Rules
The aim of the game is to kick the ball (an overly-inflated association football) into Worms - the area at either end of canvas.
There are a few main rules in Winkies and most revolve around the basic principle that each team can only kick the ball once before the other team touches it. These are called "tag", "dribble", "behind your side", and "handiwork". "Tag" occurs when a team-mate kicks the ball, and a man on his own team then kicks it without waiting for the other team to touch the ball. If, however, the ball goes backwards off the first kick, the second man may play the ball "down", i.e. kick the ball lower than five feet up. "Dribble" is much the same, but occurs if the same man touches the ball twice when the ball has not gone backwards. However, if, in the opinion of the referee, a player has kicked the ball as hard as they can, then they are allowed to give chase and kick once more. "Behind your side" is designed to stop people loitering up the pitch. Once a man on your team kicks the ball, you must endeavour to get back to the point where he kicked the ball from (not just behind the kicker as in rugby) before you can move forward up the pitch. "Handiwork" is any illegal use of the hands. Only the kicks (full backs) can use their hands to control the ball. Any other man may catch the ball on the full toss, but use of the hands at any other time is deemed handiwork. A catch on the full toss by any player enables them to take up to three steps and then "bust" (punt) the ball, usually as far as possible, except for when a player catches the ball when it has come out of ropes, in which case the catcher must put the ball at his feet and kick it "down". Alternatively, if the opposing team is running at the player, he may run also. There are no touchdowns however, and the player must bust the ball over. Breaking any of these rules means that play is brought one or two posts back for a hot (scrum).
In a standard team of 15 men, there are 8 forwards, known as hotmen, collectively known as the hot, who play like a rugby scrum. Whenever the ball goes out of play, or a minor foul is committed, a hot is held. This can be held on ropes at the side, where the object is to flick the ball past the opposing team, thus making them all offside and forcing them to retreat under the "behind your side" rule, or into the middle of the pitch. However, unlike in rugby, the ball cannot be hooked by any player until the front row of one hot is entirely over the ball, at which point the ball is "through".
Once the ball is out of the hot, the hotwatches (scrum-halves) try to get the ball past the hot, either to kick the ball into Worms, or to kick the ball into Ropes. Alternatively, they can choose to knock the ball backwards to a better placed 'kick', remembering that the kick must play the ball down. If at any stage during the game the ball enters Ropes, it is usually the job of the hot to go in and retrieve it, by getting the other hot out of the way.
The winner is the team with the most points.
Read more about this topic: Winchester College Football
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