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Original poster

Any of you play two balls up a wall?

58 replies

Enchanted · 17/05/2002 21:21

I used to love playing two balls against the wall. I can remember being at school and there being a long line of about 30 girls playing two balls against the sports hall wall, what fun!
Today I was showing a couple of little girls who live in my building how to play and they were amazed, they loved it! I was trying to remember some of the songs and rhymes that went with it. The one I can remember go's like this....Plainy Walls ice cream, over Walls ice cream, uppsy Walls ice cream and so on. I am sure these games are regional (maybe not).I am from Merseyside. Does anyone remember any other songs to play two balls to. I felt a bit sad today that this dear old game seems to have died out. Lol, all the Mum's came out and to the suprise of the kids, they could all play two balls!

OP posts:
clangermum · 02/11/2011 18:51

I remember a two balls move - sausage then sandwich (was that under left leg then under right leg?)

TillyMilly · 11/06/2012 23:25

Found this topic after being asked about games I played as a little girl.
I can't remember the songs very well either - 'One, two, three and plainsy, four, five six, and plainsy' up to ten was one but can't remember just how it ended. Overs, dropsy and unders were the next parts and you had to start all over again if you dropped a ball
French skipping kept us amused for hours too. We played it ankle, knee, bottom, waist high as well.
I remember the perils of pebble-dash too and my Mum getting fed-up with the noise on the kitchen wall.
Thanks for sharing the memories and, yes, such a shame that they're not around now. I grew up in Essex and learned the games from my Mum who came from London so it was played down south too.

flamingojo · 31/03/2013 17:29

I loved two balls. The song I remember is 'one, two, three and plainsy, four five, six and plainsy, seven, eight, nine and plainsy, ten and plainsy, drop the ball. And finish on dropping the ball and catching it. Then it is One, two three and dropsy, etc etc. On to upsy, downsy, roundsy. Then we would try to do it one handed! If you went wrong it was your friend's go, or if you were playing alone you had to start from the beginning again. French skipping was great fun but banned at our junior school after someone broke their arm! Also, knockers was great (2 heavy ping-pong sized balls on string joined at the top that you had to bounce off each other) - that was also banned as too dangerous as well!
The all on a string attached to a hoop around your other ankle was fun, but another hazardous game. Dont see any of them now - Health and Safety would have a fit!

smithsrule5 · 29/05/2013 03:56

I was just teaching my daughter age 10 how to play 2 balls. I live in America and i am originally from liverpool. She told me she was bored!!!!! so out came the 2 balls. I remember the plainy walls of ice cream game and plainy mother brown, plainy mother brown, plainy plainy plainy plainy plainy mother brown...... etc. I can't remember any other songs and it is killing me. Any one else remember?? Confused

ScumbagCollegeDropout · 29/05/2013 04:06

Am I the only one who, upon reading the title, thought this was about sex postions?

I'll get my coat...

sandypandy1234 · 24/06/2013 22:07

were you going bob, down the road bob, what for bob a stick of rubob can I come bob no bob why bob cos you don't like rubob.this is one of the songs we use to sing playing two balls good times

ShotgunNotDoingThePans · 24/06/2013 22:24

Oh I remember rubob-bob!
I'm also from Liverpool. Used to play two balls for hours, also remember knockers (didn't they get re-branded as clackers made of inferior lightweight plastic?)
Also remember upsy, dropsy, bouncy etc but we had a move called 'alera' (sp?) - think it's what someone here called 'other' - where you bounce the ball under one cocked leg.
I remember my friend always lifted her foot on splitzy Angry.
And 'one two three alera, four five six alera,' etc.

Also endless handstands against the wall and spinning each other round and round the bike shed poles, head underneath the person's underarms, then letting go so the person holding the pole carried on spinning until they got to the bottom. From the age of seven. Some kids span off with nasty consequences.

I tried to teach DD when she was eight or nine but we have rough rendering on our house so it was a non-starter. Wonder if it's too late now she's 15? Smile

Jowheat · 14/07/2013 17:45

I played two ball at school in the 60's in Wiltshire where it was very popular.
In this lovely weather I thought I'd get my son to have a go - hopeless!
I think we did have songs to play to, but none on here ring a bell.
I remember we did plainsys, upsies, oversies, undersies (throw under a raised leg) and slabsies (ball hits floor then wall).
Also did a lot of French skipping with elastic around our legs - started at ankle height, knees, waist, armpits, then neck!!

