Local Game on National TV!

I got all rather happy watching the last episode of 'Rory & Paddy's Big British Adventure' which we had recorded when it was on earlier in the week...

For they had a game of my youth, and of my homeland!

For those who didn't watch the series Rory McGrath & Paddy McGuiness tour the UK trying the weird & wonderful local games and pastimes.

In the last programme of the series they headed to the South :) and Paddy headed to my homeland and the pub where my A level results (and many A level results from my school are celebrated, being he nearest to school) were celebrated and the church choir have been known to partake (as it is essentially the pub for the old village, now suburb known as Hackington).

Enough of the reminising of Ye Olde Beverlie... onto the excitment at the TV for me. Paddy had a go at playing 'Bat & Trap' ... its an East Kent Pub Game, and as I found out in the programme actually originates from Canterbury... I've played it in mainly village pubs between there and Dover/ Deal which I think is the Bat & Trap heartland! It is something I miss from summer evenings; a game of Bat & Trap or two. There isn't something like it here and I doubt I can bring it to the Portsmouth Masses! In the Portsmouth News we have a page full of Netball results from the local leagues ... we have local leagues and the Kentish Gazette has a page with the Bat & Trap results!

...and in finding the links for this post I've found I can buy the Bat & the Trap ... all I need now is a longish flatish garden ... watch out Dr T!