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Dwile flonking returns, but what on earth is it?

Alice CunninghamSuffolk
Contributed A woman stands in the middle of a circle of people. She is holding a large stick in both hands which has a green rag attached to the end. She is smiling. She wears sunglasses and a black dress. People watching on from the other side of the circle. Contributed
One player stands in the middle of the circle attempting to throw the beer-soaked rag at the opposite players

If you happen to come across a group of people in old farm clothes, seemingly dancing in a big circle while someone in the middle throws a beer-soaked rag at them in Suffolk this weekend, you might have stumbled across the bonkers game of dwile flonking.

Halesworth Ale Day will hold its first dwile flonking game since 1970 later.

If you are baffled but also intrigued to know what this is all about, then you are in luck because the BBC spoke to an expert to find out more.

Eric Wareham, 61, who is originally from Coventry, moved to Beccles in about 1996.

From getting involved in groups and activities around the area, he was introduced to dwile flonking by a man called Yanny Mac back in about 2010.

Wareham started as one of the players, before becoming a captain of the Suffolk team at the annual match v Norfolk.

This takes place at the Locks Inn Community Pub in Geldeston, near Beccles.

He then took over as a referee, also known as a jobanowl, when Mac stepped down.

"I'm an age that I don't care how embarrassing I sound or look," he said.

"I just continue onwards, hopefully entertaining the troops and the people in the garden and keeping the tradition going."

Contributed A man wearing a black top hat, black suit jacket and a white top smiles at the camera. He has some colourful items attached to his jacket including a fake rose, multi-coloured necklace and there is an orange neckerchief tied around the base of his hat.Contributed
Eric Wareham said the game provided the opportunity to have lots of fun and to be silly

But where did the game come from and how is it actually played?

Wareham said it was believed a version of the game had been around for about 400 years.

But the modern game came to life in the 1960s thanks to the print workers at Clays in Bungay.

"They wanted to do something silly which was dressing up in farm workers' gear, the old kind of old yokels of the 19th Century," he explained.

"It's a beer game, a drinking game, because the forfeits would invariably end up with drinking a half or a pint of beer if you were not able to hit your opponents twice from two goes."

Wareham joked that it was not a game to be taken too seriously, there was great flexibility in the rules and often the players were jolly fools.

Contributed A man wearing a black hat and blue shirt drinks out of a white pot. There is some liquid dripping out of the bottom.Contributed
Dwile flonking involves drinking out of a pot called a gazunder as a forfeit

Each team has between eight and 12 players, and one team will encircle an opposite player who holds the beer-soaked cloth on a stick.

The player with the stick then attempts to throw the rag at the faces and bodies of those circling them as they move around.

Various points are awarded depending on which body part they hit, but if they miss twice, then there is a forfeit involving drinking beer.

But Wareham said for players who did not drink or players under the age of 18, a soft drink would most definitely be allowed.

There is also the fun option to tip the liquid over one's head as well, Wareham added.

Part of the game also involves chanting of the words "here we be 'em together" in thick Suffolk and Norfolk drawls which those in Halesworth later will no doubt hear.

The game can last up to two hours.

Contributed A man wearing a black top hat, black suit jacket, red T-shirt and grey denim shorts holds a microphone in one hand while his other arm is outstretched. Another man wearing a grey wig, white long-sleeved top, suit waistcoat and cargo shorts stands next to him and is holding a stick with a green rag attached to the end. They are looking to the right of the image. Contributed
Wareham will referee the Halesworth game on Saturday

Wareham will be refereeing the Halesworth game which is taking place from 16:00 BST in the Town Park.

He said no qualifications or expertise was really needed to manage the games, but he had learnt it all through playing the games over the years.

"It is great fun. What's not to love [about] throwing a beer-soaked rag into your opponent's face," he joked.

"That's the ultimate act of just sportsmanship, isn't it?"

Contributed A man wearing a black top hat, black suit jacket, red T-shirt stands in between two women in a line who are smiling at the camera. He holds a white pot in one hand. The woman to his left wears a cream hat, sunglasses, white blouse, waistcoat with flowers on it and is holding a stick in her left hand. The other woman has short brown hair and is wearing a green T-shirt with green dungarees. She is holding a metal tankard in one hand.Contributed
Wareham said he remained completely impartial when asked who was the better team out of Suffolk and Norfolk

The question had to be put to Wareham - who is the better team out of Suffolk and Norfolk?

But he stressed he was completely impartial and would not want to create controversy between the teams.

While the game is believed to have originated in East Anglia, Wareham also said he had heard of it being played in Lewes in Sussex.

Asked if he thought a Suffolk vs Sussex match could be on the cards, Wareham said: "There's a team down there and it'd be nice to meet up.

"But unfortunately my guys are obviously in the fields around here quite a lot, where they're working hard before they come out and do the dwile flonking... but that'd be interesting."

Still feeling bamboozled and unsure of how it works? Do not fret, the game was filmed back in 1967, which you can watch here.

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