D

Spiel Ohne Grenzen 1967

Heat 1

Event Staged: Saturday 29th April 1967
Venue: Freibad (Open-Air Swimming Pool), Tönning an der Eider,
Schleswig-Holstein, West Germany

Transmission:
WDR 1 (D): Saturday 29th April 1967, 2.30-3.45pm (Live)

Neutral Jury in Tönning an der Eider:
Bürgermeisters of Mittenwald, Villingen and Werne an der Lippe

Referees on Duty:
Kurt Hauser and assistants Guido Pancaldi and Werner Treichel

Weather Conditions:
Sunny, Cold and Windy

Theme: Aquatische und Nautisch (Aquatic and Nautical)

Teams: Eutin v. Tönning an der Eider

Team Members included:
Eutin - Peter Hostheifer (Team Captain), Elke Göring, Rolf Heimerstorf, Glentan Kemeite, Peter Kermann, Heinz Micheyer, Winfried Rüstopf, Rudiger Schiermacher.

Games: Ski Floats, Flying the Flag, Throw and Catch, A Net Result, A Bridge Too Far, The Aquatic Matadors, Drum Roll, Hanging Out the Washing, Angling for Fish and The Carnivorous Turtles.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd

 E • Eutin ● ●
 T • Tönning an der Eider

18
8

Eutin qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Paris, France:
staged on Wednesday 14th June 1967

The Host Town

Tönning an der Eider, Schleswig-Holstein

This heat was staged in Tönning an der Eider, a bathing and health resort with around 5,000 inhabitants, in the district of North Friesland in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.

Located in the north of the country on the Eider river near its confluence with the North Sea and the Eidersperrwerk (Eider storm surge barrier), the town has a small fishing and pleasure boat harbour which was built, in its present form, around 1613. With its closeness to the North Sea and its neighbour, it has long been known throughout history as a border town to Denmark. First mentioned as Tunnighen around the 12th century when the Sankt Laurentius Kirche (St. Lawrence’s church) was erected, the town really began to grow following the influx of immigrants from the Netherlands which flocked to the town in the 16th century. Beginning with the dyking of the area around three islands - Eiderstedt (known today as Ostteil) , Everschop (Nordwestteil) and Utholm (Südwestteil) - to form the Eiderstedt peninsula, it aided in making for a strong economic recovery in the area. The immigrants also performed cheese production on a grand scale, with Tönning an der Eider being the most important port for German cheese export. In 1610, an incredible 3,000,000lbs (1,360,777kgs) of cheese went through the harbour!

Today, tourism is the town’s main industry with the main attractions being the green beach (grüne Strand), where they can sunbathe on deckchairs or the lawn of the 600m long x 60m wide (1,968ft x 197ft) green grass dyke, and the Katinge Watt, a nature reserve managed NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland), the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union, and which was created as a result of the surge barrier’s construction. In addition to these, the town really comes alive during the third weekend in August, when tourists can look forward to the annual Pferdemarkt (horse market) as well as a grand fireworks display along the harbour.

The Venue

Open-Air Swimming Pool

The games were staged in the local 50m (164ft) open-air saltwater swimming pool, heated to a temperature of 24°C (75°F), which not only offers water-based activities, but also games and sports for all the family.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - Ski Floats

The first game - ‘Ski Floats’ - was played, like all the games in this programme, in the open-air swimming pool. Four team members from each side with large inflatable floats as skis were sitting on the edge of the pool and on each of their backs was a large plastic container. On the whistle, all eight competitors had to ski to the other end of the pool using ski-poles for momentum. On reaching the far end of the pool, team members attempted to throw up to three footballs into each of the containers. The skiers then had to make their way back to the start of the game. Points were awarded for finishing positions (9pts for 1st place, 7pts for 2nd place, 6pts for 3rd place and so on down to 1pt for 8th place. An additional point could also be earned if all three balls had been transported to the finish line. The winning team was that with the highest aggregate total of finishing positions and bonus points.

Confident of a win, the team captain of the Tönning an der Eider produced their Joker before the game began and handed it to presenter Camillo Felgen.

As soon as the game had started, the home side took control and an impressive lead, with all four competitors reaching the far end of the pool first. On the return journey however, one of the Eutin team members made up some ground and overtook two of the home team competitors. This did not make much difference to the outcome as Tönning an der Eider finished the game in positions 1, 2, 4 and 5 and had transported all 12 balls back to the finish line, giving them a total of 29pts (9 + 7 + 5 + 4 + 4 bonus). Eutin, finished in positions 3, 6, 7 and 8 but only three of their competitors had transported all three balls correctly and were given a total of 15pts (6 + 3 + 2 + 1 + 3 bonus). The first game was awarded to the home team and, with the Joker played, they received double points.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Tönning an der Eider (4pts awarded / Joker / 4pts total) 2nd Eutin (0pts / 0pts)

Game 2 - Flying the Flag

The second game - ‘Flying the Flag’ - was played individually and featured five competitors and a large inflated ball inside a net. The idea of the game was for the team to swim from the pool’s edge dragging the large ball with them to a designated point in the middle of the pool. Once reached, four of the competitors would stand up and hold the net taut, whilst the fifth competitor climbed up the net in order to hang a sign with the team’s name (which he had transported with him), onto a wire stretched above the pool. On completion, he then had to dive into the pool and swim back to the pool’s edge to collect a banner with the town’s coat of arms on it from the team captain. He then had to swim back to the middle of the pool, climb the net once more and hang the banner on the town’s name sign. Once completed, the whole team had to transport the ball back to the pool’s edge to end the game.

