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[[Image:WestAfricanMarbles.jpg|thumb|250px|Hand-made marbles from [[West Africa]]]]
[[Image:Klickerpeng1.jpg|thumb|250px|Different glass marbles from a glass-mill]]

'''Marbles''' is a game played by children with small, round glass balls called 'marbles'.

The balls vary in size. Usually they are about 1/2 inch to 1 inch (1.3 to 2.6 cm) in diameter, but they may range from less than 1/30 inch (0.111 cm) to over 3 inches (7.75 cm).

As the photographs show, the little glass balls can be most attractive, and they are often [[wikt:collect|collected]] by children. In the North of England the objects and the game are sometimes called 'taws'.

The games has been played in many countries, but the rules are made up by the players, and there are many variations. One standard idea is to have a target marble. Players flick their marbles with their [[thumb]]nail, and try to hit the target. Another version is where players try to hit each other's marbles out of a target zone.

Marbles were found in the ancient civilisations of [[Mohenjo-daro]], [[Ancient Egypt]] and [[Roman Empire|Rome]].

== Tinsley Green ==
Marbles has been played in [[Tinsley Green]], [[West Sussex]], England for many centuries:<ref name="InsideOut">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/south/series3/marbles_world_championship.shtml|title=Losing your Marbles|date=9 June 2003|work=BBC Inside Out programme|publisher=[[BBC]]|accessdate=13 January 2010}}</ref><ref name="TheTimes">{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1624160.ece|title=Village rolls out a welcome for World Marbles Championships|last=Sandy|first=Matt|date=7 April 2007|work=[[The Times]]|accessdate=13 January 2010 | location=London}}</ref> ''[[Time (magazine)|TIME]]'' magazine traces its origins to 1588.<ref name="TIME">{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,761077,00.html|title=Sport: At Tinsley Green|date=17 April 1939|work=[[Time (magazine)|TIME magazine]]|accessdate=13 January 2010}}</ref>

The British and World Marbles Championship have been held at [[Tinsley Green]] every year since 1932.<ref name="InsideOut"/><ref name="Collins88">Collins, Sophie 2007. ''A Sussex miscellany''. Alfriston: Snake River Press. ISBN 978-1-906022-08-2</ref><ref name="Guardian">{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/apr/04/british-world-marble-championship|title=Event preview: British And World Marbles Championship, Tinsley Green|last=Aitch|first=Iain|date=4 April 2009|work=[[The Guardian]]|accessdate=13 January 2010 | location=London}}</ref> The first championship in 1932 was won by a team from the Black Horse [[public house]] in nearby [[Charlwood]].

Traditionally, the marbles-playing season started on [[Ash Wednesday]] and lasted until midday on [[Good Friday]]: it was thought playing after that brought bad luck.<ref name="Collins88"/> More than 20 teams from around the world take part in the championship each Good Friday. German teams have been successful several times since 2000.<ref name="InsideOut"/><ref name="TheTimes"/><ref name="Pearson">{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2003/apr/26/comment.harrypearson|title=Going under in the marble halls of Tinsley Green|last=Pearson|first=Harry|date=26 April 2003|work=[[The Guardian]]|accessdate=13 January 2010 | location=London}}</ref> Often, local teams from [[Crawley]], [[Copthorne]] and other Sussex and [[Surrey]] villages also take part.<ref name="InsideOut"/><ref name="TIME"/><ref name="Gwynne172">Gwynne, Peter 1990. ''A history of Crawley''. Chichester: Phillimore. ISBN 0-85033-718-6</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}


[[Category:Toys]]
[[Category:Games]]