Smeit

Smeit

Genres	Garden-based
Players	2 (or two teams)
Setup time	A few minutes
Playing time	Varies; 5-10 per round.

Smeit is a traditional Welsh game involving wooden sticks and sometimes stones, in which the objective is to score the greatest number of points by knocking over or damaging sticks arranged in a triangular formation.

The game is thought to have medieval origins and is commonly played in wooded areas in the west of Wales. The game is often played in gardens or open spaces.

Regional variations of the game have evolved across Wales and Celtic regions of the British Isles.

Gameplay

Many variations of the game exist, although the most commonly played version involves tactically striking a selection of ten sticks arranged in a triangle formation, with a larger stick, or sometimes stone, known as a ‘smeitiwr’ (or ‘curwr’).

The standing sticks are placed in four rows, with four sticks in row one valued at one point, up to a single stick in row four, valued at four points.

Players take it in turns to throw the smeitiwr at the sticks attempting to dislodge or snap up to three sticks.

The value of the sticks moved or snapped are added to determine the total for that round. If four sticks or more are dislodged or damaged, the player is penalised either the highest value of all dislodged sticks or the total number of sticks dislodged less three, whichever is greater.

Origins

The game is believed to have originated in West Wales.

Many players still insist that the game must not be played on Sundays, after it was denounced as “idle recreations” in the 17th century along with early forms of football and maypole celebrations by William Erbery, a prominent Calvinist preacher in West Wales. ^{[1] [2]}

References

1. Erbery, William (1651). The Testimony of William Erbery. London. pp. 45–47.
2. Dictionary of Welsh Biography: William Erbery (1604–1654)