The away side of Eutin participated first and completed the game in 2 minutes 16 seconds, and although one would have expected the sign and banner to be removed for parity, they were left hanging which appeared to give the home side a slight advantage as they weighted the wire down causing it to hang lower. However despite this, the Tönning an der Eider team could only complete the game in 2 minutes 25 seconds and the win was awarded to Eutin.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Tönning an der Eider (0pts awarded / 4pts total) 2nd Eutin (2pts / 2pts)

Game 3 - Throw and Catch

The third game - ‘Throw and Catch’ - was played individually by the teams and featured seven competitors - four on floating podiums in the pool, two on the poolside in front of a high wooden wall and one behind it. The idea of the game, with duration of just 1 minute, was for the player behind the wall to throw up to 50 balls over it towards the competitors standing on the podiums. However, due to his position and the height of the wall, he was unable to see his team-mates and therefore had to be given instructions by them as to the strength and direction of his throw. Any balls caught then had to be thrown back to the two team members in front of the wall, who then placed them into a wooden cage. However, any of the 50 balls not thrown within the time limit would be deducted from the score achieved. This resulted in the thrower having to be as accurate as possible whilst attempting to throw a ball at a rate of every 1.2 seconds.

The home team competed first and caught 14 balls, but referee Kurt Hauser then declared that 6 balls had not been thrown and therefore the Tönning an der Eider total was reduced to 8 balls. Eutin competed second and as the game went it to the final 10 seconds played tactfully by throwing two balls together in order not to incur any penalty. This proved very successful, with their thrower being able to release the 49th and 50th balls just 1 second ahead of the final whistle. When their total was revealed they had caught 15 balls and with no penalty, they had won their second successive game and were awarded another 2pts. These successes had wiped out the original 4pt deficit from the first game and the competition was level.

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Eutin (2pts awarded / 4pts total)) ▲ =1st Tönning an der Eider (0pts / 4pts

Game 4 - A Net Result

The fourth game - ‘A Net Result’ - featured a large rectangular net hanging above the pool which was open at the base and on the side at each end was a hole. Hanging down from the inside of the net were 100 water-filled balloons. In the pool below, and positioned at either end of the net, were two boats with two team members inside each. On the whistle, one of the team members from each boat had to ascend a rope ladder in order to access the net and then start to collect one-by-one as many of his 50 designated coloured balloons (Tönning an der Eider collecting white balloons and Eutin collecting the darker coloured balloons) and pass them through the hole and throw them to his team-mate below. Only inflated balloons in the boat at the end of the game would be counted, any burst balloons would be disregarded.

After four minutes of play, the final whistle was blown and Eutin had collected 23 balloons whilst the home side had only collected 18 balloons. Eutin had registered their third successive victory and were now leading the competition for the first time.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Eutin (2pts awarded / 6pts total) 2nd Tönning an der Eider (0pts / 4pts) ▼

Comments: Presenter Camillo Felgen, standing on the high diving board, commentated for the first 1 minute 15 seconds of this game from above, looking down onto the game!

Game 5 - A Bridge Too Far

The fifth game - ‘A Bridge Too Far’ - was a game involving a competitor sitting in a canoe wearing a large wooden pillar-shaped costume over his upper body which not only hampered his movement but also limited his view. His task was to paddle up the course using only his hands whilst passing under 10 small numbered bridges. His task was made somewhat more difficult in the fact that the costume was designed in such a way that he had to lean fully forward in the canoe in order for him to negotiate the bridges.

Tönning an der Eider participated first and their competitor completed the course without mishap in 2 minutes 4 seconds. The second heat saw Eutin participate and their player completed the course just outside his rival’s time in 2 minutes 8 seconds. The home team had drawn themselves level in the competition.

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Eutin (0pts awarded / 6pts total) =1st Tönning an der Eider (2pts / 6pts) ▲

Game 6 - The Aquatic Matadors

The sixth game - ‘The Aquatic Matadors’ - had a maximum time limit of five minutes and involved five team members from each team, each holding a padded lance and standing inside a large floating barrel which had small holes bored around its circumference. On the whistle, the two teams paddled towards each other and battle commenced as they attempted to displace or sink as many of their rivals as possible. The team displacing or sinking the greater number of their rivals would be declared the winners.

