knotty at lybster!

[mischief]

anybody on this forum going in to be taking part in the knotty at lybster on saturday? good luck to those of you who are! i don' envy you!! lol.:D

[ASmith5517]

I thought I was going to get to see that this year!!!! I'm going to be home a week late again!!

But it's the best game ever, you just find a stick and getting going at it, great fun.

Hope there are pictures takin and posted? :D

[mccaugm]

:confused Erm from someone new to the area...what is a "Knotty" and why is it in Lybster?

[Colin Manson]

Some pictures here -

http://www.caithness.org/fpb/august2003/photogallery/index.php?gallery=21&image=69

[RNLI Lybster]

Hi Folks, heres a wee bit of the history of Knotty:

Basically, Knotty was originally played during the boom in the herring fishing industry approximately three centuries ago. Notes that were discovered in the old records of the county of Caithness by the late Mr R I Mowat (a former Proprieter of the Portland Arms Hotel, Lybster), show references to Knotty as far back as 1705.

Knotty was a brainwave of fishermen’s wives to keep them ‘off the drink’ when they would return home from fishing! The simplistic game would be played with the stave of a wooden fish barrel and the cork of a herring net played in a style similar to hockey. The game would be a free for all, where all the men nearby would be gathered up and split into two teams – sometimes as many as 50-a-side! Injuries were very common too, some very serious. The game could last for anything up to six-hours. These days, fifteen minutes is the norm!

Today, the game is much more controlled and is played once a year to help raise funds for the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) on the harbour green at the picturesque Lybster Harbour.

The event will be held on Saturday 26 August from 10am. Various other stalls, car boot sale and snacks will be available from 10am - 4pm (ish)

Pipe Band at approx. 1500.

If you would like further information on any of the above, or wish to enter a team, please e-mail worldknotty@talk21.com or call (01593) 721561 after 6pm.

We hope to see you there! - plenty to see and do!

Other RNLI fundraising events can be found at www.rnli.org.uk/events

[lynsey]

i will be playing- have done for a few years now! its all good fun. come down to watch on saturday folks!!