the ball, you ran, you missed three times – you’re out! Next team member in. If the ball was thrown to the base you were running to you were out. It you got all the way around, you scored one point. If you were on a base when the other team came on, you stayed and completed your run for your team. The other way to play rounders was continuous – no teams, you just took your turn. Your bat was any piece of wood that was handy – maybe a cut-down broom handle. If a cricket bat – SUPER!
French cricket: Two to four players. Good to play in a small area. Batter stood with feet together and defended his shins from being hit with a soft (tennis) ball. To start, bowler stood six feet in front and tossed ball aiming to hit shins, batter hits, and fielder fields. From that point the fielder bowls to batter and so on. If caught or hit below the knees, you’re out! Our bats could be Mum’s copper-sticks. For you younger generation a copper-stick is what your grandmothers used to take clothes out of a copper. Any the wiser? No! A copper stick was a piece of broom handle about a yard long. A copper was a large metal container three quarters full of soapy water with soap flakes and dirty clothes added and brought to the boil. A copper-stick was used to take hot clothes out and place them in a tub of cold water to be rinsed, wrung out (by hand) and hung on a clothes line.
Backyard cricket: Wicket was a kero tin, wall of fence, anything that was handy. Rules – you hit the ball, you ran. If someone hit the wicket while you were running, you’re out! If you hit the ball over the neighbour’s fence, you’re out! Caught on the full – out! When you’d scored ten runs, you changed places with someone else. Bat was whatever you could get your hands on.
Skittles: Stand ten shoe tacks on their heads on top of the table and bowl three marbles to see how many tacks you can knock over.
To amuse yourself:
How many times can you catch a tennis ball bouncing off the wall of the chimney?
How many times can you throw a tennis ball up and catch it.
How many stones can you throw into a jam tin?
Catch tadpoles, bring them home and see them turn into frogs. It never worked.