A somewhat messy game proved uneventful until just on the 1 minute 30 seconds mark when one of the Eutin team’s barrels was sunk. This was followed 45 seconds later with a second sinking. The home team suffered their first sinking just before the 2 minutes 45 seconds mark and this was quickly followed by their rival’s third sinking ten seconds later. This was followed by a fourth sinking just after 3 minutes of play and the final straw came when the fifth Eutin player was displaced and the barrel sank to the bottom of the pool after 3 minutes 18 seconds. The home team were awarded their second successive win and had once again taken the lead, but this was the last time that Tönning an der Eider would lead the competition outright.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Tönning an der Eider (2pts awarded / 8pts total) 2nd Eutin (0pts / 6pts) ▼

Game 7 - Drum Roll

The seventh game - ‘Drum Roll’ - was very straightforward and involved two large drums on their sides with three team members standing in each. On the whistle, the drums had to be steered up the course by means of walking inside and after reaching the other end, nine footballs were placed on the base. The drums then had to be steered back down the course whilst preventing any of the balls from escaping. All balls retained would secure a 5-second bonus which would be deducted from the time taken to complete the course.

After a false start, the teams were evenly matched but the return journey proved to be the winner for Eutin crossing the finish line in first place in exactly 2 minutes and with the loss of none of their balls. The home side had lost two of their balls on the return journey and also finished the course in a slower time. With the win awarded to the visitors, Eutin had once again levelled the scores.

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Eutin (2pts awarded / 8pts total) ▲ =1st Tönning an der Eider (0pts / 8pts)

Game 8 - Hanging Out the Washing

The eighth game - ‘Hanging Out the Washing’ - was played in unison and witnessed the Eutin team playing their Joker. In the middle of the pool there were two floating podiums and on the whistle, three competitors from each team had to dive into the pool and make their way to their respective podium. In the meantime, a team-mate had to float out four rings of decreasing size followed by a small solid circular block from the pool’s edge towards the podium. Whilst two of the competitors stayed in the pool, the third had to climb onto the podium and place the floated rings and block on top of each other in order to build a pyramid. Once completed and with his team-mates steadying the podium, he had to climb the pyramid and dive into the pool and swim back to his starting point to collect an item of clothing. He then had to return to the pyramid and climb to the top in order to reach a wire and then attach the item of clothing to it. He had to repeat this on two more occasions until three items of clothing were hanging from the line. After completing this, he had to dive into the pool for a final time and assist his two team-mates to bring the podium and pyramid back to the starting line. The team completing all aspects of the game in the quickest time would be awarded the points.

Although a very uneventful game, it was closely fought throughout which led to some excitement for the assembled crowd. However, Eutin were always ahead throughout and, playing their Joker, completed the game in 3 minutes 5 seconds closely followed by Tönning an der Eider in 3 minutes 16 seconds. With their winning points doubled, Eutin now took a commanding lead with an advantage of 4pts to Tönning an der Eider. However, with two games still to be played and the second of them carrying double points, the competition was not yet out of the reach of the home side.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Eutin (4pts awarded / Joker / 12pts total) 2nd Tönning an der Eider (0pts / 8pts) ▼

Game 9 - Angling for Fish

The ninth and penultimate game - ‘Angling for Fish’ - featured ten fishermen with rods (five from each team) on the poolside and ten (five of each team’s colour) floating fairground-style fish heads bobbing around in a cordoned-off area the pool. The idea of the game was simple and involved the fishermen hooking the fish heads in a style similar to that at a fairground stall. However, their task was made somewhat more difficult as opposing team members in the pool were wearing the heads and moving around in order to avoid the hooks.

The game began and it took Eutin just 7 seconds to hook their first fish to lead 1-0 on the game. A second fish followed on the 30 seconds mark, but Tönning an der Eider were not to be outdone and caught their first fish moments later. The scores were levelled at 2-2 after 1 minute 5 seconds, when the home side caught their second fish. The scores remained level at 3-3 after 1 minute 14 seconds when both teams bagged their third fish at exactly the same time. Eutin took the lead once more when they caught their penultimate fish in 1 minute 37 seconds and this was quickly followed 13 seconds later with their final fish being caught. The game ended 5-3 in Eutin’s favour and this meant that they had secured victory on the competition as a whole, irrespective of the outcome of the final game.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Eutin (2pts awarded / 14pts total) 2nd Tönning an der Eider (0pts / 8pts)

Game 10 - The Carnivorous Turtles

The tenth and final game - ‘The Carnivorous Turtles’ - carried double points and was a straightforward race in the swimming pool. Two competitors, one from each team, dressed in turtle costumes had to swim the length of the pool to collect 10 inflatable aquatic creatures (swans, flamingos, dolphins, fish, penguins, geese and alligators) which were attached to wires stretched along the length of the pool. After collecting all 10 inflatables, they then had to swim the remaining distance and hand them over to a team-mate on the poolside. It was then a straight swim back to the start line at the other end of the 50m pool. The teams were warned that all the inflatables had to be collected and handed over to remain in the game.

