The Sunday Times - Akron Times Press   Akron, Ohio Sunday, March 25, 1928

 

HERE    ARE   OFFICIAL    RULES    FOR   THE    1928   MARBLE    TOURNAMENT

By THE MARBLE MAN

THE sixth annual Times- Press Marble Tournament opens officially Monday, when nearly 50,000 boys and girls in Summit-co knuckle down for the right to represent Akron and Summit-co in the national tourney in Atlantic City June 24-30.

     Two champions will be selected. One champion will represent the city-of Akron. The other will be selected from the towns in the county outside the city of Akron. Both champions will spend a week in Atlantic City as the guest of The Times-Press, with all expenses paid by this newspaper.

      While in Atlantic City the champions will live in one of the finest hotels on the Boardwalk, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. They will visit all the famous piers, take chair rides on the Boardwalk, yacht rides on the ocean, and swim in the Atlantic Ocean as often as they desire.

     Practice makes a champion. A boy or girl 1 who never has played Ringer may be one of the champions this year. Knuckle down, practice hard and often, and YOU may go to Atlantic City.

     Play opens Monday. All school champions will be selected by May 1. Then, the first two weeks in May district winners will be selected, and the two champions will be picked before June 1.

     Big plans are being made for the days when the finals will be played. Be sure to read The Times-Press and Sunday Times every day, for you won't want to miss a single detail about the things we are planning for you.

     Medals will be given school, district and city champs. Each school champion will get a bronze medal. Silver medals will be given the district champion and the two city and county champs will get gold medals.

     The rules, together with diagrams showing how Ringer is played, are printed below. Study the rules and diagrams carefully.  Then, knuckle down and practice hard. We want to bring the NATIONAL championship to Akron this year

Illustrations will be added here shortly

Figure 1: To start a game of Ringer the boys lag from a line, drawn tangent to the ring, to a parallel line across the ring, which would be 10 feet away. The boy whose shooter comes nearest the line has the first shot. Players must lag before each game.

Figure 2: This shows boy No: 1, who won the lag, about to shoot. Notice that he "knuckles down" at the ring edge. He can take any position about the ring he chooses. Notice how the 13 marbles in the ring are arranged at the start of the game.

Figure 3: Boy No. 1 knocks a marble (white) from the ring on his first shot and his shooter (black) stays to the ring. He picks up the marble. As he has knocked one from the ring, he is entitled to another try.

Figure 4: Here we see boy No. 1 continuing play. He "knuckles down" inside the ring where his shooter stopped on the last shot. This gives him the advantage of being nearer the big group of marbles in the center of the ring for his next shot.

Figure 5: On this play No. 1 hits a marble, but did not knock it from the ring. At the same time his shooter, too, stays inside the ring. He cannot pick up the marble, neither is he allowed to pick up his shooter. He must leave the shooter there until the other boy has played

Figure- 6: Boy No. 2 starts by "knuckling down" anywhere at the ring edge. In this case he is going to shoot at the marbles in the center. If he wished, he could go to the outer side and try for No. 1's shooter (black) or the marble (white) that No. 1 almost knocked from the ring.

Figure 7: Boy No. 2 hits a marble, but does not knock it out of the ring, yet his shooter goes thru ring and stops outside. The marble remains where it stopped in the ring, and as No. 2 did not score, it is now the turn of No. 1 to shoot again.

Figure 8: No. 1 "knuckles down" inside the ring where his shooter stopped (Figure 5.) He is going to shoot at the marble No. 2 hit but did not knock out of the ring. By hitting it at the proper angle and, knocking it from the ring he can get his shooter near the center of the ring for his next shots.

 

Official Marble Rules For 1928

THE official game of the Sixth National Marble tournament is RINGER.

 RINGER is played in a ring ten (10) feet in diameter, with thirteen (13) marbles arranged in the center of a cross. The object is to shoot these marbles out of the RING, the player shooting the largest number of marbles out of the ring in any game being the winner of that game. No less than two and no more than six can play in one game in Ringer, except that in national championship matches two only play. In preliminary eliminations as many as six may play in one game. All tournament play is for fair, and marbles must be returned to owners after each game.

