Ringing The Bull is a traditional game in England that is played in certain British pubs. The Royal Oak pub in Coal Aston is a place where you can play Ringing The Bull. Coal Aston is a village in the County of Derbyshire in the East Midlands of England. Although called the Royal Oak, the pub is known by many of the local people as The Pond.

At the Royal Oak in Coal Aston you will see a hook made of metal that is hanging from the ceiling on a length or cord. The object of the game is to swing the hook towards another hook that is fastened to the wall. When the game was first played in the Middle Ages, the hook on the wall was the horn of a bull, and it still is in some places. In other pubs the hook is fitted to the nose of a bull's head mounted on the wall of the pub. Mounted stag heads and pig heads are used for the game in other establishments.

The game is one of the oldest in the United Kingdom and is believed to have been brought to England by Crusaders returning from Jerusalem. So the regulars at the Royal Oak in Coal Aston are keeping an ancient tradition alive. The most well known pub at which Ringing The Bull is played is not the Royal Oak in Coal Aston, but is Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem pub which is in the cliff face underneath Nottingham Castle.

Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem pub dates from the year 1189 and is one of the oldest pubs in the United Kingdom. It was originally a tavern that was frequented by Crusaders who were either going to the Crusades or returning from them. Some of the regulars at the Royal Oak pub in Coal Aston who know something about the history of the game will tell you that Ringing The Bull is also played in the Caribbean. Here it often has a decidedly nautical theme, and is sometimes called Ringing The Fish.

Sometimes people playing the game at The Royal Oak in Coal Aston do not take the game too seriously and it becomes just an informal pastime rather than a fiercely competitive sport. People will have a go for a while and then let someone else, perhaps an inexperienced youngster, have a turn.

Other times it becomes very serious indeed, and men compete with eachother at the game in the belief that winning will increase their social standing. Some of the throws that you see by experienced players can be very elaborate. Backwards throws are sometimes performed by masters of the game to impress the spectators. One of the most impressive throws is sometimes seen when the masters of the game are in full swing. This throw completely circles the room twice and subsequently hits the target perfectly. At such times all the people in the bar at The Royal Oak in Coal Aston will erupt into wild applause.