On the whistle, although the home side took an early lead, Eutin overtook their competitor after 34 seconds and remained in that position throughout the game. Finishing in a time of 2 minutes 37 seconds, Eutin crossed the winning line marginally ahead of their rivals, who themselves completed the game 4 seconds later in 2 minutes 41 seconds. This victory rounded off a fine performance from the Eutin team, who ended up worthy winners of this historic first Domestic Spiel Ohne Grenzen programme.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Eutin (4pts awarded / Double Points Game / 18pts total) 2nd Tönning an der Eider (0pts / 8pts)

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

For this first series of Spiel Ohne Grenzen, the West German producers chose Kurt Hauser to officiate at each heat. Each week, he would be joined by two other referees, who were selected from a pool of five officials attached to the series, one of whom was stalwart referee Guido Pancaldi.

Additional Information

At each of the heats, the West German producers had followed the stance of the previous two years’ International Heats by having a ‘neutral’ panel of three people on hand to oversee proceedings. In this case however, the panel comprised three bürgermeisters (mayors) from three of the other competing towns participating in this series.

The first-ever Jokers to be played in the either of the two related Domestic series - Spiel Ohne Grenzen or It’s A Knockout - were presented in this heat. However, this record was purely by the fact that the West Germans began staging their 1967 Domestic heats two weeks prior to the British!

Made in B/W • This programme exists incomplete in German archives

D

Spiel Ohne Grenzen 1967

Heat 2

Event Staged: Saturday 6th May 1967
Venue: Sportplatz Glück-auf Straße (Glück-auf Straße Sports Ground),
Bardenberg, Nordrhein-Westfalen, West Germany

Transmission:
WDR 1 (D): Saturday 6th May 1967, 2.30-4.00pm (Live)

Neutral Jury in Bardenberg:
Bürgermeisters of Ellwangen an der Jagst, Hersfeld and Mittenwald

Referees on Duty:
Kurt Hauser and assistants Karl Niermeyer and Guido Pancaldi

Weather Conditions:
Cold and Overcast

Theme: Children at Play (Spielende Kinder)

Teams: Bardenberg v. Werne an der Lippe

Team Members included:
Bardenberg - Peter Rütters (Team Manager), Hans Alba, Manfred Alsleben, Heinz Beißmann, Alwin Bock, Christel Bock, Hermann Bock, Jakob Brand, Stefan Bulič, Anni Bremen, Peter Claßen, Johann Cülter, Martin Dohmen, Heinz Dümenil, Manfred Eschweiler, Herbert Fröschen, Toni Graaf, Franz Gülpen, Josef Haas, Christian Huppertz, Theo Jentges, Franz Jungen, Josef Körfer, Hans Krotz, Josef Lemmens, Reinhold Meeßen, Karl Otermans, Matthias Ortmanns, August Reul, Hubert Schumacher, Hannelore Schunk, Werner Setzen, Fritz Simons, Johann Simons, Heinz Speck, Peter Thelen, Eduoard Vondenhoff, Josef Voß, Jakob Wanske, Karl Wenn, Paul Wittig, Willi Woll, Franz-Josef Zitze.

Games: The Flying Waiters, Riding Tandem, Transporting the Boxes, Climbing in the Long Shirts, Excursion to the Moon, The Hammock, The Man on the Elastic Bands, The Babysitter, The Balls in the Tube, The Rocking Horse Race.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

1st
2nd

 B • Bardenberg ● ●
 W • Werne an der Lippe

19
7

Bardenberg qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Bruxelles/Brussel, Belgium:
staged on Wednesday 28th June 1967

The Host Town

Bardenberg, Nordrhein-Westfalen

Bardenberg is a suburb of the town of Würselen with a population of around 6,000 inhabitants in the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen. It is located 8km (5 miles) north of Aachen, 61km (38 miles) west of Köln, 106km (66 miles) south of Kleve and just 3km (1¾ miles) east of the Dutch border of Kerkrade.

The earliest mention of Bardenberg - as Bardunbach - dates back to AD 867. The oldest evidence of mining dates from 1113. From the 14th century to the French period (1798-1814), the town belonged to the Duchy of Jülich. From 1798 to 1814, it was a Mairie (under the authority of a mayor’s office) in the canton of Eschweiler in the French Département de la Roer and from 1815, it was a municipality in the district of Aachen.

The former Knappschaftskrankenhaus Bardenberg (Miners’ Hospital) merged with the Würselen Hospital in 2001 to form the Medical Centre District of Aachen and has been part of the Bardenberg operation ever since. The nucleus of the old miners' hospital was founded on 1st April 1856 at an inn in the centre of the town and only had eight beds, one nurse and one housekeeper. This hospital, in the middle of what was then the Aachen coalfield, was one of the first documented miners' hospitals in the history of coal mining.

In 1897, a theatre association was founded in Bardenberg. The aim was to expand the cultural events calendar for the approximately 3,200 inhabitants. The first Bardenberg theatre association operated under the name Dilettantenbund. Other theatre associations such as the St. Josef Verein, the Jünglingsverein (until 1917) and the Congregation for Women of the Parish of St. Peter and Paul were added. In 1912, another association was founded under the name Dramatic Association Fidelitas. Due to the outbreak of the First World War (1914-1918), the amateur theatre had to be stopped due to the convocation of many members. In 1919, the next theatre association was founded under the name Fidele Freunde (Loyal Friends).

