Silly Army Sunday 29th May

It was a small but fun gathering of members at The Silly Army last Sunday, the grey, overcast weather and the bank holiday perhaps contributing factors. However, there were still enough players for plenty of silly games.

Tennis. A gentleman's game.

After Pete and Dave played a gentlemanly game of tennis while the troops practised their hockey shooting, it was time for a game of Hockey proper. The management of Dave, Pete and Kaye, along with Alex M, took on the yellow team of Steph, Duncan, Matt and Helen. While the wonky fingered keeper in the red goal made several valiant saves and Alex was all over the pitch, the addition of the two old men on the team made it somewhat unevenly matched (particularly as Pete frequently forgot how to move and Dave was clinically dead at least twice, but still kept playing. . . )

The yellow team were working better as a unit rather than relying on one plucky player out in the field, and so they quickly took the lead and the game.

We attempted to play ‘Proper’ football after a while but gave up quite quickly as it was a bit too scary. Much enjoyment came from the grunting and football chav impersonations, however. Erik joined us during this time and was one of the few who could actually play footie. The score at 3-1 and nobody sure who was on which team, we abandoned this game in favour of Sticky Ball.

The yellow team played as a unit.

This time we mixed the old men up a bit (that is, put one on each side) and this seemed to work, as the yellows stormed the first game and the blues took the second (although the strong wind may have had something to do with this). “Mrs Machine” in particular was a star for the blue team. It was, however, the yellows who took the third for the match, although there was just one ball in it. Special commendation to Lauren for turning up with cakes during the game!

Next up we had som e Tchouckball, which was a tricky game on a big pitch with so few players. Again it was tight but the yellow team edged it with some good partnerships between the Machine, Steph, Kaye and Pete.

We were going to play some Kubb for the remainder of the afternoon, but Erik, Pete and Matt became a little too absorbed in a Lego Star Wars sticker album and began covering all toys, cars and anything that moved in stickers…

Come join The Silly Army in King’s Park, Bournemouth, from 7pm on Wednesday evenings and 1pm on Sunday afternoons for fun and games of a silly nature. It’s free, a charity and open to anyone aged 18 and over.

Silly Army in the Sunshine

The Silly Army enjoyed a sun drenched afternoon in King’s Park this Sunday in the longest games session of the season, which left all of the Sillies aching for more (and most of them aching for a hot bath and some muscle rub).

After a busy few weeks it was great to get some new toys out in the park, not least the Giant Net that Pete has been perfecting for Really, Really Big Tennis – his latest game invention. While the giant net may still need a little work, it provides not only a great game (in which you struggle to see your opponents through the net) but also an effective anti-Chav barrier to keep out undesirable elements.

We began games with a traditional Big Tennis game, before moving on to enjoy or endure one of the longest Hockey games in living memory.

The clocks going forward and noisy pussy cats were among the reasons for Sillies being late, but gradually the field of players kept growing. It was good to welcome back newer recruits including Mark and Catherine, gluttons for more punishment, and to welcome a host of new members to the club – let’s hope they come back for more.

Five points were reached pretty quickly by the yellow team in Hockey, but with so many players arriving it was decided to play on to 10 – a decision some of the older members in particular would live to regret.

The red team was going from strength to strength and Pete couldn’t decide which team to be on to maintain his losing streak, which confused everyone (not least himself). The reds clawed five back and though the yellows scored a couple more it was not long before the reds took the lead. There was much deadlock before it was decided by old bones Dave and Pete that, with the teams tied on 8-8, the next goal would win. Kaye in the yellow goal squared up to counterpart Pete in the red, and I am pleased to report the best woman won as the yellows scored the winner.

After some Double Dodgeball we played the new version of Sticky Ball for the second week, complete with the chance to get multiple balls into play thanks to the central multiball hole. The blues quickly took the lead and won the first game, before the yellows came back to win the second. However, the blues played better as a team to win the third and take the match.

After an exceptionally confusing game of Crumbs & Crows (when is it not confusing?) we stopped for some well-earned tea and cake, home made cakes courtesy of Spencer in his chef’s trousers.

Next up was Combi Ball, for once quite a well balanced game with the lead frequently changing between the yellows and blues. New player Lauren in particular was a natural sharp shooter for the yellows, while K surprised herself more than anyone else by scoring a football goal for the blues. It was eventually the blues that took the lead, in no small part due to the partnership of Graham and Pete up front. Catherine also excelled for the yellows.

After a long experiment with the Really, Really Big Tennis game, we started losing players and retreated to the Big Tennis pitch. Big Tennis feels very small indeed after Really, Really Big Tennis, but we played on until we got too stiff to move.

A great Sunday in the park – come and join The Silly Army this Sunday from 1pm.