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This is not meant to be a comprehensive set of rules,
Just a basic guide for those who may be interested in taking up the game,

Quoits (koits, kwoits, kwaits) is a traditional game which involves the throwing of metal, rope or rubber rings over a set distance, usually to land over or near a spike (sometimes called a hob, mott or pin)


Pair of Quoits weighing in at 3lbs 8oz

The "Hob" a wooden box filled with heavy clay to retain the ring
when its hits the surface

The "Hob" is a 3 feet square clay bed enclosed in a wooden frame. The consistency of the clay is very important because a well thrown quoit should embed itself in the clay at an angle.

The image to the left shows a "ringer" - the quoit has been thrown and lands directly over the pin.
Quoits that land cleanly over the pin score two points

Some teams make the pin more visible by using a small strip of white paper.

The throwing distance of the Quoit to the hob is 18yds.

 

Rules of the game

The pitch is 18 yards long with a 3 feet square clay quoit bed enclosed in a wooden frame. The consistency of the clay is very important because a well thrown quoit should embed itself in the clay at an angle - the precise angle and orientation is often tactically crucial. Within the clay bed an 18 inch circle (ring) is marked around a 5/8 inches diameter hob (pin) set so it is fully imbedded within the clay, its top end flush with the smooth clay surface. Individual quoits should be no greater than 7 1/4" in diameter and no heavier than 7 1/4 lb. in weight.

A single game is played by a minimum of two people. Each person throws two quoits alternately each turn. The players then walk to the other hob, score the end and then standing alongside it, throw the quoits back at the opposite hob.

The player with the quoit nearest to the pin wins the end and scores one point. The same player will score another point if his second quoit is closer to the pin than any of his opponents quoits. The game is won by the first player to reach 31 points.

A ringer scores 2 points and is removed from the bed prior to the next throw. So the maximum points that can be scored by a player from one end is 4.

Any quoit that lands on its back (a "woman"), or which lands inclining backwards does not count and is immediately removed. Any quoit outside or touching the ring is also removed immediately.

A "cover" (quoit that covers the pin) counts before a "side-toucher" and any quoit on top of a cover cannot count as a ringer.

To assist the players, two helpers can be allocated to them. Firstly a "cleaner" can be tasked with cleaning the clay from quoits after each end. Cleaners are rarely employed these days - players tend to clean their own quoits. More vitally, each player has a "lighter". The lighter places a small piece of white paper within the bed before each throw for the player to aim at. Often this is on the pin itself, it being almost invisible in the clay at 18 yards but sometimes, the lighter will place the paper elsewhere within the bed according to the tactics of the throw. For instance, sometimes the objective might be to flip an opponent's quoit out of play. The lighter also provides the player with measurements, a description of the current state of play and tactical advice.