Castle Wilhelmstein, built in Bardenberg on a spur above the Wurmtal in the 13th century, was ideally suited for open-air theatre. Negotiations were held with the then leaseholder of the castle ruins, Herr Lausberg, in order to build an open-air stage behind the area of the castle ruins. After completion, it opened as the only open-air stage in the Aachen district on 6th August 1922 with the play Die Räuber (The Robbers) written by Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) in 1781.

In 1933, the three theatre associations still existing in Bardenberg had to merge into one. World War II (1939-1945) led to the end of theatre in 1942. At the end of the hostilities and following the first reconstructions, the next task was to revive the open-air play. With this in mind, the association got down to work and celebrated its premiere on 13th June 1948, again with the play Die Räuber.

The Venue

Sportplatz Glück-auf Straße

The games were played on a small clay and ash covered sports ground in the east of the town with Glück-auf Straße (renamed Zechenstraße in 1973) forming its eastern boundary. It had been used as the home ground of local football club SportClub 1930 Bardenberg since its foundation in 1930.

Donned in black and yellow kits, they played their first home game on 2nd April 1933 against Niederbardenberg, but unfortunately lost 2-1. Following six years in the lower district class league, they won promotion to the full district league in 1939. The final game to be played on the ground before the league was suspended due to World War II (1939-1945) was on 11th July 1943. Following the end of the hostilities, the first game played was on 9th September 1945 against SV Kohlscheid, with the home team winning 4-1. Over the next two decades, the club enjoyed mixed fortunes with promotions and demotions throughout the period, but were never able to break through into any of the major German leagues.

In 1982, a piece of adjoining land to the south-west of the Sportplatz was purchased by the club and finally their home matches could be played on grass for the first time. At this point, the facility as a whole was renamed the Sportzentrum Zechenstraße (Zechenstraße Sports Centre), having previously undergone another change of name nine years earlier when Glück-auf Straße became Zechenstraße.

Following the death of honorary chairman Hans Bay in 2015, SportClub 1930 Bardenberg ran into financial difficulty and plans were put in place to merge with rival club FC Sparta 1913 Würselen which played their home games at Birkenstraße, 1km (0.6 miles) to the south. On 17th February 2017 (at Sport) and on 18th February 2017 (at Sparta), two separate extraordinary meetings were held in which both voted unanimously for the merger of the two clubs. On 3rd March that year, the new amalgamated club was renamed Sparta Bardenberg 13/30. Both the old colours and home ground of SportClub 1930 were adopted by the new club. On 23rd June 2019, the first team won promotion into the Kreisliga B after an exciting 4-1 victory against Concordia Merkstein at the Eschweiler stadium.

Today, Sport Club Sparta Bardenberg retains ownership of the clay and ash-surfaced pitch and it has continued to be used for training and other sporting and community activities. However, following the merger of 2017, an open meeting of the city council of Würselen took place on the occasion of the 1150th anniversary of the Bardenberg district. The needs of the Bardenberg footballers were discussed and a decision was made that the Zechenstraße sports facility would be modernised and made more suitable for year-round use. After many months of consultation, during which a variety of options were discussed, it was determined that the best solution would be to upgrade the older of the pitches. The idea was to dispense with its clay and ash surface, notorious for producing clouds of dust during dry summers, and replace it with an artificial turf pitch. The club's plans for this modernisation work, which also addressed issues regarding traffic access, changing rooms, storage and sanitary facilities, was submitted to the city of Würselen in November 2019.  

Following the merger of Bardenberg into Würselen in 1972, and with the new town still not being of any great size, it found itself with two roads called Glück-auf Straße, one running along the eastern boundary of the Sportplatz in Bardenberg and another in Grevenberg (a suburb of the former independent municipality of Würselen). To avoid confusion between the two roads (separated by a distance of just 1.6km or 1 mile), the one in Bardenberg was renamed Zechenstraße in 1973.

The Games in Detail

The only recording of this broadcast known to survive is a colour 8mm home-movie film of five minutes duration which was filmed at the Bardenberg venue during rehearsals earlier in the day. Despite the absence of audio, the recording clearly shows all the games played except one and confirms other information including the referees and burgermeisters present and the weather conditions.

Game 1 - The Flying Waiters
(Fliegende Kellner)

The first game - ‘The Flying Waiters’ (Fliegende Kellner) - was played in unison and featured two male competitors from each team, assisted by two male team-mates, standing on top of two high scaffolds. The scaffolds were separated by a safety net and had swing ropes hanging from above. On the whistle, two of the competitors had to swing across the chasm by means of the ropes in order to collect a tray with four cups from their team-mate on the opposite scaffold. They then had to swing back and hand the trays to the second team-mate who then had to place any cups still remaining into a large container.

Sourced from 8mm Home Movie Footage

The game would then be repeated throughout. Only one tray could be handed over at a time. Therefore, in order for the maximum number of trays and cups to be collected, the competitors had to time their swings so that one of them was at one side of the chasm receiving a tray whilst the other was on the other side handing his tray over. The team collecting the greater number of cups would be declared the winners.

