Impression of the game of Kaatsen

Kaatsen is a traditional Dutch/Frisian sport, related to American handball and fives, that is most commonly practiced by people from the northern province of Fryslân/Friesland. It is believed to be one of the oldest ballgames. The score is similar to tennis. The first team scoring six games, wins the match. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... American (or court) handball is an American form of fives played against one or more walls has origins in pre-Hispanic central America (about 1500 BC) and Scotland/Ireland circa 1500 AD. It is similar to (and in fact preceded) racquetball and squash. ... Fives is a British form of the American game handball in which a ball is propelled against the walls of a special court using gloved or bare hands as though they were a racquet. ... This article is about the province Friesland in the Netherlands. ...

The major kaats tournament, called the P.C. (short for Permanent Comity), is the oldest regulated sports tournament in the world. The P.C. is yearly held in de township Franeker since 1854. Franekeradeel is a municipality in the northern Netherlands. ... 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

Kaatsen is played on a square lawn of 61m by 32m by two teams of 3 players. In the center of one short side of the field is a receiving zone of 5m by 19m defended by 2 players, the other team member remaining field player. One of the opponents is serving the hard leather ball with his bare hand from a serving box at about 30 meters from the receiving zone. If he does not succeed to reach the receiving zone, the receiving team gets a direct score. The receiving team, of which the players are allowed to wear a single hardened leather glove, returns the ball over the short line behind the serving box (called the upper line, in Frisian boppe) they also get a direct score. Of course the serving team is allowed to prevent this happening by hitting or holding the ball before the upper line. The place where the ball is remaining after such a rally is market with a small woodblock called a kaats, which is best defined as an undecided score. When two such undecided points occur (or one, if one of the teams is on game point) the teams change places. In the next rally the team that then has the receiving position, tries to hit the ball passed the first kaats and, if any, in the next rally passed the second kaats, so deciding the undecided points. Then they start all over again.

In parts of Belgium a similar game is played, there called Jeu de Pelote. This game is played by teams of 5 players on a trapezium shaped field, mostly located on marketplaces.