The second season of Pegs™ is well underway. Set in the beautiful surroundings of Bedminster,
specifically the sun trap (and giant cat litter) that is my back yard, Pegs™ is slowly developing into a masterpiece. A game to rival any that stands before it, with an excellent chance of reaching Olympic status by 2012.
In the name of progress, the game has been adapted for 2006. Anyone who was involved in or witnessed any of the thrilling encounters from the summer of 2005 will remember the table that balanced on my hammock to act as a 'backstop', and the washing basket that offered a relatively simple one-point target. These have been scrapped for the new season, mainly because my hammock split into two the first time I tried to use it after the winter, and the washing basket had cultivated a variety of interesting life forms. I guess you could now call it our pond, albeit a very shallow one.
Anyone who has never heard of the game before are probably wondering what on Earth I'm talking about, or more likely have stopped reading. Perhaps I should explain the rules...
Basically, two or more players sit behind the line and take it in turns to throw first pegs, and then corks at a variety of targets, which are seven or eight yards away at the bottom of the garden. Currently, we simply take it in turns and ensure that we throw an equal number, but obviously by the time Pegs™ reaches Olympic status this will be standardised, and pegs and corks will be coloured with the nation's flag.
This is the action area. A direct hit into the
green bin is worth
three points, and the
terracotta pot is worth
two. If a player's peg or cork balances in the
basket that hangs over that pot it is worth
four points, however if it gets knocked into the pot at any point in the future then that player will drop two points (four points for the basket becomes two points for the pot, you see). In the same way, if it gets knocked out of the basket and into the cat litter, that player loses all four points.
Any peg or cork that lands on the
chair and stays there picks up a
single point, which of course also gets deducted from the player's total if it is later knocked onto the cat litter.
New for 2006 is an ingenious ten point option, which generally comes into play in the later stages. The
pole that hangs from our washing line is balanced on the edge of the chair. If a player can
knock it off with a direct hit they earn
ten points. Rebounds do not count, and if the pole slides off the back as a result of a player hitting the chair with a powerful attempt, then that player has to get up and replace the pole (and also earns nothing). If a player
hits the pole directly but it stays in place on the chair, then they only earn
five points.
Also new for 2006 is a penalty rule. A player will
lose three points if their
peg or cork is irretrievable. This can happen when ten point attempts fly over the
fence into the bush, or occasionally corks or pegs find their way into the small gap that hangs between the fence and the wall. Many pegs have been lost to the peg graveyard. Generally, losing three points for an out of bounds shot is harsh, so we have added another rule: If that player can
hit the chair directly with their next shot (and only their next shot) they will
recover those three points.
Finally, games are best of three sets, or 'pegs' as we confusingly call them, and obviously, the winner can put their feet up while the
loser collects. This can be a dangerous task, particularly in bare feet...
The new season is still young but already there have been many epic encounters. The four-player international game with Mike and Dan was legendary, and had more turnarounds than Swindon's magic roundabout. However, below I will briefly describe the events of another thrilling battle between Chewy and myself. I just hope I can accurately portray the tension and excitement that mark all good Pegs™ encounters. I'm sure you can see it in Chew's eyes...
It took place yesterday in the late afternoon, and bar the occasional mild wind conditions were perfect.
I took the first peg 42-39 in a game that was close all the way. I eventually won it with my final cork when I fluked a 3-pointer (as I was aiming for the 2). The second peg was relatively low scoring, but with chew's final cork he picked up 2 points to put him 25-22 ahead. With my final cork I was left with three options. I could go for the three-point bin to tie the peg, or the ten-point pole to take the victory. 
Both of these are tricky shots with little margin for error, so in the end I took the third option. Chew had two pegs hanging in the basket. If I could knock one of them into the pot and also drop my cork in, then I would gain two points and chew would drop two. I would therefore win the game 24-23.
I couldn't have aimed my cork any better. It flew into the basket and seemed to bounce around two or three times. I'm sure it nudged both of Chew's pegs before dropping into the pot, but they held firm, and so Chew took the second peg by a single point, 25-24.
The third and final peg was quite remarkable, as just about every peg seemed to stick in the basket. The four yellow's and the front blue one are Chew's. As the game developed, most of Chew's pegs seemed to stay in the basket, and most of mine seemed to drop, so Chew opened up a 12-point lead going into the corks.
I made a recovery after knocking off some of chew's pegs and finding my range with the 3-pointers, plus I even managed to balance a cork onto the basket for 4, but chew managed to knock it off and pick up some 2's himself, so with one cork remaining each, the score was 44-40 in Chew's favour.
Like bowles players, we both made our way to the action area and studied the pegs. Three of Chew's yellows and his dark blue still remained from the early stages, and all seemed to be firmly wedged in. Clearly it was my pink and light blue that were more likely to drop, so I was left with no choice but to go for the ten pointer. I have a surprisingly good record at picking up ten points when I need them, so I remained confident, despite the pressure. I picked my spot on the pole, lined it up, and threw with all of my might.
Direct hit! Well, I skimmed it anyway. The pole wobbled and there was an unerring silence as we waited to see whether it would slide off the back of the chair. It didn't, but not to worry I still picked up five points to put me 45-44 in front. I did have a panic that my cork had gone out of bounds, but Chewy could confirm that he had seen it bounce back into the garden after smacking against the fence.
So, all Chew had to do was score with his final cork to win the peg and match. The atmosphere was tense, as he made another stroll down the garden to check the pegs in the basket. Finally, he returned to his chair, took a sharp intake of breath, and lined up his shot.
It fell short.
In the end the pressure got to him and I retained my crown as Official Pegs™ World Champion, at least for the time being.
Watch out for Pegs™ at your local sports bar or leisure centre in the coming months, but in the mean time, I have just started my sickeningly long summer break, so there's an open invitation. I'll take on any challengers, any time...
