Quoits
Encyclopedia
Quoits is a traditional game
which involves the throwing of metal, rope or rubber rings over a set distance, usually to land over or near a spike (sometimes called a hob, mott or pin). The sport of quoits encompasses several distinct variations.
, which is a sport that involves pitching a horseshoe at a spike in the ground. A more likely explanation, however, is that horseshoes evolved from the sport of quoits, which in turn has its origins in ancient Greece
. On its website, the United States Quoiting Association explains that poorer citizens in ancient Greece, who could not afford to buy a real discus
, made their own by bending horseshoes - which in those days weighed as much as four pounds each. The practice was adopted by the Roman army and spread across mainland Europe to Britain. The aim of the sport remained as a competition to see who could throw the object the furthest, until
Whilst the first quoits were apparently made from horseshoes, in the context of the game's evolution, the significant point is that they were initially closed to form a ring and only used in their open form after the practice of pitching at a spike had been established.
In England, quoits became so popular that it was prohibited by Edward III and Richard II to encourage archery. Despite this setback, by the 15th century there is evidence to show that it had become a well organised sport, not least because of the numerous attempts to eradicate it from the pubs and taverns of England due to its apparently seedy character.
It is not until the 19th century, however, that the game is documented in any detailed way. The official rules first appeared in the April 1881 edition of The Field
, having been defined by a body formed from pubs in Northern England.
The popularity of the game during the 19th and early 20th century also gave rise to several variants, usually with the aim of allowing the game (or a version of it) to be played indoors, or with the aim of making it accessible to women and children. Games such as ringtoss or hoopla became popular as parlour games, whilst versions such as indoor quoits allowed pubs and taverns to maintain their quoits teams through the winter months. Deck quoits began life sometime in the early 1930s as a pastime to occupy passengers on long cruises.
, and thrown across a set distance at a metal spike (called a pin, hob or mott). The spike is centrally, and vertically, positioned in a square of moist clay
measuring three feet across.
This version uses the 15 rules published in The Field in 1881 and has remained largely unchanged since that time. Played under the auspices of The National Quoits Association, formed in 1986.
In this game, the pins are 11 yards apart, with their tops protruding three to four inches above the clay. Quoits measure about 5½ inches in diameter and weigh around 5½ pounds.
This version of the game is played by two leagues in and around the Esk Valley
on Monday and Thursday evenings from early May to mid August. The following villages have teams that play the northern game: Ainthorpe
, Beck Hole
, Danby
, Egton Bridge
, Fryup
, Glaisdale
, Grosmont, Hawsker
, Lealholm
, Moorsholm
and Fylingthorpe
.
Sometimes called the old game, this version is played in Wales
and Scotland
; Scotland had around a dozen clubs, now reduced to one which is based in Stonehaven
, under the control of the Scottish Quoiting Association, whilst Wales has only a few clubs, based around Dyfed
and Powys
.
In this game, the top of the spike is flush with the clay, so encircling the pin is not a significant part of the game. The long game has similarities to the game of bowls
, in that a player scores a point for each quoit nearer to the pin than his opponent. The hobs are 18 yards apart, while the quoits are typically around nine inches in diameter and weigh up to 11 pounds, almost double that of the northern game.
An English version of the long game, played using quoits of reduced size and weight. As with the long game, the hobs are 18 yards apart, but their tops are raised above the level of the clay. Quoits that land cleanly over the hob score two points, regardless of the opponent's efforts, and are removed immediately, prior to the next throw. Quoits which land on their backs, or inclined in a backwards direction, are also removed immediately
Matches are played by two teams (usually the host pub versus another pub) and typically consist of four games of singles, followed by three games of doubles. Players take it in turns to pitch four rubber rings across a distance of around 8½ feet onto a raised quoits board. The board consists of a central pin or spike and two recessed sections: an inner circular section called the dish and a circular outer section.
