In Lyneham there’s a strange little park, with a hill in it. At the top of the hill is a basketball court. (it’s called Magpie Hill and it’s off Lambert Street)
Once a month on a Sunday afternoon the 1st Royal Mallet Regiment plays bike polo there.
Like a jedi the bike polo player must craft their own mallet from an old ski pole and gas pipe.
While you can turn up on just any old bike many are heavily modified to suit the unusual needs of a bike polo player. (brake and gear levers on the mallet hand side, for example, are a waste of weight. It’s uniquely suited to fixed gear bikes)
The games are 7 minutes long and the players range from the very young to their 40s.
There’s a BBQ running and a lot of beer gets drunk.
If you want to try your hand then you’re welcome to just turn up on a bike, so long as you don’t mind if it cops some dings.
The facebook page will let you know when the next one is on.
If you’re the sort who likes to know rules there’s even a website for that.
(Slideshow below)
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