Game 2 - Riding Tandem
(Doppelfahrrad)

The second game - ‘Riding Tandem’ (Doppelfahrrad) - was played individually and featured two male competitors from each team and two bicycles side-by-side which had been joined together by means of a metal frame. Protruding out from the top of the frame to the rear was a 3m (9ft 10¼in) long metal pole with 10 balloons attached to the end. On the whistle, the two competitors had to cycle around a 50m (164ft) meandering maze lined with bollards which had pins protruding outwards from their circumferences.

Sourced from 8mm Home Movie Footage

The competitors had to ensure that they stayed within the middle of the path and to avoid the balloons from swinging outwards particularly as they manoeuvred around the bends. Each balloon that burst would incur a penalty which would be added to the time taken to complete the course. The team completing the game with the faster overall time would be declared the winners.

Game 3 - Transporting the Boxes
(Kastentransport)

The third game - ‘Transporting the Boxes’ (Kastentransport) - was played in unison and featured three male competitors from each team standing aloft three individual 1.5m (4ft 11in) high rectangular boxes, each of which had two handles attached to the top. At the start of the game, the three boxes, each with their respective competitor, were lined up behind each other. On the whistle, the third competitor had to join the second on his box and then they had to pull or lift the third box and transport to the front of the line ahead of the first box. The first competitor then had to step onto the ‘new’ first box whilst the second and third competitors did likewise with the other two boxes.

Sourced from 8mm Home Movie Footage

The game then had to be repeated throughout along the 25m (82ft) course. If any of the competitors fell from the boxes, they had to stop and recompose themselves before continuing. The team completing the game with all three boxes and competitors across the finishing line in the faster time would be declared the winners.

Game 4 - Climbing in the Long Shirts
(Klettern in Langen Hemden)

The fourth game - ‘Climbing in Long Shirts’ (Klettern in Langen Hemden) - is missing from the home-movie and therefore no details are able to be displayed.

Game 5 - Excursion to the Moon
(Ausflug auf den Mond)

The fifth game - ‘Excursion to the Moon’ (Ausflug auf den Mond) - was played in unison and featured a 25m (82ft) course comprised of 30 foam rubber bollards randomly set out on a wooden board and a male competitor from each team dressed as an astronaut inside a large transparent ball. On the whistle, the competitor had to roll the ball down the course zigzagging in and out of the bollards and then return to the start in the same manner.

Sourced from 8mm Home Movie Footage

Each bollard had to be cleared cleanly and every bollard that was touched or pushed over would incur a time penalty which would be added to their finishing time. The team completing the game in the faster overall time would be declared the winners.

Game 6 - The Hammock
(Die Hängematte)

The sixth game - ‘The Hammock’ (Die Hängematte) – was played in unison and featured three male competitors from each team standing on two high scaffolds and a trampoline set with a hammock full of balls located above. On the whistle, the competitors had to jump down onto the trampoline in order to bounce up and hit the balls out of the hammock.

Sourced from 8mm Home Movie Footage

Any balls that were knocked out of the hammock but were not caught cleanly could also be retrieved from the trampoline mat. However, any balls that fell onto the mat could be collected by either team. The competitors then had to place the balls into a large wooden cage at the side of the game. The team collecting the greater number of balls would be declared the winners.

Game 7 - The Man on the Elastic Bands
(Der Mann an der Gummizügen)

The seventh game - ‘The Man on the Elastic Bands’ (Der Mann an der Gummizügen) - was played individually and featured four trapeze rings attached to elasticated ropes hanging from above and three male competitors from each team standing on a high scaffold. On the whistle, the first competitor had to place a giant ball between his legs and then grab the first of the rings in order to move across the game. As the elasticated rope contracted, he then had to grab the second ring and then repeat the process with the third ring. On reaching the other side, he then had to manoeuvre the ball with his legs through a large hole in a canvas cloth to score a goal.

Sourced from 8mm Home Movie Footage

The game then had to be repeated by the other two competitors. If any competitor dropped the ball whilst executing the game, he had to return to the top of the scaffold and await an opportunity to repeat his turn. The team scoring three goals in the faster time would be declared the winners.

Game 8 - The Babysitter
(Die Babysitter)

The eighth game - ‘The Babysitter’ (Die Babysitter) - was played in unison and featured a male competitor from each team, attired as a ‘babysitter’, with a large metal domed framework hanging from straps over his shoulders, and five male team-mates attired as ‘babies’ and standing inside cradles set on rockers. Around the base of the babysitter's domed framework were thirty feeding bottles of varying size. At the far end of the course was a table on which there were a number of cushions.

On the whistle, the competitor had to run down one side of the course and stop at the first box so that the first team-mate could lean forward and grab hold of one of the feeding bottles with his mouth. He then had to rock the cradle and, without touching the bottle with his hands, place it upright on to a small table located outside the cradle. Contemporaneously, the competitor moved down the line to the second cradle for the second team-mate to grab a bottle. This was then repeated until all five team-mates had removed a bottle each. At the end of the course, the competitor then had to negotiate the table and at the same time reach over and pick up one of the cushions. His task was made more difficult due to the fact that the base of the domed framework hindered his reach. Once achieved, he then had to run down the other side of the cradles and hand over the cushion to the first team-mate (hand-to-mouth) to place in his cradle. The competitor then had to negotiate a second table before beginning his second run.

