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From: Elizabeth Agar <>
Subject: Christmas Customs - #3 - M.A.Courtney
Date: Sun, 6 Dec 1998 12:10:32 +1100


This is the third "Christmas" transcript from "Cornish Feasts and Folklore"
by Miss M. A. Courtney, published in 1890.
--------------------------------------------
[This extract reminds me so much of the hot Christmas days of my youth on
the beach in Oz!]

"On Porthminster Beach on Christmas-day, as seen from the Malakoff, St.
Ives, at nine o'clock in the morning the boys began to assemble on the
beach with their bats and balls. As soon as twelve youths arrived a game
commenced, called 'Rounders'. The first thing to be done was to right up
the 'bickens'. This accomplished, the sides were chosen in the following
manner:- Two of the best players, whom we will call Matthew and Phillip,
went aside and selected two objects - the new and old pier. The old pier
was Matthew and the new pier was Phillip. After this was arranged the
'mopper' selected the old pier, which meant he would rather have Matthew
his side than Phillip. Then Phillip selected someone for his side; and so
it went on until the whole twelve were elected one side or the other. Then
they tossed up for the first innings. Phillip's side won the toss, and it
was their luck to go in first. While they are taking off their jackets and
getting ready to go in I will briefly describe the game.

"The bickens, four in number, were piles of sand thrown up; each one being
about ten yards from one another, and arranged so as to form a square. In
the centre of the square the bowler was placed with ball in hand. Behind
the batsman stands the 'tip', while the other four were off a long way
waiting for the long hits. The coats off, in went the first batsman. The
ball was thrown towards him and he tipped it. The tip instantly took the
ball and threw it at the batsman, and hit him before he arrived at the
first bicken, and he was consequently out. The second batsman had better
luck; for on the ball being thrown to him he sent it out to sea, and by
that means he ran a rounder, or in other words he ran around the four
bickens without being hit by the ball. The next batsman went in. The ball
was thrown to him, when lo! it went whizzing into the bowler's hands, and
was caught. This unlucky hit and lucky catch got the whole side out,
before three of them had a chance to show their skill. The other side then
went in, laughing at the discomfiture of their opponents. The tables,
however, were very soon turned; for the very first hit was caught, and this
produced a row, and the game was broken up!

"I then went to the next lot: They were playing 'catchers'. There is only
one bicken required in this game, and at this stood a lad called Watty,
with bat and ball in hand. At last he hit the ball, and up it went flying
in the air, descended, and passed through the hands of a boy named Peters.
Peters took the ball from the sand and asked Watty, 'How many?'. Watty
replied -

'Two a good scat*
Try for the bat."

*Scat, a blow, a slap.

"Peters threw the ball to the bicken, but it stopped about three lengths
short. Watty took the ball up and again sent it a great way. The question
was again asked, and Watty gave the same answer. Again the ball was thrown
to the bicken, but this time with better success; for it stopped at the
distance of the length of the bat and so was within the distance named.
Williams then went in. He was a strong lusty fellow, and the ball was
sent spinning along the sand. It was picked up by Curnow [perhaps one of
my cousins!] who asked, 'How many?'

'Three a good scat,
Try for the bat.'

"The ball was thrown home and rolled about three bats from the bicken.
This point, however was the breaking-up of the game, for Williams said it
was more that three bats off, whilst Curnow maintained that it was not
three bats off, and there being no chance of a compromise being arrived at,
the game was broken up. [definitely a Curnow cousin - argumentative lot
that we are!]

"The next party was one of young men. They were playing rounders with a
wooden ball, instead of an india-rubber one, as is generally used. They
were twelve each side, and the bickens were about twenty yards distant. By
this time the tide was out a great way, so that there was no fear of the
ball being knocked to sea, as was the case with the other boys. When I got
there they had been in about half of that time. The first hit I saw was 'a
beauty!' The ball was sent about 75 yards, and the result was a rounder.
Two or three other persons went in and did the same thing, and so the game
went on for about an hour longer, when one of the fellows knocked-up a
catcher and was caught. This side stayed in for about an hour and a half.
The other side went in at about a quarter to three, and after playing
about another hour, they went home to tea.

"I went to tea also, but was soon up in the Malakoff again. It was so dark
that the play was stopped for the time. At about seven o'clock the older
part of the town began to congregate, and about a quarter past seven they
began to play 'Thursa'. This game is too well known to need description,
and I need only say that it was played about one hour, when they began to
form a ring with the intention, I supposed, of playing that best of games,
'Kiss-in-the-Ring' " -(Cornishman, 1881)

[How tantalising! - does anyone know what Thursa is, or the rules for the
last game above?]

[to be continued - through to the Twelfth day of Christmas]

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