BeanBag Games Roley Poley
( BeanBag, Handball, Marble Coin Pebble and Jack, Physical Contest, Running, Tag, Tennis Ball )A row of holes three or four inches in diameter is made in the ground with about one foot space between. There should be one hole less than the number of players. Boys caps may be placed in a similar row instead of digging holes. Parallel with the row of holes and about twenty feet away from it a base line is drawn. A pile of pebbles (called “babies”) should be collected before the game begins.
The game consists primarily of rolling a ball into one of the holes or caps followed by ball tag and a scoring with the pebbles. The players stand each a little distance behind a hole except one who is chosen to be the first roller. He rolls the ball from the base line into one of the holes or caps. Immediately he and all of the players except the one into whose hole the ball has fallen run scattering in any direction. The one to whose lot the ball has fallen lifts the ball as quickly as possible calling “Stand ” as soon as he has it in his hand. The running players must halt when they hear this order and the one who holds the ball tries to hit one of them with it from where he stands. If he succeeds in doing so one of the pebbles is put in the cap of the player who is hit. Should he miss hitting any one a pebble is put in his own cap. Should the player who tries to roll the ball into one of the holes or caps miss getting it in a pebble is put in his own cap and he makes other trials until he succeeds. When a player is hit by the ball he becomes roller and all of the others return to their places. The game continues until one player gets six (or ten) stones (“babies”) in his hole or cap. When this happens he must be “court-martialed ” that is stand with his face against a wall or fence and let each player take three shots at him with the rubber ball the first time with the throwers eyes closed and then with them open. The distance of the throwers from the fence is determined by the victims throwing the ball at the fence three times so it will rebound the farthest point to which the ball rebounds becomes the throwing line for the court-martialing. If no fence or wall be available the throwing is done from an agreed distance at the back of the victim.
This game may be played by drawing a series of circles on the ground or floor in place of the holes or cap and sliding a bean bag into them.