I've played softball in Britain, but the main game of that sort
over here is rounders. A very interesting wiki article here:

Thus Britons for lucre
Fly over the main...

"Although rounders is assumed to be older than baseball, literary
references to early forms of 'base-ball' in England pre-date use of
the term rounders."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rounders

On 09/06/2023 15:59, Lionel Edwards wrote:
> I've played softball in Britain, but the main game of that sort
> over here is rounders. A very interesting wiki article here:
>
> Thus Britons for lucre
> Fly over the main...
>
> "Although rounders is assumed to be older than baseball, literary
> references to early forms of 'base-ball' in England pre-date use of
> the term rounders."
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rounders

In Sussex I've played stoolball, which Wiki suggests is seriously old,
and may be an ancestor of cricket, baseball, softball and rounders:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoolball>

(Thunderbird's spell checker doesn't know about it though).

On Friday, June 9, 2023 at 4:38:30 PM UTC+1, phil wrote:
> On 09/06/2023 15:59, Lionel Edwards wrote:
> > I've played softball in Britain, but the main game of that sort
> > over here is rounders. A very interesting wiki article here:
> >
> > Thus Britons for lucre
> > Fly over the main...
> >
> > "Although rounders is assumed to be older than baseball, literary
> > references to early forms of 'base-ball' in England pre-date use of
> > the term rounders."
> >
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rounders
> In Sussex I've played stoolball, which Wiki suggests is seriously old,
> and may be an ancestor of cricket, baseball, softball and rounders:
> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoolball>
>
> (Thunderbird's spell checker doesn't know about it though).

We don't spend much time in Sussex (more's the pity) but a couple of
years ago in The Old Mout House in Horsham my wife played an extraordinary
fluke on the Bar Billiards Table, and was bombarded with requests
to join the Sussex League.

We also remember playing Aunt Sally (a bowling game) in Hampshire?

Lionel Edwards <lioneledwards61@gmail.com> writes:
>"Although rounders is assumed to be older than baseball, literary
>references to early forms of 'base-ball' in England pre-date use of
>the term rounders."

From a traditional (arranged by Bob Dylan):

|Delia, oh Delia, how can it be?
|You loved all them rounders, never did love me.

. From the World-Wide Web (2003) (translated from German)
(replace "x" by "."):

|[H]e started a weblog under the name "rome" and the url
|"roundersxde". A disturbing, unsparing weblog, unsparing
|towards himself and the others. Morally dubious, full of
|hooker and casino stories. Misantrophic. With detailed
|descriptions of all the wounds inflicted on him by those he
|loved.

.

On 09/06/2023 21:26, Lionel Edwards wrote:
> On Friday, June 9, 2023 at 4:38:30 PM UTC+1, phil wrote:
>> On 09/06/2023 15:59, Lionel Edwards wrote:
>>> I've played softball in Britain, but the main game of that sort
>>> over here is rounders. A very interesting wiki article here:
>>>
>>> Thus Britons for lucre
>>> Fly over the main...
>>>
>>> "Although rounders is assumed to be older than baseball, literary
>>> references to early forms of 'base-ball' in England pre-date use of
>>> the term rounders."
>>>
>>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rounders
>> In Sussex I've played stoolball, which Wiki suggests is seriously old,
>> and may be an ancestor of cricket, baseball, softball and rounders:
>> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoolball>
>>
>> (Thunderbird's spell checker doesn't know about it though).
>
> We don't spend much time in Sussex (more's the pity) but a couple of
> years ago in The Old Mout House in Horsham my wife played an extraordinary
> fluke on the Bar Billiards Table, and was bombarded with requests
> to join the Sussex League.
>
> We also remember playing Aunt Sally (a bowling game) in Hampshire?

It's rare to find a pub with a bar billiards table these days,
unfortunately. I think the rot started with Space Invaders and such,
which doubtless yielded a good deal more cash for a smaller floor area.

On Sat, 10 Jun 2023 10:08:11 +0100
phil <phil@anonymous.invalid> wrote:

> On 09/06/2023 21:26, Lionel Edwards wrote:
> > On Friday, June 9, 2023 at 4:38:30 PM UTC+1, phil wrote:
> >> On 09/06/2023 15:59, Lionel Edwards wrote:
> >>> I've played softball in Britain, but the main game of that sort
> >>> over here is rounders. A very interesting wiki article here:
> >>>
> >>> Thus Britons for lucre
> >>> Fly over the main...
> >>>
> >>> "Although rounders is assumed to be older than baseball, literary
> >>> references to early forms of 'base-ball' in England pre-date use of
> >>> the term rounders."
> >>>
> >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rounders
> >> In Sussex I've played stoolball, which Wiki suggests is seriously old,
> >> and may be an ancestor of cricket, baseball, softball and rounders:
> >> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoolball>
> >>
> >> (Thunderbird's spell checker doesn't know about it though).
> >
> > We don't spend much time in Sussex (more's the pity) but a couple of
> > years ago in The Old Mout House in Horsham my wife played an extraordinary
> > fluke on the Bar Billiards Table, and was bombarded with requests
> > to join the Sussex League.
> >
> > We also remember playing Aunt Sally (a bowling game) in Hampshire?
I always thought that was peculiar to Oxford & environs?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aunt_Sally#History
The 4th paragraph omits Hampshire, but does give a wider area than my
(limited) experience.

> It's rare to find a pub with a bar billiards table these days,
> unfortunately. I think the rot started with Space Invaders and such,
> which doubtless yielded a good deal more cash for a smaller floor area.

Passing of an Era.

Even Pinball machines are seen as archaic.

Lots of West Country pubs used to have bowling alleys, but these are
mostly converted to extra dining space these day.
In at least one bar in Brugge they play a game not unlike darts, but with
full? size bows and arrows! Well it was still active in 2012. I can't
locate it today though. My Googlefu is weak, sorry.

--
Bah, and indeed Humbug.

On 2023-06-09 14:26, Lionel Edwards wrote:
> On Friday, June 9, 2023 at 4:38:30 PM UTC+1, phil wrote:
>> On 09/06/2023 15:59, Lionel Edwards wrote:
>>> I've played softball in Britain, but the main game of that sort
>>> over here is rounders. A very interesting wiki article here:
>>>
>>> Thus Britons for lucre
>>> Fly over the main...
>>>
>>> "Although rounders is assumed to be older than baseball, literary
>>> references to early forms of 'base-ball' in England pre-date use of
>>> the term rounders."
>>>
>>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rounders
>> In Sussex I've played stoolball, which Wiki suggests is seriously old,
>> and may be an ancestor of cricket, baseball, softball and rounders:
>> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoolball>
>>
>> (Thunderbird's spell checker doesn't know about it though).
>
> We don't spend much time in Sussex (more's the pity) but a couple of
> years ago in The Old Mout House in Horsham my wife played an extraordinary
> fluke on the Bar Billiards Table, and was bombarded with requests
> to join the Sussex League.
>
> We also remember playing Aunt Sally (a bowling game) in Hampshire?

Though this may be familiar to most of our UK contingent, here is one of
my favourite limericks...

There was a young curate of Salisbury
Whose manners were quite Halisbury-Scalisbury
He wandered round Hampshire
Without any pampshire
Till the Vicar compelled him to Walisbury

--
What do you call a fish without an eye?
Fsh.