 

RULE 1- EQUIPMENT

Section 1. The playing surface shall be a smooth, level area of ground, hard clay, or other suitable substance. The ring is inscribed upon this area, 10 feet in diameter, and all play is within this ring: (Note: The outline of this ring shall not be so deep or so wide as to check the roll of a marble.)

Section 2. With the center of the ring as a point of intersection, mark two lines at right angles to each other to form a cross, which shall be a guide for placing the playing marbles. Place one marble at the center and three each on the four branches of the cross, each marble three inches away from the next one.

Section 3. The lag line is a straight line drawn tangent to the ring, and touching it at one point. The pitch line is a straight line drawn tangent to the lag line.

Section 4. Playing marbles shall be round and made of clay. All marbles in any one playing ring must be of uniform size. The standard must be five-eighths inch in diameter. Slight variation may be allowed by the referee for manufacturing fault.

Section 5. Shooters shall be round made of any substance, except steel or any other metal, and shall be not less than ONE-HALF INCH nor more than SIX-EIGHTHS INCH in diameter, by exact measurement.

 

RULE II- PLAN OF PLAY

Section 1. The lag is the first operation in Ringer. To lag, the players stand toeing the pitch line, or knuckling down upon it, and toss or shoot their shooters to the lag line across the ring. The player whose shooter comes nearest the lag line, on either side, wins the lag.

Section 2. Players must lag before each game. The player who wins the lag shoots first, and the others follow in order as their shooters were next nearest the lag line. The same shooter that is used in the lag must be used fit the game following the lag.

Section 3 On all shots, except the lag, a player shall knuckle down so that at least one knuckle is in contact with the ground, and he shall maintain this position until the shooter has left his hand. Knuckling down is permitted, but not required in lagging.

Section 4. Starting the game, each player in turn shall knuckle down just outside the ring line, at any point he chooses, and shoot into the ring to knock one or more marbles out or the ring, or to hit or knock out of the ring the shooter of an opposing player, or players, if any remain inside the ring.

Section 5. If a player knocks one or more marbles out of the ring, or hits the shooter of an opponent, or knocks an opponent's shooter out of the ring, he continues to shoot. He ceases to shoot after his first miss, and then is credited with the marbles he has scored.

Section 6. If, after a miss, a player's shooter remains inside the ring, he must leave it there and his opponents are permitted to shoot at it.

 

RULE.  I I I

PLAYING REGULATIONS

Section 1. Marbles knocked out of the ring shall be picked up by the player who knocks them out.

Section 2. Whenever a marble or shooter comes to rest on the ring line, if its center is outside the ring line, if its center is outside the ring or exactly on the ring line, it shall be considered out of the ring. If its center is inside the ring, it shall be considered inside the ring.

Section 3. A player hitting an opponent's shooter inside the ring but not knocking it out, shall pick up any marble he chooses and shall proceed to shoot. However, he shall not hit the same opponent's shooter until after he hits another shooter, or knocks a marble out of the ring or he comes around to his next turn to shoot.

Section 4. A player knocking an opponent's shooter out of the ring shall be entitled to all the marbles won by that opponent, and the opponent whose shooter has been knocked out of the ring is out of the game, "killed." If the opponent who was knocked out of the ring has no marbles, the player who knocked him out shall not be entitled to pick up a marble for the shot.

Section 5. If a shooter knocks out two or more marbles, or hits an opponent's shooter and a marble, or hits two opponents' shooters, or completes any other combination play, he shall be entitled to all the points scored on that shot.

Section 6. When a shooter slips from a player's hand, if the player calls "slips" and the referee is convinced it is ,a slip, and If the shooter did not travel more than 10 inches the referee may order "no play" and permit the player to shoot again. The referee's decision is final.

Section 7. A game shall end when the last marble is shot out.

 

RULE IV SCORING

Section 1. For each marble knocked out by a player, he shall be credited with the score of one.

Section 2. For each time of players hits a shooter of an opponent and does not knock it out of the ring, he shall be credited with the score of one.

Section 3. For each time a player knocks an opponent’s shooter out of the ring, he shall be credited with all the marbles previously scored by the opponent.

