Tambourelli is a court game invented in Galloway in Scotland in the 1970s. It has since spread all over the world, with small communities of players running active clubs in England, Scotland, Germany, Japan and Sweden. It shares many players, coaches and fans with Tamburello as well as Tambeach.
The fundamental aim is for players to stop the shuttlecock from landing within the court on their side of the net. Players hit the shuttlecock with a bat similar to a tambour (like a tambourine without bells) or Irish bodhrán which has a strap along the outer edge and a section of moulded plastic on the inner edge, both for grip.
The game can be played either outdoors or indoors.
There is an annual World Tambourelli Championship, as well as numerous Open Tournaments throughout the year such as in Dresden every September or Hamburg every January.
Rules
The aim of the game is to have the shuttlecock land within the court on your opponent's side of the net, or to force them to make an error such as hitting the shuttlecock into the net or outside of the court.
Tournament matches are typically played in sets of three games. Each game is played until one player reaches 21 points and is 2 points clear, a point being scored for each shot that one’s opponent fails to legally return, regardless of who served. Each player serves 5 times before switching, with the first player to serve being decided by playing a point before scoring begins.
Service is underarm (beneath the shoulder) and must be taken with one foot on the court's back line. If the first service is called "out" or fails to cross the net, a second service is awarded. In singles, a player may serve to anywhere on their opponent's side of the court. In doubles, service is to the player diagonally opposite and must fall within their half of the court. A "net service" (one which clips the net on the way over but still lands "in" or which the receiving player returns) is replayed without penalty.
When a player has served for 5 points, service changes to the opposing player or team. In doubles, service passes diagonally until all players have served for 5 scored points, at which point service resumes with the first player who served and the two opposing team members swap places, so that each server now serves to a new recipient.
If the shuttlecock hits any part of the player's body, that player loses the point. Players are only allowed to hit the shuttlecock once to get it onto the opponent's side. The exception to this is the "Point Save" rule, which applies only in Doubles games. This rule allows a team to hit the shuttlecock twice to return it; however if that team goes on to win the rally they do not gain a point (they merely "save" or rescue the point). Should the opposing team also double-hit in the same rally, the two "point saves" cancel each other out and whichever team prevails in the rally wins the point. Should one team double-hit a second time in the rally when they are already one "point save" down, they lose the point (i.e. they do not "save" it).
Different clubs use slightly different court sizes, with the hosts of any given tournament permitted to choose the court size for that event, but the standard court is 9.45m long by 4.1m wide. It is split in half lengthways by a line and widthways by a net, at a height of 1.75m, with each player (in singles) or team (in doubles) always remaining on their side of the net.
World Tambourelli Championships
There is an annual World Tambourelli Championship, which originally took place exclusively in Dumfries and Galloway in Southwest Scotland. During the 1990s tournaments were relocated to Southwest England, near Totnes in Devon, and currently move between Devon, Southwest Scotland, and Germany. Sweden and Japan aim to host the event for the first time in their respective countries in the next few years. The event currently includes a Men's Singles tournament, a Women's Singles tournament, a Mixed Doubles tournament, and Junior Singles and Doubles tournaments.
Since 2002 separate Men's Singles and Women's Singles competitions have been held. From 1991 to 2001 only an 'open' category was held that anybody could enter. For the purposes of historical record, the champions of the 1991-2001 era are referred to here as Men's Singles champions, as no woman ever won the open category (although Indy Priestman came close, reaching the final in 2001). Before 1991 there was generally also separate Men's and Women's Singles though the main emphasis in the tournaments was on the Mixed Doubles competition.