Five points are awarded for a quoit landing cleanly over the pin, two points for a quoit landing cleanly in the dish, and one point for a quoit landing cleanly on the outer circular section of the board. The scoreboard consists of numbers running from 1 to 10, 11 or 12, and the object of the game is to score each of these numbers separately using four or fewer quoits, the first side to achieve this being the winner.
Players take it in turn to throw three or four hoops at a target which usually, though not always, consists of concentric circles marked on the deck. The centre point is called the jack. Occasionally this may take the form of a raised wooden peg, but more usually it is marked on the surface in the same way that the concentric circles are.
, USA. This game uses two one-pound rubber quoits per player, which are pitched at a short metal pin mounted on a heavy 24x24x1 inch slab of slate.
Players take turns throwing a quoit at the pin. The quoit nearest the pin gets one point. If one player has two quoits nearer the pin than either of his opponent's quoits, he gets two points. A quoit that encircles the pin (called a ringer) gets three points. If all four quoits are ringers, the player who threw the last ringer wins the game; otherwise, the first player to make 21 points wins the game.
There are no leagues or universally accepted standards of play and players normally agree upon the rules before play commences.
Garden quoit and hoopla sets can be purchased in shops and usually involve players taking it in turns to throw rope or wooden hoops over one or more spikes.
The fairground version typically involves a person paying the stallholder for the opportunity to throw one or more wooden hoops over a prize, which if done successfully, they can keep. Generally speaking, the odds of winning are normally heavily weighted in favour of the stallholder.
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
which involves the throwing of metal, rope or rubber rings over a set distance, usually to land over or near a spike (sometimes called a hob, mott or pin). The sport of quoits encompasses several distinct variations.
The history of quoits
The history of quoits is disputed. One theory often expressed is that the sport evolved as a formalised version of horseshoesHorseshoes
Horseshoes is an outdoor game played between two people using four horseshoes and two throwing targets set in a sandbox area. The game is played by the players alternating turns tossing horseshoes at stakes in the ground, which are traditionally placed 40 feet apart...
, which is a sport that involves pitching a horseshoe at a spike in the ground. A more likely explanation, however, is that horseshoes evolved from the sport of quoits, which in turn has its origins in ancient Greece
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
. On its website, the United States Quoiting Association explains that poorer citizens in ancient Greece, who could not afford to buy a real discus
Discus
Discus, "disk" in Latin, may refer to:* Discus , a progressive rock band from Indonesia* Discus , a fictional character from the Marvel Comics Universe and enemy of Luke Cage* Discus , a freshwater fish popular with aquarium keepers...
, made their own by bending horseshoes - which in those days weighed as much as four pounds each. The practice was adopted by the Roman army and spread across mainland Europe to Britain. The aim of the sport remained as a competition to see who could throw the object the furthest, until
at some later, undocumented point in history, perhaps around a few centuries A.D., the idea of using a wooden stake or metal pin driven into the ground, to use specifically as a target to throw at, totally redefined the pastime from a game of distance to a game of accuracy.
Whilst the first quoits were apparently made from horseshoes, in the context of the game's evolution, the significant point is that they were initially closed to form a ring and only used in their open form after the practice of pitching at a spike had been established.
It is not until the 19th century, however, that the game is documented in any detailed way. The official rules first appeared in the April 1881 edition of The Field
The Field (magazine)
The Field is the world's oldest country and field sports magazine, having been published continuously since 1853.The famous sportsman Robert Smith Surtees, the creator of Jorrocks, was the driving force behind the initial publication...
, having been defined by a body formed from pubs in Northern England.
The popularity of the game during the 19th and early 20th century also gave rise to several variants, usually with the aim of allowing the game (or a version of it) to be played indoors, or with the aim of making it accessible to women and children. Games such as ringtoss or hoopla became popular as parlour games, whilst versions such as indoor quoits allowed pubs and taverns to maintain their quoits teams through the winter months. Deck quoits began life sometime in the early 1930s as a pastime to occupy passengers on long cruises.
Traditional quoits
A game played with metal discs, traditionally made of steelSteel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, and thrown across a set distance at a metal spike (called a pin, hob or mott). The spike is centrally, and vertically, positioned in a square of moist clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
measuring three feet across.
