How to Play Aunt Sally

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Aunt Sally is an outdoor throwing game in which players hurl wooden batons at a white painted wooden skittle called the doll, which sits on top of a metal spike (the iron) fixed to a post. It demands a clean strike: hit the iron or the post and the throw does not count. That single rule gives the game its satisfying, unforgiving character and keeps experienced players honest.

The game is best played on grass with enough run-up room for a relaxed throwing action, making it ideal for gardens, village fetes and pub grounds. It rewards accuracy over brute force, plays quickly once everyone understands the scoring, and is simple enough for children to join in alongside adults.

A little history

Aunt Sally is particularly associated with Oxfordshire, where it is still played as an organised county league sport, and there are documented references to the game being played at fairs and public houses in the region from at least the nineteenth century. Beyond that, its wider origins are unclear. The name itself appears in earlier English slang as a generic term for a fairground target, but how or when a standardised garden version emerged from that tradition is not firmly established in the historical record.

Setting up

1. Set the post firmly in level ground so the top of the iron is approximately 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) from the ground. The iron should protrude roughly 75 mm (3 in) above the top of the post.
2. Seat the doll on top of the iron so it stands upright. The doll is typically a white-painted cylinder around 150 mm tall and 50 mm in diameter.
3. Mark a throwing line (the hockey) on the ground at a distance of 10 yards (approximately 9.1 metres) from the post. All throws must be made from behind this line.
4. Agree the number of innings before play begins. In casual garden play, six innings per side is common; formal matches may use more.
5. Decide which team or player goes first, either by agreement or by tossing a coin. If playing in teams, determine the batting order within each team.

How to play

1. Each player in turn steps up to the throwing line and throws all six batons one at a time at the doll.
2. A scoring hit is one that knocks the doll completely off the iron. The doll must leave the iron entirely; rocking or leaning does not count.
3. A hit does not score if the baton strikes the iron or the post before it reaches the doll. The thrower or an umpire must judge this; if in doubt, the throw is called dead.
4. After each player's six throws, count the number of scoring hits (called 'hits' or 'dolls'), reset the doll on the iron, and record the score before the next player throws.
5. In team play, all members of one team complete their six throws before the opposing team begins. This constitutes one innings for each team.
6. Play the agreed number of innings. After the final innings, total the hits scored by each team or player across all innings.
7. A baton that falls short of the post without touching anything does not count as a hit and is simply disregarded.
8. A baton that hits the doll but is deemed to have touched the iron first does not score. The umpire's call on this is final.
9. If the doll is already off the iron (not yet replaced) when the next baton is thrown, that throw is forfeit. The doll must be in place before each delivery.

Winning and scoring

The team or individual player with the most total hits at the end of the agreed innings wins the game. There is no point scoring beyond one hit per qualifying knock: either the doll came cleanly off the iron or it did not. In the event of a tie after the agreed innings, common practice is to play one sudden-death extra innings, with the first side to outscore the other in that innings declared the winner. If scores remain level after extra innings, continue until one side leads at the close of a complete innings.

The fine points

The most common dispute concerns the iron: a baton that clips the iron and then strikes the doll does not score. If no independent umpire is present, the throwing team must call it honestly, or the teams can agree to replay the throw. A doll that is merely displaced sideways on the iron without falling clear is not a hit and must be reseated in its original position before play continues. Some home sets use a swivel iron that spins freely; this does not change the rule, but it can make iron-contact fouls harder to detect by sound alone.

Players sometimes dispute whether a baton crossed the line legally. The whole of the baton must be released from behind the throwing line; stepping over the line on delivery voids the throw. If a baton strikes another baton already on the ground and that deflected baton then knocks the doll off, the hit does not count as the original baton did not strike the doll directly. Any baton that bounces back and disturbs the doll after the doll has already been confirmed as still seated counts as a live throw and must be judged on its own merits.

How to win more often

• Aim for the lower half of the doll. A strike low and central is less likely to clip the iron on a slight misread of depth than a high shot.
• Use a smooth, consistent underarm or sidearm release rather than trying to throw hard. The distance is short enough that speed matters far less than direction and height.
• Watch the first thrower in the opposing team carefully. The post position, any camber in the ground and the light all affect the throw, and you can learn from their misses before you step up.
• In team play, save your most accurate throwers for the final innings when the pressure is on and you know exactly what total you need to beat.
• Grip the baton lightly and let the weight of the wood do the work. Gripping too tightly tends to produce a rolling action that brings the baton in at an angle, increasing the chance of an iron foul.

Variations

Pairs

Two players form a pair and combine their hit totals in each innings. This is the standard competitive format in Oxfordshire league play and works well for garden parties where you have an even number of adults and want balanced sides without individuals feeling exposed by a poor run of throws.

Round Robin (individual)

Each player competes independently rather than in teams. Every player throws six batons per innings and a running leaderboard is kept throughout the game. This format suits smaller gatherings of three to five players and adds a tactical element, since players can see exactly what they need to score in their final innings to take the lead.

Reduced distance for juniors

For younger or less experienced players, move the throwing line in to 6 or 7 yards rather than the standard 10 yards. The scoring rules remain identical. This keeps younger players genuinely competitive in a mixed-age game without altering the character of the sport.

Timed innings

Instead of a fixed number of innings, set a time limit per team, commonly five minutes. Each player throws as quickly as is safe and practical, and the team with the most hits when time is called wins. This variation suits large groups at fetes where throughput matters, though it can reward rushed throwing over accuracy.

Aunt Sally: frequently asked questions