The
information on this website has been posted in response to numerous
requests for information about
Dwyle Flonking. It gives the full rules of the
game (to
enable anyone to form their own team) and includes the story of the
Waveney Valley Dwyle Flonking Association who was responsible for popularizing the game. |
DWYLE
FLONKING: A brief summary of the game
Dwyle Flonking is
normally
played by two teams dressed as country "yokels". One team joins hands
to form a ring which circles round, leaping into the air as they do so
(this is called Girting). A member of the other team goes into the
middle of the circle and puts a beer-soaked dishcloth (the Dwyle) on
the end of a stick (the Driveller). He spins round and has to project
(Flonk) the dwyle off the driveller with the object of hitting one of
the players circling round him. He scores points for his team according
to which part of the body he hits.
If he misses he has to
drink
beer from a chamber pot before a dwyle is passed hand-to-hand along a
line formed by the players who were girting. If he fails to do so his
team loses a point.
When all the players in
one team
have flonked, they then form a circle and girt, while the other team
takes turns to flonk. The team with the most points at the end of the
game being the winners.
Equipment
Required
Dwyle: a dish cloth (at
least 3
required)
Driveller: a stick used
to
project the dwile, about 1.5” diameter, 23" long (inclusive of a
handle, which may be fashioned on one end if desired).
Chamber Pot: to contain
the beer
necessary for 'Taking the Pot'
Barrel: containing Olde
English
Ale (or any preferred beer) from which the pot is filled
Bucket or bath: to
contain the
beer in which to soak the dwyles (it is best to have several dwyles
soaking, to save time waiting for the dwyle to be returned after it has
been flonked).
The referee required a
whistle,
coin, notebook, and pencil. He should appoint a responsible person to
keep score (possibly using a large scoreboard) or he may make note of
the score in his notebook.
Duration
of the Game
There should be the
same number of players in each
team. One team girst while the members of the other team take turns to
flonk; when they have all had their turn the referee blows his whistle
for half-time. After a short break the teams change places. This is the
procedure for a normal game.
For special purposes,
in order
to shorten the time taken for the game, one of the following methods
may be adopted:
(a) a predetermined
time-limit
per team may be used (e.g. 15 minutes per team, for a game lasting just
over half-an-hour), in which case even if all the players in one team
have flonked they carry on for a second turn until time runs
out.
(b) Only a
predetermined number
of players in each team may flonk (e.g. ten players in team, all ten
girt but only six flonk).
Number
of Players
The game may be played
by two teams of eight or
more players (suitably attired as country yokels), however the
recommended number is ten; this gives the best size of girting circle.
If only eight are in the circle, the flonker in the middle must be
careful not to hit anyone with the driveller.
A captain should be
appointed
for each team, to be responsible for his teams good conduct and
sportsmanship.
The game may be played
by just
one team for their enjoyment if desired. One flonker being in the
middle while the others girt; after he has had his turn at flunking, he
joins the girting circle and a player from the circle goes into the
centre to have his turn, and so on.
Setting
Up
Immediately prior to
the start
of the game the container with the beer, the pot, the driveller, the
dwyles, the bucket of beer for soaking the dwyles, and the scoreboard
(if any), should be positioned where the game is to take place.
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The referee calls the
two
captains together and tosses a coin into the air for one of the
Captains (usually the visiting one) to call heads or tails. If he wins
the toss he may choose either to flonk or girt first. If he loses the
toss then the other team's Captain has the choice.
The team that is to
flonk first
sits near the beer to wait for their individual turn to flonk. One
member of the team should soak the dwyles in the bucket of beer and
throw them to the person who is about to flonk as needed. Another
member of the team should be appointed to pour the beer into the pot.
The team which is to
girt first
takes up their positions.
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Girting
When the .circle is in
position
a flonker from the other team picks up the driveller and goes into the
centre of the circle; the referee calls for a dwyle to be thrown to
that flonker, and then shouts “here y'go t'gether” and blows his
whistle. This is the cue for the circle to start girting and for the
flonker to spin round and with a shout of “Dwyles Away” to flonk his
dwyle.
