Tip-cat

Tip–cat being played. From A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, 1767

Tip-cat (also called cat, cat and dog, one-a-cat or piggy) is a pastime which consists of tapping a short billet of wood (usually no more than 3–6 inches) with a larger stick (similar to a baseball bat or broom handle); the shorter piece is tapered or sharpened on both ends so that it can be "tipped up" into the air when struck by the larger, at which point the player attempts to swing or hit it a distance with the larger stick while it is still in the air (similar to swinging at a pitch in baseball or cricket, etc.).

There are many varieties of the game, but in the most common, the batter, having placed the billet, or "cat", in a small circle on the ground, tips it into the air and hits it to a distance. His opponent then offers him a certain number of points, based upon his estimate of the number of hops or jumps necessary to cover the distance. If the batter thinks the distance underestimated he is at liberty to decline the offer and measure the distance in jumps, and score the number made.

In Walsall in the 1950s, an alternative version required a set of stumps and bails, similar to those used in cricket; unlike cricket, these stumps were leant against a convenient wall, as the game was played in the street. The aim was to tip up the cat and then strike it towards the stumps with the object of dislodging the bails. Opposing fielders were allowed to catch the cat in flight.

The game is very similar to Gilli-danda which is still popular among rural youth in southern Europe and the Indian subcontinent.

A similar game is also played in South Korea, known as "jachigi" (자치기). It is played by young children.

In Galicia there is one league called Liga Nacional de Billarda.

In Lancashire a version called piggy is played in which the billet or "piggy" is only tapered on one side like the snout of a pig.

Throughout the middle east there are professional tip-cat leagues. Sherwan Amriki is widely regarded as the greatest player in the world and revolutionary to the game.

See also

• Giddy-gaddy
• British folk sports

References

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)