Handball
- Description of the game
- Unbroken link
- University handball
Description of the Game
There are two different types of handball: 'team handball' and 'handball' (sometimes called 'fives'). Team handball was developed in the 1920s and is played most often in Europe. It consists of two sides of seven players, who try to score goals against their opponent by throwing a ball into a net protected by a goalkeeper. It is a fast-paced game and resembles a mixture of basketball and hockey. The other version of handball is played by two equally sized teams of one, two or three players each, who hit a ball against one or more walls with their hands. It is the latter version that was played at Mount Allison.
Only one picture has been found of a handball court and players at Mount Allison, and it was located in an edition of The Argosy (April 1906) [see right]. The picture shows the handball court attached to the back of the second University Gymnasium. Judging by the photograph, the floor of the court was approximately 20 feet deep and 20 to 30 feet wide, the front wall measured 12 feet high and 20 feet wide, while the side walls were ten feet wide, 13 feet high at the front end, sloping down to five feet at the back.
Mount Allison University handball court and players, 1906
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