Sourced from 8mm Home Movie Footage

The game then had to be repeated in its entirety with the second cushion being handed to the second team-mate, the third cushion being handed to the third team-mate, and so on, until all five had a cushion each. He then had to run back to the start to complete the game. All bottles that remained standing upright on the small tables would carry a bonus which would be deducted from the time taken to complete the game. The team with the faster overall time would be declared the winners.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Bardenberg (13pts total) 2nd Werne an der Lippe (9pts)

Comments: Despite trailing by 4pts, Werne and der Lippe still had a slim chance for a comeback. With two games remaining and 6pts available (the final game carrying double points), the competition was not yet out of the reach of the visiting team - albeit by levelling the scores and forcing a tie-break.

Game 9 - The Balls in the Tube
(Die Bälle in Schlauch)

The ninth and penultimate game - ‘The Balls in the Tube’ (Die Bälle in Schlauch) - was played in unison and featured five male competitors from each team and a 30m (98ft 5¼in) long cloth tube draped over an obstacle course. On the whistle, the first competitor had to place a basketball into the cloth tube and guide it through its entire length whilst negotiating the obstacles en route. At the end of the course, he had to remove the ball and hurl it into a basketball hoop in order for it to drop into a net. There was no limit to the number of competitors that could be in play at any one time but each had to have a distance of at least one obstacle between them. Any balls that did not drop into the net would not be counted. The game would be repeated continuously throughout. The team with the greater number of balls in the net would be declared the winners.

Sourced from 8mm Home Movie Footage

It appeared that Bardenberg had the upper hand in this game and were able to deposit more balls into their net than the total achieved by Werne an der Lippe.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Bardenberg (2pts awarded / 15pts total) 2nd Werne an der Lippe (0pts / 9pts)

Comments: Following the result of this game, Bardenberg had accumulated sufficient points to secure overall victory.

Game 10 - The Rocking Horse Race
(Die Schaukelpferderennen)

The tenth and final game - ‘The Rocking Horse Race’ (Die Schaukelpferderennen) - was played in unison and featured two male competitors from each team and a rocking horse with one end of its rockers attached to a set of wheels. On the whistle, the first competitor had to rock the horse backwards in order to gain some propulsion and then, on his forward swing, he had to lean forward so that the kinetic energy produced would transfer to the wheels and move the horse up the 50m (164ft) course lined with balloons. This then had to be repeated until the horse crossed a given line.

The second competitor then had to take over and return to the start in the same manner. In order that the rocking horse could not lean too far forward (and possibly cause injury to a competitor from tumbling), the rear of the equipment had been weighted to counter-balance the front. Any balloons that were burst by the equipment or competitors would carry time penalties. The team completing both runs in the faster overall time would be declared the winners.

Despite having already secured their place in Jeux Sans Frontières later in the year, Bardenberg were determined to give the home crowd one final victory before they dispersed. Despite all their efforts, Werne an der Lippe were unable to prevent Bardenberg achieving their aim and the final points were awarded to the home team.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Bardenberg (2pts awarded / 17pts total) 2nd Werne an der Lippe (0pts / 9pts)

Additional Information

Unfortunately, this is one of just three programmes that cannot be accessed in German archives. This programme and the one broadcast from Wesel in 1970 are missing completely whilst the master videotape copy of the third, broadcast from Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler in 1972, is reportedly damaged to the extent that it is unplayable. However, from information gleaned from other media sources, we have been able to include all items as per normal.

Made in B/W • This programme does not exist in German archives

D

Spiel Ohne Grenzen 1967

Heat 3

Event Staged: Saturday 13th May 1967
Venue: Stadion am Friedengrund (Stadium of Peace and Reasoning),
Villingen, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany

Transmission:
WDR 1 (D): Saturday 13th May 1967, 2.35-3.55pm (Live)

Neutral Jury in Villigen:
Bürgermeisters of Duderstadt, Lindenberg im Allgäu and Memmingen im Allgäu

Referees on Duty:
Kurt Hauser and assistants Helmut Konrad and Karl Niermeyer

Weather Conditions:
Warm and Overcast

Theme: Eine Sportliche Gelegenheit (A Sporting Chance)

Teams: Ellwangen an der Jagst v. Villingen

Team Members included:
Ellwangen an der Jagst - Jürgen Traüpe (Team Captain), Peter Dann, Gerhard Dann, Peter König, Josef Lehmann, Holt Meyer;
Villingen - Anton Kippert (Team Coach / Team Captain), Ernst Erdel (Co-Assistant Team Coach), Gebhard Ewadinger (Co-Assistant Team Coach), Erwin Öhler (Co-Assistant Team Coach), Ernst Richardi (Co-Assistant Team Coach), Bernd Dilg, Gebhard Dischinger, Waltraud Dischinger, Erich Fehr, Margit Fleig, Otto Guderitz, Heiner Heck, Günter Hofele, Richard Kienzler, Peter Kirchner, Hartmut Kling, Klaus Lehmann, Günther Moser, Renate Moser, Christian Potrykus, Rolf Rapp, Horst Rasche, Engelbert Rekla, Hartmut Riehle, Dorothea Schneckenburger, Siegfried Schneckenburger, Michael Schneider, Udo Schneider, Gerhard Schubnell, Helmut Schubnel, Joachim Schuhenn, Lothar Schwarz, Günther Seng, Karin Trillse, Andreas Walter, Peter Westphal.

