Street Games

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jdbythesea
Posts: 405
Joined: Sat 02 Apr, 2011 6:14 am

Post by jdbythesea »

When I was a lad growing up in Hunslet back in the 50s we used to play all sorts of street games. My own favourite was British Bulldog but there's another one that sticks in my mind that used to include "I draw a snake right down your back" but I can't remember any more of it. Can anyone help? Maybe it was your favourite.

String o' beads
Posts: 1360
Joined: Wed 06 Feb, 2008 6:09 pm

Post by String o' beads »

'I draw a snake right down your back' [Draw snake with finger down friend's back]'Cut off its head, cut off its tail' [make the actions]'How many fingers am I holding up?' [hold them up behind their back]Can't remember what happened next, but I think if they got it wrong, you got first go at whatever the next game was.

carith
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Joined: Mon 18 Feb, 2008 2:06 pm

Post by carith »

One of the games we used to play was a game called splogga?

raveydavey
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Post by raveydavey »

I don't recall "splogga" - how was that played?I think that very similar games are often called something completely different, even only as far as a mile or two away.People look at me daft sometimes when I mention we used to play "Hot Rice"...
Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act – George Orwell

jdbythesea
Posts: 405
Joined: Sat 02 Apr, 2011 6:14 am

Post by jdbythesea »

Thanks geordie-exile. I think your right that the "snake" just decided who went first in any game. Oh, and Splogger was a variation on British Bulldog as far as I remember.Do kids still play any of these old games? All I ever see them doing is playing with mobile phones.

BillyBritvic
Posts: 175
Joined: Wed 17 Jun, 2009 6:12 pm

Post by BillyBritvic »

Kick out ball, tig of't ground, statues, hide n seek, we played loads a games back int late 50's early 60's, we were never in, always out, usually exploring, and there were a lot of demolition sites to explore back then, oh, we even had our own mobile phone, piece a string wi two tins, one at each end! those were innocent days. Now kids of 5 - 6 - 7 are all wanting iphones/pads/ps3/wii/etc..........
The longer we live the older we get

Johnny39
Posts: 894
Joined: Mon 11 Jun, 2007 3:54 pm

Post by Johnny39 »

raveydavey wrote: I don't recall "splogga" - how was that played?I think that very similar games are often called something completely different, even only as far as a mile or two away.People look at me daft sometimes when I mention we used to play "Hot Rice"... Hi Raveydavey - was "Hot Rice" the same as "Pise Ball" or were they two different games? We used to pick sides with "One potato, two potato".
Daft I call it - What's for tea Ma?

Croggy2
Posts: 65
Joined: Tue 25 Aug, 2009 6:15 pm

Post by Croggy2 »

We used to play Hot rice, Bulldogs and Red Rover.My daughter's school let limited numbers play bulldogs but banned the whole school (or several classes) playing at lunchtimes due to the number of injuries .....

Glax
Posts: 47
Joined: Sat 04 Sep, 2010 9:49 pm

Post by Glax »

It`s great reading about some of the old street games which brought so much childhood pleasure.Or rather, it would be if – instead of just naming a game – posters would give some idea how the thing was played!I agree with raveydavey`s comment that different names were used for similar games.Can there, for example, be any confusion over what was my all-time favourite kids` game – Hot Rice, also mentioned by raveydavey and others?In vain I`ve tried describing it to people only to be met with blank looks. At times I thought I was the only person in the world who`d heard of it. I`ve no idea where the name Hot Rice came from, though.I suppose we`re talking of the same game. As I remember it, we need two teams, attackers and defenders, playing with an old tennis ball or a same-size solid sponge ball, Attackers can handle the ball standing still only, passing it around among themselves, angling for the best position from which to chuck it at an individual defender.But they were not allowed to pursue anyone by moving with ball in hand. Once hit by the ball anywhere on body, head or limb, the defender becomes an attacker, and so on until the whole defending team is wiped out. The two teams then swap roles for the next round.The one exception to the "one hit and you`re out" rule is that defenders can choose one fist, left or right, which can block an attacking throw by punching the ball away.To keep everyone honest, a defender has to wrap a handkerchief round the chosen fist to make clear which is his invulnerable hand.I seem to remember that clever defenders could combine their punches to knock the ball some distance away to get a respite, but I think you were "out" if your punch was caught by an attacker before it bounced on the ground.What a game! Exercise, accuracy, planning, teamwork, the excitement of the chase, the inborn love of throwing something at a target, finally being cornered by hordes of opponents with only one fist and a now filthy hanky to save yourself with - wonderful!!!I could have played that game for days on end. Sometimes it seems like we did!Glax

Mork of Ork
Posts: 123
Joined: Wed 10 Oct, 2007 9:26 am

Post by Mork of Ork »

We used to play a game called 'spot' at school. You all took turns throwing a tennis ball (sometimes kicking a football) against a wall, the next person would have to get the ball before it stopped rolling/bouncing and throw/kick it from wherever they were to the wall.If they missed the wall or the ball stopped before they got to it they had to stand on the wall and block other people from being able to hit the wall.If the ball was caught by someone on the wall the person that threw it has to join them.When a football was used you had a good incentive not to be stood against the wall as some of the lads would kick the ball as hard as they could!We played this against the wall of the old gym at Intake which had walls shaped like a capital 'E', we used a wall inside one of the 3 buttress walls, so you had the side walls to bounce the ball against to get it to the end wall. It was a small target from the far end of the playground though! Edit - Ive just noticed how many times the word 'wall' is used in my description!! :-D

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