The northern game
This version uses the 15 rules published in The Field in 1881 and has remained largely unchanged since that time. Played under the auspices of The National Quoits Association, formed in 1986.
In this game, the pins are 11 yards apart, with their tops protruding three to four inches above the clay. Quoits measure about 5½ inches in diameter and weigh around 5½ pounds.
This version of the game is played by two leagues in and around the Esk Valley
Eskdale
-United Kingdom:*Eskdale, Cumbria, England*Eskdale, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland*Eskdale, North Yorkshire, England*Eskdale , Cumberland, England, former constituency-United States:...
on Monday and Thursday evenings from early May to mid August. The following villages have teams that play the northern game: Ainthorpe
Ainthorpe
Ainthorpe is a village in the Scarboroughdistrict of the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the Esk Valley, a quarter of a mile south of Danby and 12 miles west of Whitby....
, Beck Hole
Beck Hole
Beck Hole is a small village a mile and a quarter from Goathland, North Yorkshire, England, served only by a winding road that has 1-in-4 inclines at either end. This gives some protection from the general tourist routes, as coaches are unable to reach the village...
, Danby
Danby, North Yorkshire
Danby is a village and civil parish in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England. According to the 2001 UK census, Danby parish had a population of 1,515. Karl Pearson spent a lot of time there....
, Egton Bridge
Egton Bridge
Egton Bridge is a village in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Esk, between the villages of Glaisdale and Grosmont, about six miles south-west of Whitby, and on the route of the Esk Valley Walk....
, Fryup
Fryup
Fryup is a hamlet in North Yorkshire in England. It is in the civil parish of Danby and is located alongside Great Fryup Beck in the Great Fryup Dale. It may be found at ....
, Glaisdale
Glaisdale
Glaisdale is a village and civil parish in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies at on the River Esk, between the villages of Lealholm and Egton Bridge, west of Whitby, and is served by Glaisdale railway station on the Esk Valley Line...
, Grosmont, Hawsker
Hawsker-cum-Stainsacre
Hawsker-cum-Stainsacre is a civil parish in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England.According to the 2001 UK census, Hawsker-cum-Stainsacre parish had a population of 763.There is a small church dedicated to All Saints....
, Lealholm
Lealholm
Lealholm, sometimes known as Lealholm Bridge, is a small village in the Glaisdale civil parish of the Borough of Scarborough, in North Yorkshire, England. It is sited at a crossing point of the River Esk, in Eskdale which is within the North York Moors National Park. It is by road from the...
, Moorsholm
Moorsholm
Moorsholm is a village in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England.The village lies 5 miles from Saltburn-by-the-Sea between the North York Moors and the North Sea. Because of its proximity to the North Sea coast the area was vulnerable,...
and Fylingthorpe
Fylingdales
Fylingdales is a civil parish in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England situated south of Whitby. It contains the villages of Robin Hood's Bay and Fylingthorpe and Fyling Hall School....
.
The long game
Sometimes called the old game, this version is played in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
; Scotland had around a dozen clubs, now reduced to one which is based in Stonehaven
Stonehaven
Stonehaven is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It lies on Scotland's northeast coast and had a population of 9,577 in 2001 census.Stonehaven, county town of Kincardineshire, grew around an Iron Age fishing village, now the "Auld Toon" , and expanded inland from the seaside...
, under the control of the Scottish Quoiting Association, whilst Wales has only a few clubs, based around Dyfed
Dyfed
Dyfed is a preserved county of Wales. It was created on 1 April 1974 under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972, and covered approximately the same geographic extent as the ancient Principality of Deheubarth, although excluding the Gower Peninsula and the area west of the River Tawe...
and Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
.
In this game, the top of the spike is flush with the clay, so encircling the pin is not a significant part of the game. The long game has similarities to the game of bowls
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
, in that a player scores a point for each quoit nearer to the pin than his opponent. The hobs are 18 yards apart, while the quoits are typically around nine inches in diameter and weigh up to 11 pounds, almost double that of the northern game.
