Neil Tanner, above, of Athletico Horseshoes, and , inset below, , pictured during a match at the Cross Keys, Witney While many traditional pub games may have faded into obscurity thanks to the rise of slot machines and big screen footie, Aunt Sally is holding her own and even having something of a resurgence.

For as any Oxfordshire pub-goer worth their real ale will tell you, Aunt Sally is not just a mannequin played by Una Stubbs in the late 70s and early 80s series Worzel Gummidge, but a game of great skill and popularity.

The Bampton Aunt Sally League alone is fielding 78 teams this year.

That's more than 800 men and women playing out of 48 pubs and social clubs around the west Oxfordshire/ Gloucestershire border.

And even after 40 years of horses, dollies and blobs, there's no sign of this Aunt Sally league hanging up their sticks just yet.

I went for a lesson in the sport at the Morris Clown pub in Bampton, owned by League chairman Steve Mace, 50.

He said: "Although the Oxford League has always been the biggest in the county, our league is definitely the one that's thriving and I think that's mainly because we have teams of six, opposed to eight, which makes it easier to recruit.

"We are going from strength to strength with many young and up-and-coming teams, mixed teams and even an all-ladies team. There's a lot of fierce competition, but it's also great fun."

Before turning up at the pub, I Googled Aunt Sally. As far as I could gather, the aim of the game is to score a dolly, by knocking the doll (a small ball) off a metal pole.

It doesn't sound that hard I thought.

However, standing on the oche, 30 feet away from a tiny doll with just a handful of heavy, wooden, rolling-pin type sticks, I knew I was about to make a fool of myself.

Thankfully I had Joe Smith, 79, from Finstock, by my side.

Joe is an Aunt Sally veteran and after I nearly decapitated Steve Mace with my first attempt, he soon set about correcting my wayward throw.

"Step up to the oche with your right foot, not your left and throw," he said.

I did and clobbered the dolly straight off its perch.

Sadly this turned out to be a bit of a fluke as I didn't score another dolly, but I still got to watch Joe knock them down again and again.

He said: "I've been playing for 50 years and my average is nine-10 dollies a game, which is fair going, although I'm not the best. A lot of the game is about technique, but it's not all serious. People just enjoy it and it's very sociable.

"As someone who's been in the game a long time, I'm really pleased that youngsters are coming forward and taking it up."

Aunt Sally looks pretty harmless as sports go, but a quick trawl through the history books reveals the game we know today may have had pretty brutal beginnings.

Some historians believe it may have developed from the blood sport of cock throwing, in which a chicken was tied to a post and people took turns throwing coksteles (special weighted sticks) at the bird until it died.

It was probably brought here by Royalist soldiers during the Civil War when Charles I set up court in Oxford.

Traditionally played in British pubs and fairgrounds where an Aunt Sally was originally a figurine head of an old woman with a clay pipe in her mouth, or subsequently a ball on a stick, the object was for players to throw sticks at the head in order to break the pipe.

Thankfully the only real danger from playing the game nowadays seems to be if you are hit by a stick, or if you partake in too much ale.

Mr Mace said: "Whether you take it seriously, or just want a good game with friends, Aunt Sally is great.

"There's nothing finer in my opinion, than a game of Aunt Sally on a summer's night with a pint in your hand and the midges nipping at your ankles."

RULES OF THE GAME

Two teams of six or eight players throw six sticks each per leg. The game is played over three legs, or 'horses'. The largest number of dolls scored per team wins each leg. If there is a tie in the decisive leg, each team can throw three sticks and then one until there is a decisive result.

However, in the league system these days legs can be tied, with two points being awarded for a leg win and one for a draw. If a player fails to score in a leg, it is called a blob. It is a custom that the winner of the fourth (beer) leg is bought a drink of their choice by a member of the opposing team.

Bampton League games are played on Thursday evenings and competition heats are played throughout the season, culminating in an eagerly-awaited Finals Night in October.