Hawkey's Hall Quoit Club

One of only three quoits grounds left in Tyne and Wear. The club has been here since 1906. It formed back in 1860. Hawkey's Hall was a gentleman's club. Its founder was Surtees Hope, who laid out several pitches on his farmstead at Hawkey's Hall at the north end of Hawkey's Lane. There were 12 members (there are now 28). The club celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2010. The 'hill' is the outer sloping side of the quoit. The 'hollow' is the inner surface. 'Hill or hollow' is called at the start of the game and a quoit is thrown into the air (like heads or tails). Each team has two players. There are four 'ends' (each comprises two clay beds eleven yards apart). In the centre of each bed is the pin or 'hob' which sticks out no more than 3 inches. Each player has two quoits, marked in red or blue. The player may take two paces before throwing the quoit towards the clay bed. The aim is to land your quoit on or close to the hob. The first team to reach 15 points is the winner.