Scrapy · 30/08/2013 11:47

I remember when I was about 7 and upwards playing 2 baller on our house with my sister we played for hours.
One of the rhymes went, Have a cigarette sir no sir why sir because I've got a cold sir where did you get the cold from, from the northern pole sir what were you doing there sir catching polar bears sir how many did you catch sir one two three sir very good indeed sir.

Slainte · 30/08/2013 20:26

Shotgun in Ireland, we used to sing 1, 2, 3 O'Leary, 4, 5, 6 O'Leary etc.

Chottie · 01/09/2013 01:47

I played two balls in south London fifty years ago. I also played French skipping, jacks and crabs (?) which was a game played with little artificial knuckle bones which you had to catch on the back of your hands.

ClartyCarol · 01/09/2013 02:01

NE childhood here and we did Two Bally (as we called it) ), I showed my dc a few weeks ago and they were Shock at my prowess! We also did French skipping, normal skipping "Not last night but the night before, twenty four robbers came knocking at my door..." , Double Dutch, jacks and clapping games "I went to a Chinese restaurant, to buy a loaf of bread, bread, bread...". Wish I could remember them all properly.

Monty27 · 01/09/2013 02:22

Yay, used to play it all day. Happy memories :)

juliemu · 27/09/2013 07:42

does anyone remember the rest of each peach pear plum ?

juliemu · 27/09/2013 07:48

does anyone remember the rest of the song "each peach pear plum" ?

so many many memories, we used to play for hours. just two balls four friends and a shed wall, how times have changed.Now it is a laptop,headphones with mike and a virtual world called minecraft!

Teluwot · 14/08/2014 22:57

Yes. A bit late but I recall the 2 ball rhyme. 'Each peach pear plum.' I spy Tom Thumb. Tom Thumb in the cellar, I spy Cinderella. Cinderella at the ball, I spy Henry Hall. Henry Hall is a star. S.T.A.R.'
Of course today Henry Hall would be replaced with a modern day star, but you'd have to fit in George Clooney or someone. But I want to teach my granddaughters the art of 2 ball! And Cat's cradle/string tricks and more.

Cgallduff · 23/07/2015 13:51

Haha that sounds like it would be to the same tune as our

Drink a pint of milk a day
M I L K
drop the bottle on the way
K L I M
and you did a dropsy on the drop!

Loved Kirby can't remember the rules properly though...was teaching my kids the other day!

Cgallduff · 23/07/2015 13:55

We called it Twoey ball btw...

And had loads of tricks like over arm dropsies under leg doing a twirl one handy and stuff! Can't remembering songs really! Wish someone could remind me so I could teach the kids!

There was one that ended over the hill and down te lane where you did over arm on the over and dropsy on the down! Wish I could remember! I was awesome at it lol!

Cgallduff · 23/07/2015 14:00

Just reading back through the posts and noticed that yes sir no sir one and we had that but with different words! Will use That version with the kids tho!

Kerray · 26/08/2016 18:28

Was just teaching my husband and daughter this last week 😆
In Edinburgh we did the Walls ice-cream one too which I think was plainy, over, dropsy, backy, etc. But I'm not sure I ever got to the turnsy stage 😆

YvaineStormhold · 26/08/2016 18:38

I loved this - I used to play it for hours.

We called it double ball.

Unders, overs, upsies, bouncers, dropsies, legsies, arches, backsies, turnaround.

Happy days.

StickyProblem · 26/08/2016 18:45

I used to love this! DD looks at me bemusedly when I talk about it. I grew up in Lancashire near Merseyside too.
Plainy, over, uppsy, dropsy, bouncy, leggy, sister, splitsy/roundy.
Leggy was under the left leg stuck out to the right, sister was under the right leg stuck out to the right (which was harder) and splitsy was legs apart and bounce it through both legs. Splitsy was so hard we used to do roundy instead which was a dropsy but you did a spin round before catching it.
I remember the Walls ice cream, we always started with that. Also Plainy Mother Brown! Was trying to think of that one, it was easy with Plainy but uppsy and sister were a nightmare. I might get the dog's tennis balls and have a go and see if any rhymes come back to me!

StickyProblem · 26/08/2016 18:45

Yvaine that's amazing, sounds like we did the same thing but with different names. Who in the world "invented" it?!

Jufus · 30/11/2018 01:22

Betty Grable is a star
S T A R!

BitterestPill · 31/05/2019 12:50

East London here.We all played two balls up the wall.
Over the garden wall I let my baby fall
My mother came out and gave me a clout
She gave me another to match the other
Over the garden wall, that's all.

You have to clap on the word clout...I showed my kids, they now think I'm the mutts nuts!