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
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!
____________________________________________________
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
Cucumber Sandwich Discus @ the Chap Olympiad
This last weekend saw the 5th Annual Chap Olympiad. The Chap magazine, a journal for the modern gentleman, has been publishing sartorial advice and articles on pipe smoking, tweed, and indeed everything else a chap needs to know, for ten years now but it is their marvellous sporting events that appeal to the lover of Strange Games. The event features Hair Tug of War, Bicycle Jousting (covered in Strange Games here) and Cucumber Sandwich Discus. The game hardly needs a description - simply make a Cucumber Sandwich (the snack of choice for all discerning lords, ladies and gentlemen), spin 'round and around then hurl it as far as possible.
The video below show the 2008 event.
A superb set of Guardian photographs of 2010's event can be seen here.
The video below show the 2008 event.
A superb set of Guardian photographs of 2010's event can be seen here.
News from the crazy world of Crazy Golf
Strange Games News: Two leading lights in the 
world of crazy golf, Tim 'Ace Man' Davies (the UK's most decorated crazy golfer) and Richard 'Squire' Gottfried (master mini golf blogger) have joined forces to create the world's first Crazy Golf Museum. Initially this will be an online venture but the eventual aim is to create a physical version.
The Crazy Golf Museum’s ‘Curators’ have a vast archive built up over their many years playing the game, and are keen to enhance this with donations to help grow and support the collection in the future. It is worth visiting the site if only for the amazing collection of crazy golf postcards but it also has collections of mini golf badges, history, scorecards and other ephemera.
The Virtual Crazy Golf Museum can be viewed at www.crazygolfmuseum.info
Also visit miniture golfer site & ham and egger files
world of crazy golf, Tim 'Ace Man' Davies (the UK's most decorated crazy golfer) and Richard 'Squire' Gottfried (master mini golf blogger) have joined forces to create the world's first Crazy Golf Museum. Initially this will be an online venture but the eventual aim is to create a physical version. The Crazy Golf Museum’s ‘Curators’ have a vast archive built up over their many years playing the game, and are keen to enhance this with donations to help grow and support the collection in the future. It is worth visiting the site if only for the amazing collection of crazy golf postcards but it also has collections of mini golf badges, history, scorecards and other ephemera.
The Virtual Crazy Golf Museum can be viewed at www.crazygolfmuseum.info
Also visit miniture golfer site & ham and egger files
Robot Soccer
As the bore-fest that is the Football World Cup comes to a close Strange Games receives an 
e-mail from reader Issy McDonald promoting the cause of Robot Soccer.
She writes, "Robot Football is my own invention. To play you simply play a normal game of football except everyone, including goalies, must move like a robot. So movement must be as mechanical as possible but most importantly you must not bend your legs at the knees. This makes the game really difficult, the ball is hard to control...its even hard to foul an opponent. To help you get the stiff-legged motion required you can always use a pair of shinpads and instead of positioning them on your shins , strap them onto your knees instead."
If you want to go the whole hog, you can always go for boxwars style outfits like in the picture.
e-mail from reader Issy McDonald promoting the cause of Robot Soccer.She writes, "Robot Football is my own invention. To play you simply play a normal game of football except everyone, including goalies, must move like a robot. So movement must be as mechanical as possible but most importantly you must not bend your legs at the knees. This makes the game really difficult, the ball is hard to control...its even hard to foul an opponent. To help you get the stiff-legged motion required you can always use a pair of shinpads and instead of positioning them on your shins , strap them onto your knees instead."
If you want to go the whole hog, you can always go for boxwars style outfits like in the picture.
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