World Crazy Air Squash Championships

Here at Strange Games we enjoy hearing about unique and unusual sporting competitions and try to feature them as news items. Richard Gottfried (the man behind the greatest mini-golf blog Ham and Egger )  has brought this marvellous event to my attention.  Unfortunately it has just taken place but hopefully this little piece of publicity will swell numbers for next years event.
Richard writes, "This Undisputed International Worlds Crazy Air Squash Championships took place at 'The Buttons' on Saturday 18th September 2010, with six contenders hoping to be crowned the Global Champion of Crazy Air Squash and take with them the prized silver salver!"  The arcade game is basically Air Hockey but with both players shooting from the same side and bouncing the puck off the far wall. The current World Champion is Scott Lancley UK(seen on the left of the accompanying photograph) 

Although highly skilled at mini golf Mr Gottfried could only manage a desultory 6th/last place.  

If you haven't got a game nearby you could always buy one - only $3,700 here.
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A better way to spend your money of course would be to purchase the Strange Games book - now released as an e-book on i-Books and available to download straight to your i-pad, i-phone and i-pod touch for only £2.99

Description

A hilarious compendium of weird, wonderful, warped classic and new games.
Taken from the brilliant website http://strange-games.blogspot.com/, Montegue Blister's Strange Games is a pocket-sized compendium of the most hilarious, noisy, messy, and often vomit-inducing games ever written.
Finally, the official rules for all the games you played at school as a kid, such as Finger Jousting, Peanuts, Slapsies and Thumb Wrestling. But that's not all! Montegue Blister's Strange Games includes dangerous variations on old classics such as Extreme Rock Paper Scissors, Bloody Knuckles, Shin Kicking and Toe Wrestling, plus a whole host of new, weird and wonderful games like Face Ball, Crazy Stair Climbing, Watermelon Skiing and Mosquito Squashing.
Some games are violent, some are downright savage - and most involve a tiny bit of blood. But one thing's for sure - they're great fun! Montegue Blister's Strange Games is the perfect gift for Christmas and beyond.
Chapters in Strange Games in include:
Hand and feet games; Urban Games; Festivals; Party Games; Trick Games; Playground Games; Throwing & Propulsion; Sports; Stand off Games; Animal Games.

2010 Sherston Mangold Hurl - 3rd October

Strange Games reader Irene Johnston has emailed to remind me that this year's Mangold Hurling event is rapidly approaching. Mangold Hurling is possibly the greatest of the vegetable throwing events, superior even to frozen pea throwing.
Mangold /Mangelwurzel Throwing:A traditional Somerset game that requires skill, strength and cunning. Mangold Hurling has a well developed set of rules. Players take it in turns to stand in a pitching basket and hurl a Mangold / Mangelwurzel at a Norman (A Norman being a pre-placed fixed position Mangold) The player that gets his Mangold the closest is declared the winner... it's what you get if you mix boules and strong cider. Mangold Hurling is usually performed during October each year.
Last year's event:

Here is Irene's email with all the details you need - the mass Agincourt event sounds particularly appealing:
One of the West Country's most bizarre events! The Ancient Order of Sherston Mangold Hurlers will hold its annual Hurl on Sunday 3rd October. Jimmy Doherty ('Jimmy's Farm') led his Root Vegetable Acrobatic Display Team to a convincing victory in the 2009 Hurl.

Play starts at 12 noon with an entry charge of £5 per team of three. There will also be a mass Agincourt hurl at approximately 12.37pm. Action takes place at Sherston Village Hall and field (SN16 0LH) with additional entertainment provided by live music, dancing, stalls, bar, BBQ and teas.Free entry and car parking for visitors.

Expect a great deal of extra, unscripted merriment. Those wishing to enter a team should contact the Keeper of the Challenges Mr Paul Ormiston on 01666 840694 Singles competition entry is £1 on the day and there will be a free Children's Hurl.

Cheesey Daddy Cans

Strange Games welcomes contributions from readers...the weirder the better. However, reader Matt Stiff has gone the extra mile and actually produced an illustration to go alongside his game: Cheesy Daddy Cans - a delightfully messy and moronic version of football skittles. It is possibly the ideal game for Wayne Rooney - it might increase his chances of scoring.
Matt writes,"I thought you might like to know about a great party game that myself and a few friends invented. It's called 'Cheesey-Daddy-Cans' and it goes like this.... Place a coffee table in the centre of the room (or outdoors). On top of the table arrange a bottle of squeezy cheese, a bottle of Daddie's Brown sauce and a pyramid of 6 empty drinks cans. The idea of the game is to kick a 99p plastic football (available at all good seaside bucket and spade merchants) at the array of table top items and knock them off. However, to get points, you need to knock the item clean off the table. Any item left on the table but in a dishevelled state will result in points being deducted. The difficulty with this game lies in the unpredictable flight path of such a cheap and nasty plastic football. It is a great way of passing time on a rainy day and as skill levels increase so does the ferocity of the competition! Scoring is as follows: Daddies sauce - 3 pts, Squeezy Cheese 2pts and Cans 1 pt each.
All items carry a 1pt deduction if lying on the table after three attempts ( three attempts per player) A bonus of 20 pts is awarded if there are no items left on the table and knocking the table over is cheating, a re-kick must be enforced."
Matt doesn't say in his e-mail what his day-job is, but if it isn't something related to either game or graphic design I'll eat my hat.
Send your strange games to : montegue_blister@hotmail.co.uk

Doorknobs...a game for the flatulent

Strange Games reader, and occasional contributor, Duncan Flann sent in an e-mail detailing the gross and violent game of Doorknobs It is one of those marvellous open-ended games that never stops (a little like Beetle Bash), instead when the right situation occurs the game is on.
Duncan writes, "We used to play Doorknobs in the house we rented as students. A game would kick off whenever someone farted loud enough to be heard by anybody else in the room. When that happened a non-flatulent player could shout the word 'Doorknob'. The person who had let-off then had to rush and touch the doorknob of any door in the room as quickly as possible. And he had to be quick because as soon as the word Doorknob is shouted all other 'players' have the right to punch the offending farter as frequently and as hard as possible. As soon as the farter reaches the sanctity of the doorknob they are safe and the game is over. We also played the rule that the person breaking wind would avoid any painful beating by shouting the word 'Safe'... as long as they shouted it before the shout of 'Doorknob' went out."

