Pub Game - Dwyle Flunking

Dwyle-flunking is to sport as the Morris Men are to dancing. It’s a mock-medieval exercise in jingle-jangle buffoonery which is much more fun to participate in than to watch. The rules are like this: two teams of twelve divide themselves into ‘fielders’ and ‘batsmen’. One batsman stands in a circle of twelve fielders equipped with a dwyle (a stick, joined to a rag covered in stale beer). On the blow of an umpire’s whistle the fielders dance around the batsman, hand in hand. On the second blow of a whistle they stop, whereupon the batsman must ‘flunk’ (swing) his dwyle at a fielder. He gets various points for hitting his target on various parts of the body. Each batsman gets a go, after which the teams swap round. There are two ‘innings’.

The Lewes version of the event, between Lewes Arms locals and the Lewes Operatic Society, has been going on as long as anyone can remember. It’s a noisy event in which players have to swig beer when they breach the rules (by hitting spectators with beer, wearing the wrong clothing, etc). There is a mob of folk musicians in attendance, playing their instruments. Dwyle flunking enthusiasts claim pagan roots to their sport and are fond of pointing out that a Bruegel painting appears to depict the game. Its detractors believe it to be a silly modern invention. Whatever the case, it’s worth a look if you’ve nothing to do to fill in the hours before Sunday’s real sporting event. AL