#OTD in 1913, William Manning, William Kitchen and Frank Smith were charged with playing Pitch and Toss with six halfpennies on the tow-path near Boveney church, Buckinghamshire.
The men were bored, the fish weren’t biting, and they wanted to pass the time...
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The men were bored, the fish weren’t biting, and they wanted to pass the time...
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In this game, players take turns throwing a coin against a wall with the aim of landing closest to the wall. Known by many other names around Britain, incl. Pigeon Toss, Penny Up, and Nippy, it was a favourite children's game, and was even played by children in Ancient Greece.
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Pitch and Toss was a popular gambling game among adults too. But the three men at Boveney, who had been caught throwing their coins in a public place on a Sunday afternoon, insisted that they were simply playing to pass the time because they hadn't caught any fish.
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In the end, they weren't convicted of any crime, but still had to pay 2s. 2d. each to cover the costs of their trial.
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