The team girting will
have
joined hands to form a circle and commenced turning in a clockwise
direction, the players moving rapidly round, jumping and skipping up
and down in order to dodge the dwyle, and keeping their arms
outstretched to form as large a circle as possible. They must not
release their hands until after the dwile has been flonked.
If the circle is broken
deliberately the referee may award a penalty flonk; for this the
flonker has an additional flonk during which the players in the circle
keep their hands joined, but must stand still and not girt.
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Flonking
The person flonking must
keep to
the centre of the girting circle.
He must hold the driveller
at
one end and drape the dwyle on the other. The dwyle must not be
completely wound round the driveller, but hung from it.
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He spins round (leaping
into the air at the same
time if he likes) in the opposite direction to the circle (i.e.
anti-clockwise). He must spin completely round at least once before
flonking the dwyle and he must keep spinning round while he actually
flonks the dwyle.
The driveller must be
swung so
as to project the dwyle off it more in a horizontal plane than
vertically (i.e. the dwyle must not be thrown directly downwards onto a
person).
Infringing these rules
may mean
that the referee will call a foul flonk - scoring no points but
counting as one of his two flonks.
He normally has two
flonks - if
he scores with one and misses with the other, then that concludes his
turn. But if he scores with both, he gains a bonus flonk (one
additional flonk). If, however, he misses with both his flonks he has
to pay a forfeit in the sense of “Taking the Pot”.
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Taking
the Pot
The players who were
girting
release their hands and form a straight-line, arms length apart.
The pot is filled with
beer
(between half to one pint) and handed to the flonker ready to drink.
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The referee takes a dwyle
and gives it to the
player at one end the line; when he blows his whistle the players in
the line pass the dwyle hand-to-hand to reach the other end - but
before it gets there, the flonker must drink the beer in the pot. If he
fails to do so he loses one point for his team.
If the team passing the
dwyle
throws it past some of their team, referee may penalize them one point,
or make them start again (if a flonker hasn't drunk all the beer!)
As the dwyle is being
passed
along the line, and in fact, as soon as the teams realize a flonker has
to take the pot, they clap their hands and chant “Pot, Pot, Pot …”
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Scoring
If a person is
appointed to keep
score, the following system of indication from the referee as to how
many points have been scored may be adopted
Wonton:
the referee pats the top of his head-with both hands.
Morther:
he holds two hands in the air
Ripper:
he holds one hand in the air
Swadger;
he waves his hands from side to side.
If the flonker drinks
the
contents of the pot in time, he gives the thumbs-up sign; if not, he
gives the thumbs-down sign and the scorer adds one point to the other
team's score.
As in other sports, the
referee's decision is final. He reserves the right to send a player off
the field for misconduct or serious infringement of the rules.
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Scoring Points |
Winning
The team
with the most points wins the game (an
extra point may be deducted from a team's score for every man who is
sober at the end of the game!)
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FLONKER'S
SONG
As the teams, enter the playing area, and after the
game,
they may feel like singing the flonking song “Here we'em be t'gether”
The first verse plus the chorus is normally sung at
the
start of the game, the full song may be song at the end (if they have
enough breath left).
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Here
we'em be together
Now here we'em be boys,
now here
we'em be,
With our Dwyles and our
Drivellers, Dwyle Flonkers are we.
Now you know how to
play boys,
so hear what I say,
Grab a hold of that
Driveller
and shout “Dwyles Away”
Chorus:
0 Drivel-i, drivel-i, drivel-i-aye
Now down we all go to
the old
village green,
The flonking match
there is for
all to be seen
Old Tom scores a Ripper
and the
crowd they do shout,
And then they start
hurlin' them
dishcloths about
Chorus:
0 Drivel-i, drivel-i, drivel-i-aye
Now the game it do end
and down
go the sun,
And one team ha' lorst
and the
other ha' won.
But nobody knows of the
score on
the board,
Cos they're flat on
their backs
and as drunk as a Lord!
Chorus:
0 Drivel-i, drivel-i, drivel-i-aye
Now you've seen how the
game go
and yer know how to play,
So join in the chorus
and shout
“Dwyles Away”!
So cheerio now to the
old
village green,
And we'll come back
next year
wi'a far better team!
Chorus:
0 Drivel-i, drivel-i, drivel-i-aye
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The Waveney
Valley Dwyle Flonking Association (Click here)
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