Have you ever played Tidley? I’m not referring to tiddlywinks and I’m not sure how to spell tidley. Tidley is a street game we played as children during the early 1940’s. This was in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. For us, the game probably originated in the U.K.. However, my wife played this game in Germany or Poland; and more likely by a different name? If you’ve played tidley, perhaps you can help me remember the rules and playing details. The rules I am writing below, are what I remember from bits of memory. Therefore, please don’t accept the following as being correct.

The game required a discarded broom or long shovel handle. A short 6” piece of the handle was sharpened at both ends to become the tidley. Less than a yard, or what was left of the handle, became a one-handed bat. A small slit trench was scooped out of the dirt on the side of the road. The trench would allow the bat to easily pass under the tidley placed across the sides of the trench.

One boy, who was to be “up,” placed the tidley across the trench. Using only the bat, he would scoop the tidley up into the air and out past his buddies standing in the street. They would attempt to catch or grab the tidley. The boy who was “up” places the bat across the trench. The buddy who got possession of the tidley must stay where he took possession of the tidley. From that place, he throws the tidley and tries to hit the bat lying across the little trench. If he hits the bat with the thrown tidley, it’s his turn to be up. If buddy misses, the boy who is “up” takes the bat to where the thrown tidley came to rest. At that place, he must swing the bat down on a pointed end of the tidley. This tilts the tidley up into the air where he must strike the tidley again, in mid-air, making it fly high out into the street. My wife remembers drawing a circle in the dirt, and now I vaguely remember we had a circle. Maybe the tidley was brought back to the circled area for hitting. The boy, who is “up” has three chances to hit the tidley in mid-air.

Where the batted tidley comes to rest, someone has another chance to throw the tidley to hit the bat resting over the trench.

This game could have been a forerunner of baseball.