Dwile flonking

The history of dwile flonking can supposedly be traced back to a manuscript of its rules from 1585. In 1966, following the supposed rediscovery of these rules in an attic, the game was allegedly revived for the summer fête in Beccles, Suffolk by a group of apprentice printers. However, the Suffolk county archivist was unable to find any evidence for the game before 1966, and the supposed 1585 rules are a hoax. The game was in fact apparently invented for the Beccles fête. Following the 1966 game, another game was filmed at Beccles by Pathé News, and dwile flonking was featured on the television programmes The Eamonn Andrews Show and Michael Bentine's All Square (Bentine called the game "nurdling"). For a period it became a popular pub game. It has been included in the Cotswold Olimpick Games, and dwile flonking continues to be played annually in Ufford and Beccles in Suffolk, and Lewes in Sussex. ==Gameplay==

The game is played by two teams of twelve. One team form a circle and dance around in one direction. One member of the other team (the "flonker") stands in the centre of the circle and rotates in the opposite direction, holding a beer-soaked cloth ("dwile") on a pole. The flonker flings the cloth at the dancers, scoring points depending on where on the body they are hit; if they miss they must drink as a penalty. In 2010, a dwile flonking competition replaced this drinking penalty with non-alcoholic drinks, following a local council decision that it would violate licensing restrictions intended to prevent binge drinking. ==Notes==

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