Miner's annual Gala's

[ABBOO]

I didn't know where to put this so i put it here.   I've just watched a television program about life in the 50s and 60s about games miners used to play at the annual gala's, does anyone remember some of the games they used to play.  I can remember one they usedto play it was called peggy with a stick and a bit of wood, you used to hit the piece of wood and see how far you could hit it and who ever hit it the farest would win, and you could hit it a fair way.

[karen]

i bet that braught things flooding back to you

[eleanora]

I didn't know where to put this so i put it here.   I've just watched a television program about life in the 50s and 60s about games miners used to play at the annual gala's, does anyone remember some of the games they used to play.  I can remember one they usedto play it was called peggy with a stick and a bit of wood, you used to hit the piece of wood and see how far you could hit it and who ever hit it the farest would win, and you could hit it a fair way.

i nagged my dad to take me to purston park to watch a game of peggy when i was about 10, we stood behind the man with the stick, he swung it back  let it go & it hit me full whack on the chest , knocked the wind out of me , never went back to watch another game 
long time ago

[ABBOO]

It's a long time ago that i can remember peggy being played, it was early to mid 1970s it was a good game and a lot of the miners used to let go of their bats 

[yetion1]

i knew nothing off peggy. should be good for next years playday. has anyone got any old kit? is there any more games that have been forgotten?

[Popeye]

Loads of em mate but im embarressed to show me age. Didn't cost the earth to entertain the kids though

[fevlad]

Peggy was used as a way of betting against one another, was also known as knurr and spell, and fox and hound in different parts of the north

The peg was placed on either a small block of wood or the flat edge of a brick, each man using the same peg, the peg was then struck downwards, and due to it's shape would fly up in a straight line, allowing it to be hit by the peggy stick, the stick was of your own design but had to be made of wood.

When the peg was hit, the hitter then had to guess how far it was away, his opponent then had to stride to the peg, either by running or walking, the difference then being the points for the strider, and bets were laid between the other people there as to what the difference would be

The game could go on all day with different people playing each other, i used to spend many a sunday with my old fella on the field at the side of what is now sycamore way.

A great game ..... if you want to know the shape of the peg or the stick .... let me know

Would love a game

[Bob]

What a great idea a game of "peggy" I used try and make my own kit when I was a lad int 50s, a pick axe handle for the bat but the wood for the peg as to be very hard my dad used to bring pit prop pads wihc were pieces of very hard wood about 2x4x1inch home for me, give me a shout if this is a goer,there is a great area for a game up at the cricket ground, allthough the health and safety brigade might have some thing to say

[Greencatcher]

I know a few people also who would be up for a game of `Peggy`.  Perhaps we could see how many were interested and then perhaps arrange a game.  I personally have never played but I have been told that it was a right laugh.

[Bob]

I am not sure how many people we could get interesred, but my memory was prompted about a similar game I think is still played Sunderland or some such place called "nurd and spell?"and I am not sure if the nurd is the bat and the spell is the piece to be hit, but the piece hit is lauched by a device like a spring there may be examples of it in some book?.

[Forkhandles]

I am not sure how many people we could get interesred, but my memory was prompted about a similar game I think is still played Sunderland or some such place called "nurd and spell?"and I am not sure if the nurd is the bat and the spell is the piece to be hit, but the piece hit is lauched by a device like a spring there may be examples of it in some book?.

I think its knurr and spell bob.

[Citizen Smith]

This might be of interest :-

http://www.ml014c5457.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/nipsypersonal.html

Equipment, History Rules and Records of Nipsy, Peggy Billet, the name, it seems, depends on which part of Northern England you are from.


 

[ABBOO]

Well Citizen Smtih a brilliant look at the pictures and rules of peggy and brilliant photos of the teams that used to play it.

[ABBOO]

This is the page with Peggy on it gareth

[yetion1]

In the spirit of play day 2009 “Get Involved” the topic of “Peggy” has been brought back up. Is it possible that a group of individuals can now get together and bring back an old Featherstone past time and at the same time educate the youth of today so that the pastime has at least been experienced?
3 or 4 people could pull this off. In a 5 hour slot backed by the resources of playday including risk assessments.
If you wish to help then please leave a comment and work it out with those interested.