Shove Ha'penny

This is an old English game, sometimes played in public houses. In England, during the 15th century, an indoor version of Shovelboard for play in taverns developed, called Shove Groat or Slype Groat, and this has been played ever since, evolving into the game known today as Shove Ha'penny. Two players or pairs attempt to position ha'pennies (halfpennies) or metal discs on a marked board. A game is won by the first side to shove three ha'pennies into each of the board's nine beds.

History, Pubs, Clubs, Leagues, Glossary

Rules

Figure 1

The Board: Shove Ha'penny is usually played on a special board, but can be played on a tabletop marked with chalk or pencil. A strip of wood under the board keeps it steady, when placed over the edge of a table or other level surface. Boards are 2 feet by 1 foot 2½ inches (610 mm x 368 mm), and are made of hardwood or slate. Wooden boards have the grain running lengthways, and the lines marked by shallow grooves. Ten lines running across the board at 1¼-inch (32-mm) intervals mark out the nine beds, and two lines at right angles to them mark the edges of the scoring area. The squares along the edges of the board are used for recording the players' scores. Some boards have three holes in each square to hold small scoring pegs.

Ha'pennies: The game was played in Britain long before decimalisation of the currency in 1972. The old ha'penny was 1 inch (25.4 mm) in diameter. Players use very highly polished old ha'pennies, or metal discs of the same diameter. Each player has five ha'pennies or discs.

Players: Shove Ha'penny is a game for two players or pairs.

Turns: Choice of playing order may be decided by the toss of a coin, or by a preliminary shove for the nine bed (using only one ha'penny, except in case of a tie). Each player shoves five ha'pennies in a turn.

Figure 2

"Shoving": The ha'penny is placed partly over the edge of the board, and is then shoved, as illustrated in Figure 2. A sharp, light tap is the most effective method. Shoving one ha'penny into another (cannoning or caroming) is an important feature of the game.

Objective: The game is won by the first side to shove three scoring ha'pennies into each of the board's nine beds.

Short shoves: (see Figure 2)
a) A ha'penny that comes to rest on the nearest line of the first bed must be left in position, but may later be cannoned into the beds by another ha'penny.
b) A ha'penny that fails to reach the nearest line of the first bed, after hitting a ha'penny on that line, must also be left in position.
c) A ha'penny that fails to reach the nearest line of the first bed, without hitting a ha'penny on that line, may be retaken.

Dead ha'pennies: (see Figure 2) These must be removed immediately from the board, and may not be retaken. A ha'penny is dead, if:
d) it goes wholly beyond the far line of the ninth bed;
e) it stops wholly or partly beyond the side lines in the area used for keeping the score.

Ha'penny on another: If a ha'penny stops wholly or partly on top of another, both are left on the board. If a ha'penny is on top of another at the end of a turn, neither ha'penny can be scored.

Scoring: A player's turn is scored only after he has shoved all his five ha'pennies - hence the importance of cannoning. A ha'penny is scored, if it lies completely within one of the beds for which the player needs a score (f (see Figure 2)). There is no score for a ha'penny on a line (g (see Figure 2)), however slight the overlap. Scores may be made in any order, but good players usually fill the far beds first. If a player scores more than three times in any bed, the extra scores may be claimed by the opposition, except that the score that wins the game must actually be from a shove by the winner.

Penalties: A player loses all five shoves for the turn, if he:
- touches a played ha' penny before all are played, or
- removes his ha'pennies before recording his score.
A player who plays out of turn is allowed no score for that turn, and must miss his next turn.

From 'The Official World Encyclopedia of Sports and Games'
© Diagram Visual Information Ltd 1979