Pig In A Hole

Source: Games For The Playground, Home, School And Gymnasium
Category: BALL GAMES



_10 to 60 players._

_Playground; seashore; gymnasium._

_Basket ball._



Each player should be provided with a stick about three feet long.
This may be made by whittling branches, or a gymnasium wand or piece
of broomstick may be used. A hole is dug in the ground measuring
twelve or fifteen inches in diameter. All of the players but one stand
in a circle around this, with several feet between each two players so
that they may move freely. Each player digs a small hole in the ground
in front of his place in the circle, the hole to measure about four
inches in diameter. The game is played with a basket ball, although a
smaller ball may be used, in which case the center hole need not be
quite so large, though it should be somewhat larger than the ball
used.

The game consists in the odd player trying (1) to get the ball (the
"pig") into the center hole with his stick, which all of the other
players will try to prevent; and (2) the odd player trying to be
released from his position by placing the end of his stick in one of
the small holes belonging to one of the circle players, which he can
only do when the player in question has his own stick out of it.

The game starts by all of the players putting their sticks in the
center hole under the ball. They count, "One, two, three!" and on the
last word all lift the ball with the sticks and then rush for the
small holes, each player placing the end of his stick in a hole. As
there is one less hole than the number of players, one odd player will
be left out. It thereupon becomes his duty to drive the pig into the
hole from whatever point it may have landed through the combined
effort and toss with which the game opened. The circle players try to
prevent the pig getting into the hole by blocking its passage with
their sticks. They may not kick it or play upon it in any other way.
The odd player will try to ward off the interference of the sticks by
clearing a way in front of the ball with his own. The other players
may leave their places at any time to block the passage of the ball;
but this is a dangerous thing to do, for the odd player may at any
moment leave his work with the ball and place his stick in one of the
vacant holes. It therefore behooves the circle players to leave their
holes unguarded only when there is imminent danger of the ball
entering the center hole from that side of the ring, or when a good
opportunity comes for aggressive play to drive the ball out of the
ring, which should also be one of their objects.

It is not necessary for a player to return to his own hole after
having removed his stick from it. Any hole may be taken by any player,
and much of the interest of the game lies in the freedom with which
players will move about and take chances in this way.

If the driver succeeds in getting his pig in the center hole, he is
considered to have won, and the game begins again. Should the driver
succeed in placing his stick in an unoccupied hole in the circle, the
odd player thus left out must become driver.

FOR THE GYMNASIUM
This game may be adapted to the gymnasium by
drawing chalk circles in place of those that would be dug in the
ground out of doors. The same rules apply for the game, which may be
played either with a basket ball or a bean bag.

This game is found in many countries. Several of the forms of
play here given are from the Chinese. It is an old traditional
game in England and popular there to-day.


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