PAGE 13
2022
The Glorious Dulwich Game of Pat-ball: A History Pat-ball was born in the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. As boys and students wrestled for position on the courts, determination etched on their faces, Sir Ernest Shackleton, with his crew of 27 men, turned his attention to the crossing of Antarctica from sea to sea, via the pole. In April of 1912, the Titanic departed from Southampton, with Lawrence Beesley on board, a former Biology teacher from Dulwich College…such rich, intertwined history. No one really knows when the first ball was patted, but as evidenced by The Alleynian of 1901, the first year of the reign of Edward VII, we can say that pat-ball is at least 120 years old. And now in 2022, Dulwich boys, from Year 3 to Year 13, still grace the pat-ball courts, to play a game that is quintessentially Dulwich.
refine his fencing technique. ‘I knew that there would be athletes at the Games who had been fencing for much longer than me, I so I focused on improving my tactical awareness. I had to look for advantages wherever I could.’ ‘Tokyo was amazing despite the Covid restrictions which included twice daily testing, the fact that we were not allowed outside the Olympic village bubble and that we had to leave Japan within forty eight hours of the end of our competition. Nevertheless, I loved the feeling of being part of something so much bigger than just a fencing team. There was the opportunity to meet athletes like Weir who up until then I had just seen on TV. The dining room was enormous, catered to absolutely every taste imaginable and open 24 hours a day! In many ways it was easier than the build up back in Bath where I was quarantined in a small flat, pretty much being on my own except for training and eating. Hardest of all was having to get up at 2.00am to replicate the time change between London and Tokyo so we could minimise the effects of jet lag.’ ‘It worked though, all the hard work paid off. By the time the actual competition arrived we knew we were ready, we had trained hard, the work was done.’
‘I think it is important to
get the balance right and enjoy the little things, enjoy the moment. I think people often pursue outright happiness and feel as though they have failed if they are not happy all the time.’
HOW TO PLAY (The current rules)
A Bronze medal in the epee was a wonderful surprise for a team not ranked in the top three going into the Games, so much so that there was little thought that they could improve on that position in the foil event taking place forty eight hours later. In fact Oliver considered leaving his medal ceremony jacket back in the village on the day of the competition; ‘it took up so much room in my bag’ . His last minute decision to pack it though certainly paid off and the British defeated Russia and Italy (neither of whom they had ever beaten before) and France in the round robin before defeating Ukraine in the semi-final. While we were surprised to make the final there was no way we were going to let the Chinese intimidate us and we gave it 110%. In the end though they were the better team and we were Olympic Silver medal winners which was an incredible feeling. That the British team experienced the success that they did was all the more remarkable given the lack of competition running up to the Games. ‘Nothing internationally since February 2020; we had to spar with able bodied fencers in both our training and holding camps.’ Since Tokyo, Oliver has been careful to balance celebrating his success with a return to fencing. In early November he visited the College to speak about his career and then a few weeks later won his first ever individual medal, a Bronze, at the IWAS World Cup event in Italy. ‘The Olympics in Paris is definitely on the radar’ he says. ‘After that I will decide what comes next. I will be 31 in 2024 and after the Games I suspect my priorities will change. I can see myself settling down and starting a family. I often sit down and talk to Josh Ritchie (06-11) also an OA, about empire building. We started a media production company while I was training for Tokyo and there are other projects we are looking at. I also want to develop my media presence and write another TED Talk. I am also currently working with Nike on a range of clothing. ‘I definitely want to do more to raise awareness of disability; there is still a great deal of bias, both conscious and unconscious against those with disabilities. In particular I want to help younger people who are growing up disabled. It is also so rewarding to hear back from those with the same condition as me and feel that I have at least in part been able to help them achieve their goals. I subscribe massively to the idea we are more disabled by society and their perception of us, than by our diagnosis. There is a great of work still to do, Tokyo was only a stepping stone. What is important is where I am going to be in ten years time.’
There are four ways of playing the game. There is singles, a one-on-one game, scored as points, with the loser of the previous point serving. In doubles, the same rules apply as in singles, except there are two players on each team. The remaining two variations of the game are Aces and Kingpin with the latter being the most popular. Teams of players bring their own rules to the game: some rules are a matter of opinion, but as long as a compromise is agreed, then the game can be enjoyed by all. But please do not confuse this legendary Dulwich game with wall-ball or other variations. This is the game of pat-ball we love, and these rules are for you to share, discuss, add to and enjoy across the generations. There are a few core rules that everyone must abide by before any variations are accepted: • When using the hand to hit the ball, one must hit it such that the ball bounces in their square before it bounces in another person’s square, to make it a legal shot. If the player fails to do this then ‘straight-ins’ is called as they are out. • If a player were to use another body part, then they are allowed to hit it into another person’s square without it bouncing, for example when using the head. • When any shot is played, the ball cannot bounce twice in a person’s square, either before they hit it or after. If this is the case then ‘double-bounce’ is called, and they are out. • A traditional courtesy is that if a player gets out then it is their duty to retrieve the ball and return it to the court, especially if the ball travels quite some distance from the court after the point. Etiquette is a core value of the game.
Fred Griffiths, Year 13 Simon Middleton, Member of staff
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