East Anglian quoits
An English version of the long game, played using quoits of reduced size and weight. As with the long game, the hobs are 18 yards apart, but their tops are raised above the level of the clay. Quoits that land cleanly over the hob score two points, regardless of the opponent's efforts, and are removed immediately, prior to the next throw. Quoits which land on their backs, or inclined in a backwards direction, are also removed immediately
Indoor or table quoits
Exclusively a pub game, this variant is predominantly played in mid and south Wales and in England along its border with Wales.Matches are played by two teams (usually the host pub versus another pub) and typically consist of four games of singles, followed by three games of doubles. Players take it in turns to pitch four rubber rings across a distance of around 8½ feet onto a raised quoits board. The board consists of a central pin or spike and two recessed sections: an inner circular section called the dish and a circular outer section.
Five points are awarded for a quoit landing cleanly over the pin, two points for a quoit landing cleanly in the dish, and one point for a quoit landing cleanly on the outer circular section of the board. The scoreboard consists of numbers running from 1 to 10, 11 or 12, and the object of the game is to score each of these numbers separately using four or fewer quoits, the first side to achieve this being the winner.
Deck quoits
Deck quoits is a variant which is popular on cruise ships. The quoits are invariably made of rope, so as to avoid damaging the ship's deck, but there are no universally agreed standards or rules - partly because of the game's informal nature and partly because the game has to adapt to the shape and area of each particular ship it is played upon.Players take it in turn to throw three or four hoops at a target which usually, though not always, consists of concentric circles marked on the deck. The centre point is called the jack. Occasionally this may take the form of a raised wooden peg, but more usually it is marked on the surface in the same way that the concentric circles are.
Slate-board quoits
This is a popular outdoor variation played principally in and around PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, USA. This game uses two one-pound rubber quoits per player, which are pitched at a short metal pin mounted on a heavy 24x24x1 inch slab of slate.
Players take turns throwing a quoit at the pin. The quoit nearest the pin gets one point. If one player has two quoits nearer the pin than either of his opponent's quoits, he gets two points. A quoit that encircles the pin (called a ringer) gets three points. If all four quoits are ringers, the player who threw the last ringer wins the game; otherwise, the first player to make 21 points wins the game.
Garden quoits or hoopla
This version of the game exists largely as a form of recreation, or as a game of skill found typically at fairgrounds and village fetes.There are no leagues or universally accepted standards of play and players normally agree upon the rules before play commences.
Garden quoit and hoopla sets can be purchased in shops and usually involve players taking it in turns to throw rope or wooden hoops over one or more spikes.
The fairground version typically involves a person paying the stallholder for the opportunity to throw one or more wooden hoops over a prize, which if done successfully, they can keep. Generally speaking, the odds of winning are normally heavily weighted in favour of the stallholder.
United Kingdom
- Allen Valley Quoits League, Northumberland.
- Danby Invitation Quoits League, North Yorkshire.
- North Yorkshire Moors League, North Yorkshire.
- Montgomeryshire County Quoits League, Montgomeryshire.
United States
- United States Quoiting Association (USQA) see USQA.org
- Mercer County Church Steel Quoit League, New Jersey.
United Kingdom
- Forest of Dean Quoits League, Gloucestershire.
- The Builth Wells and District League, Powys.
- Kington League, Herefordshire.
- Aymestry League, Herefordshire.
- Presteigne League, Powys.
- The Whitby Indoor League, North Yorkshire.
United States
- Bushkill Valley Quoit League, Pennsylvania.
- Easton City Quoit League, New Jersey.
- Slate Belt Quoit League, Pennsylvania.
External links
- The Pennsylvania Version of Traditional Rubber Quoits: Quoits Direct
- The Online Guide to Traditional Games: Quoits
- The American Version of Traditional Iron Quoits: quoits.info
- The United States Quoiting Association: usqa.org
- Historic Richmond Foundation http://www.historicrichmond.com/
- Game Rules for Rubber Quoits on Slate Quoitboards: Quoit Rules