Section 4. The player having credited to him the largest number of marbles at the completion of the game, shall be the winner of that game.

Section 5. In games where more than two players are engaged, it two or more players lead with the same score, those in the tie shall play a new game to break the tie.

Section 6. A player refusing to continue a game, once it is started, shall be disqualified, and if only two players are engaged, the game shall be forfeited to the offended player.

Section 7. The score of a forfeited game shall be 13-0.

 

RULE V -- OFFICIALS

Section 1. The officials shall be a referee and a scorer, if a scorer is available, otherwise the referee shall have complete charge of the play. He shall interpret these rules and have power to make decisions on any points not specifically covered by these rules. He shall have authority to disqualify players for un-sportsmanlike conduct. He shall have authority to order from the playing field, or its vicinity, the coach or other representative of player, who conducts himself improperly.

[There is no Section 2. listed in this newspaper article - it could be that Section 3 is improperly listed and should be Section 2.]

Section 3. The scorer shall keep a record of the game, marking the score of each player shot by shot and at the termination of each game shall notify the referee of the score, and the referee shall announce the winner. The scorer may assist the referee in enforcing the rule against coaching, and call to the attention of the referee any infraction of the rules.

 

RULE VI-PENALTIES

A player shall not --

Section 1. Lift his hand until the shooter has left his hand. This violation is known as "histing."

Section 2. Move his hand forward until the shooter has left his hand. This violation is known as "hunching." 

Section 3. Smooth or otherwise rearrange the ground, or remove any obstacles. He may request the referee to clear obstructions.

Penalty: If any marbles were knocked out or dislocated on the shot, they shall be restored to their place, and the player shall lose his shot.

Section 4. Change shooters during the course of any game, except that he may choose a new shooter on each lag, provided he uses that shooter in the subsequent game.

Penalty: The player shall be disqualified from the game.

Section 5. Communicate in any way with his coach during the course of the game.

Penalty: Forfeiture of all marbles he has knocked out of the ring, said marbles to be returned to the game, and placed on the cross.

Section 6. A coach shall not give instructions to either his own or any other player engaged in the game.

Penalty: Coach shall be ordered from the playing field, if, after being warned once, he continues his violation.

Section 7. Players must not walk thru the marble ring.

Penalty: The referee may require the forfeiture of one marble to be returned to the ring and placed on the cross.

 

RULE VII - AGE OF PLAYERS

Section 1. The tournament is open to boys or girls of 14 years or under.

Section 7. A boy or girl who turns 15 on or after July 1, 1928, is eligible to play, and one who comes 15 any time before July 1, 1928, is not eligible to play.

 

RULE VIII-DEFINTTIONS

The term "marbles" in these rules is used to denote the object marble only, variously known as miggs, commies, hoodles, ducks, etc.

The term "shooter" is used to denote the offensive marble, variously known as the taw, moonie, glassie, etc.

"Knuckling down" is the act of resting an knuckle or knuckles ground when shooting.

"Shooting" is the act of holding the shooter between the thumb and first finger and releasing it by force of the thumb.

"Hunching" is the act of moving the hand forward across the ring line when shooting from the line, or forward from the point at which the shooter came to rest, when shooting inside the ring. (FORBIDDEN)

"Histing" is the act of raising the hand from the ground in shooting. (FORBIDDEN)

"Roundsters" is the privilege taking a different position on the ring line for shooting and is permitted only at the start of the game or on a turn after a shooter has passed out of the ring.

"For fair" is playing for sportsmanship only, when marbles are returned at thee end of each game their owners. All Marbles Tournament games are FOR FAIR

"Lofting" is the act of shooting in an arch thru the air to hit a marble. This is the most skillful shot in Ringer.

"Bowling" is the act of rolling a shot on the ground to hit a marble.

A match may be decided in one, three or five games. It is not XXXXXX total high score, but the XXXXX

that determine the winner of XXXX match.

[Note: XXXX denotes words that cannot be read on the newspaper microfilm print out. It might be possible to read these words on the microfilm reader screen, which requires a return trip to the library.]

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