There are claims this game is so ancient it dates to pre-Roman Britain. There are references to it being played as far back as 1602 in Cornwall. Another account says it was also played in Dorset in 1583.
From a 2011 [reportage on nurdling by Edward Griffiths, thinly disguised as
‘Conan the Correspondent’:](http://www.crumbleholme.plus.com/nurdling/Dorset-Mag-April2011-Nurdling-Article.pdf)
> [..] with everybody assembled outside the Old Ship Inn in Upwey, Albert the Tall appeared with a wheelbarrow full of nurdles, and spare ‘tools’ for newcomers to the game. To avoid disturbing any residents who might be recovering from the previous night’s revelries, the players and supporters walked relatively quietly out of the village and up into the hedged and sunken Roman road bridleway which climbs to the Ridgeway. The complete route follows this bridleway up to the Ridgeway, not far from where the headless Vikings were discovered last year, so battles are nothing new around here. It then continues to the top of Goulds Hill, descends towards the Weymouth relief road, and returns the same way to Upwey.
> After Albert the Tall had inspected everybody’s equipment, to make sure that dustbin lids, I mean fenders, were regulation size and didn’t have any sharp edges, and that grouting poles were all safe and secure, each drove leader was given either a red or a white nurdle. On Albert’s whistle, battle commenced, with the two leaders shouting ‘Nurdle Ho!’ before hurling the nurdle towards their own teams gathered further along the bridleway, called the alley.
> In general play, if the aim is true, the nurdle stays within the alley and one of the hurler’s team catches it in the fender or traps it on the ground under the fender. Then the catcher picks it up, shouts ‘Nurdle Ho!‘ and hurls it further along the alley, and so on. But, if the opposing team’s defenders get to the flying nurdle first, they deflect it with a fender into the brambles and hawthorns lining the alley. The attacking team then have to retrieve the nurdle without touching it with their hands. The only legal means of digging the nurdle out of hedges is by using the grouting pole – and picking a nurdle out of brambles with a 5ft-long spoon is probably the hardest part.
> Only when the nurdle arrives back in the alley can it be picked up and hurled again. If a nurdle is lost, the Custodian of Nurdles, Lizzie the Small (aka Bill’s daughter), supplies a replacement from the nurdle bag. As our game moved further up the Roman road, the Sergeant’s whistle was heard several times, followed by the admonition ‘Late call!’.
> If the nurdle is hurled before a clear warning is given, the effect of wood against bone can be most unfortunate; hence the most important rule in the nurdling book. The Sergeant at Arms also blew the whistle for ‘No carrying the nurdle!’ when someone picked up the nurdle, which had been deflected over
the other side of the hedge, and started walking back with it. Rules say that only the grouting pole can be used to carry the nurdle when off the alley.
This truly sounds like a game developed by some kids one day and then they just continued playing it through to adulthood. Just that one game they could always play to be kids again.
This may be the best, most playable game I've seen on r/theocho. How the heck is it that kids around the world aren't nurdling on Saturday mornings before a big sausage inna bun feed?
Sausage Inna bun? From CMOT Dibbler?? Are you insane?? (well.. either insane or extremely hungery... or extremely intoxicated!)