If you have any unusual/gross/stupid games you play that might be of interest, then e-mail: montegue_blister@hotmail.co.uk

First International Turf Throwing Festival - Ballaghaderreen 2010

Strange Games reader Rory Walsh (Spire Digital) recently e-mailed me to highlight a brand new throwing competition. Turf and Briquette Throwing. The first world championships organised by ITABTA (International Turf and Briquette Throwing Association) were held in Ballaghaderreen in May of this year. As is usual with strange throwing events there is a mixture of throwing techniques. Is an under or overarm approach the best, or should you attempt a discus like spin and release? The winning entrant achieved a magnificent 35m.


Rory writes, "I made the video as I have relatives in the town and happened to be there with a camera. They plan to make it an annual event and supposedly they have some interest from a few international teams! It was great craic and I hope to go next year a little more prepared and make a proper quality documentary covering the competition."

Aero Golf @ Flambards Theme Park

We are big fans of Crazy/Mini Golf here at Strange Games and being on holiday in Cornwall recently provided the perfect opportunity to combine relaxation with an even crazier version of the ultimate seaside sport. The game at Flambards Theme park (a sort of South Western version of Alton Towers but without the rides, excitement or customers) presents itself as 'Aero Golf', each of the 9 holes having a aeronautical theme. So, you have impressive holes based on a Saturn 5 rocket, an amazingly accurate lunar lander, a trio of red arrows and an airport terminus.
Most impressive of all though is a marvellous 1/200th size scale model of a aircraft carrier HMS Invincible. However after these 5 magnificent holes the course designers give up and the remaining holes contain just painted plywood cut-outs of an aeronautical nature emblazoned with the Flambards logo. What makes the course even more unusual is that each hole scores points for whichever slot/hole you manage to get your ball through....it isn't the least number of strokes that wins as in the conventional game.
If you are stuck on holiday in Cornwall and don't mind paying £19.50 to get into the park, plus a further quid to rent a putter, then you could do worse than visit (possibly) the UK's most Southerly crazy golf course.

For more information on the wonders of mini golf in the UK visit the main site here, or for crazy golf blogging try out the Ham and Egger Files here.

Top 10 Strange Jousting Games

Jousting is the noble medieval martial art of knights on horseback, pitting their wits and lances against each other in order to gain money, prestige and the favours of a fair maiden or two. The following list details the ultimate modern equivalents - the only thing that the victors of these battles gain is to look slightly less stupid than their opponents.

10. Garden & Household Equipment based Jousting. If you are considering taking up home-based jousting there are probably two main forms to consider: Wheelbarrow Jousting


and Wheelie Bin Jousting.



9. Piggyback Jousting. Piggybacking lends itself to fighting and racing and even a spot of Piggyback Polo, but Piggyback Jousting is possibly the ultimate game for this position.



8. Bicycle Jousting. There are many forms of this dignified jousting. Straightforward Bicycle Jousting to the bizarre Chap Olympiad version (contestants wield rolled up umbrellas and carry shields decorated with pages from the Times).


Then there are Tall Bicycle competitions:


and even Unicycle Jousting.



7. Chair Jousting. The tedium of office life can be instantly relieved with a spot of Office Chair Jousting



6. Heelie Jousting.



5.Motorised Jousting. Available in a wide variety of vehicles from 4 by 4s to LawnMower Jousting,


MiniBike Jousting,


and my own personal favourite Scooter Jousting.


Mods on Vespas with jousting rods! It doesn't get much better than this, except perhaps...

4. Skateboard Jousting. Note the work that has gone into making the capes in this video



3. Finger Jousting, possibly the most dignified of the jousting events, and I'm not just saying that because I am Obscure Sports Media Mogul of the WFJF (World Finger Jousting Federation)



2. Mattress Jousting. A perfect dorm-based alternative.



1. Exercise Ball Jousting. A stupidly, random sport, and possibly more dangerous than the real thing.

Statues...the slapping game

Strange Games recently received an e-mail from reader Manuel Carvalho detailing a Portuguese playground game he knows and has played as Statues. This is not related to the rather dull party game of Musical Statues (players attempt to remain as still as a statue whenever the music stops) in any way. This is the kind of red-blooded, stupidly violent playground game that we love.
Manuel writes, "All players but one stand in two rows (or sometimes in a circle) with their hands raised, the player that stayed out of this formation is called the statue. This player must pass in between the two rows and get to the opposite side. While he tries to accomplish this everyone that's forming the rows slaps him on the back of the head as hard as they can. The job of the statue is to catch a glimpse of who's going to hit him at any given split second. When he does he switches to the rows and the person caught becomes the statue. The statue must go back and forth in between the rows until he catches someone. Of course there is no evident way to prove what the statue saw and if he's right, and that always leads to some heated disputes." It's as simply brutal as that, just keep slapping the player in the middle and try not to get caught...marvellous!
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If you play a game that is as mad as this one, and deserves wider attention, please e-mail Strange Games: montegue_blister@hotmail.co.uk