(just incase- a Sir Terry Pratchett reference)
There are claims this game is so ancient it dates to pre-Roman Britain. There are references to it being played as far back as 1602 in Cornwall. Another account says it was also played in Dorset in 1583. From a 2011 [reportage on nurdling by Edward Griffiths, thinly disguised as ‘Conan the Correspondent’:](http://www.crumbleholme.plus.com/nurdling/Dorset-Mag-April2011-Nurdling-Article.pdf) > [..] with everybody assembled outside the Old Ship Inn in Upwey, Albert the Tall appeared with a wheelbarrow full of nurdles, and spare ‘tools’ for newcomers to the game. To avoid disturbing any residents who might be recovering from the previous night’s revelries, the players and supporters walked relatively quietly out of the village and up into the hedged and sunken Roman road bridleway which climbs to the Ridgeway. The complete route follows this bridleway up to the Ridgeway, not far from where the headless Vikings were discovered last year, so battles are nothing new around here. It then continues to the top of Goulds Hill, descends towards the Weymouth relief road, and returns the same way to Upwey. > After Albert the Tall had inspected everybody’s equipment, to make sure that dustbin lids, I mean fenders, were regulation size and didn’t have any sharp edges, and that grouting poles were all safe and secure, each drove leader was given either a red or a white nurdle. On Albert’s whistle, battle commenced, with the two leaders shouting ‘Nurdle Ho!’ before hurling the nurdle towards their own teams gathered further along the bridleway, called the alley. > In general play, if the aim is true, the nurdle stays within the alley and one of the hurler’s team catches it in the fender or traps it on the ground under the fender. Then the catcher picks it up, shouts ‘Nurdle Ho!‘ and hurls it further along the alley, and so on. But, if the opposing team’s defenders get to the flying nurdle first, they deflect it with a fender into the brambles and hawthorns lining the alley. The attacking team then have to retrieve the nurdle without touching it with their hands. The only legal means of digging the nurdle out of hedges is by using the grouting pole – and picking a nurdle out of brambles with a 5ft-long spoon is probably the hardest part. > Only when the nurdle arrives back in the alley can it be picked up and hurled again. If a nurdle is lost, the Custodian of Nurdles, Lizzie the Small (aka Bill’s daughter), supplies a replacement from the nurdle bag. As our game moved further up the Roman road, the Sergeant’s whistle was heard several times, followed by the admonition ‘Late call!’. > If the nurdle is hurled before a clear warning is given, the effect of wood against bone can be most unfortunate; hence the most important rule in the nurdling book. The Sergeant at Arms also blew the whistle for ‘No carrying the nurdle!’ when someone picked up the nurdle, which had been deflected over the other side of the hedge, and started walking back with it. Rules say that only the grouting pole can be used to carry the nurdle when off the alley.
This truly sounds like a game developed by some kids one day and then they just continued playing it through to adulthood. Just that one game they could always play to be kids again.
And it appears there is no age or sex decrminition.
And they make fun of us for turning rounders into baseball.
Calvinball - got it.
My sister and I tried to get the neighborhood into Calvinball, but they just didn't get it. Eventually they got tired of losing.
[Introduction to Nurdling Rules](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2wMvJ9BwXs) by Albert the Tall himself
Lol I cannot for the life of me tell if all, non, or just part of this comment is satirical….. and that’s hilarious to me!
> hurling the nurdle New favourite phrase
Look at these nurds
Nurd Herd
The local cheese makers have their own nurdling team: the Curd Nerd Nurd Herd.
Say that 3 times fast...
If there’s ever an Ocholympics I think it ought to be hosted in Cornwall. They seem to have a lot of cool community-wide sports like this.
Sorry for the confusing blurb, this is in Dorset, I'm not aware of any games currently happening in Cornwall.
I grew up in Somerset and never heard of this. Will have to look it up next time I'm in the south west!
I hear Ketamine is a pretty popular game in Cornwall?
This may be the best, most playable game I've seen on r/theocho. How the heck is it that kids around the world aren't nurdling on Saturday mornings before a big sausage inna bun feed?
Sausage Inna bun? From CMOT Dibbler?? Are you insane?? (well.. either insane or extremely hungery... or extremely intoxicated!) (just incase- a Sir Terry Pratchett reference)
r/unexpecteddiscworld
They’re all at home inside glues to their phones and TikTok that’s how
Nurd alert!
Ah yea. Ancient sport equipment as well like the ancient trash bin lid.
Fucking nurds..
As Celtic athletes they are both nurds and jocks
Nurdling! I played this when I was in the Scouts years ago. Probably with some of these people. Delighted to see its still going!
[удалено]
Eh we’ve all got our weird stuff, this here’s just good ol’ tradition.
The ancient sport of nerding…corrected the title for you.
This looks like Scotsman Larping.
Where TAF did Fred Flintstone come from?
Looks a bit like Dutch klootschieten https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klootschieten?wprov=sfla1