Games: The Trampoline Wall, The Scootering Builders, Slide and Collect, The Keep Nets, The Labyrinth, The Robots, Skip Around, The Watery Carpets, The Caterpillar and The Bath Tubs.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd

 V • Villingen ● ●
 E • Ellwangen an der Jagst

23
2

Villingen qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Locarno, Switzerland:
staged on Wednesday 12th July 1967

The Host Town

Villingen, Baden-Württemberg

This heat was staged in Villingen, which lies on the eastern edge of the Black Forest at about 700m (2,300ft) above sea level. In the Middle Ages the town was under Austrian lordship.

The town came to international attention when it was besieged by Marshal Tallard in 1704. Colonel Von Wilstorff put up a stout defence of the outdated fortifications, and after six days the siege failed. As part of the territorial reform of the Baden-Württemberg region in 1972, the city of Villingen was merged with its neighbour Schwenningen and a number of surrounding towns and is known today as Villingen-Schwenningen. Schwenningen remained a village until the 19th century. In 1858 the first watch factory was established, and watchmaking and precision mechanics have been important industries ever since. Despite the amalgamation, the cities remain physically separated by a plateau and have managed to retain their distinct local cultures.

The team of Villingen had been practising for four weeks prior to the competition and with two of the games involving a trampoline, the selectors invited World trampoline champion Hartmut Riehle to mentor the team along with boxing champion Horst Rascher.

The Venue

Stadion am Friedengrund

The games were played at the stadium of local team Fußball Club FC 08 Villingen. Founded in 1960, the club’s ground only had basic facilities until 1969 when construction work began on a new covered grandstand with a seating capacity of 800 spectators, but the work came to a premature halt and for several years the stand lacked a roof.

It was not until the middle of the 1970s, after chairman Paul Riegger took over, that this work was completed and a new covered 2,500 spectator grandstand was also built on the south side of the stadium. Work continued until 1980 when the renovation of the stadium was completed. Next to the main stadium is a similar sized stadium which was used by the club should the main stadium have been unusable. A further renovation followed in 2008, in response to demands by the German football authorities, when a brand new pitch was laid to bring it up to the standards of the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg. In 2011, the club received sponsorship from a German manufacturer of electric motors and fans, ebm-papst Group, and the stadium has since been known as the ebm-papst Stadion.

The Games in Detail

Introduction

After the opening film postcards of the competing teams, it was followed with a display in the sky overhead by three light aircraft carrying banners announcing this third programme ‘SPIEL OHNE GRENZEN 67’, ‘VILLINGEN-ELLWANGEN’ and ‘3. WETTKAMPF’ accompanied by a local brass band playing in the arena below. Afterwards, during his opening introductions, presenter Camillo Felgen was presented with plates of local fish and bread and a cuckoo clock from two of the local townsfolk dressed in traditional costume.

Game 1 - The Trampoline Wall

The first game - ‘The Trampoline Wall’ - was played over three minutes duration and, as the game suggests, on a trampoline by two opposing competitors facing each other. The area above the trampoline had been split into two halves, with a double netted wall separating the two competitors. This ‘wall’ had a circular tube opening built into the top which would allow a ball to pass through from one side to the other. On the whistle, each competitor took it in turn to try and outwit the other and throw a ball through the opening into a holding net behind them, whilst the opposing player could try and block the throw by any means. The team scoring the greater number of goals would be declared the winners.

Before the game began, the Ellwangen an der Jagst team captain produced their Joker and handed it to presenter Camillo Felgen, a decision that they would not only come to regret, but one that by the end of the event they would also be thankful for.

Villingen got the ball rolling with the first attempt, but it was not until 28 seconds into the game that the visiting team scored the first goal and were leading 1-0. A lucky rebound pushed the visitors further ahead after 43 seconds and they were now 2-0 in front. The home competitor set the crowd alight after 1 minute 27 seconds, when he finally got the ball into the back of the net and the score was now 2-1 in the visitors’ favour. This is how the score would remain until 2 minutes 28 seconds when home team competitor Hartmut Kling scored the equalising goal and brought the scores to 2-2. The crowd erupted once more, but no more goals would be scored within the remaining 32 seconds and the game ended in a draw. Despite not winning the game, Hartmut Kling went ecstatic when the whistle was blown, jumping onto the netted wall, almost demolishing it. The reason for this was soon to become clear when the referees announced that both teams would be awarded 1pt each, with Ellwangen an der Jagst's 1pt doubled up to 2pts as they played their Joker..

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Ellwangen an der Jagst (2pts awarded / Joker / 2pts total) 2nd Villingen (1pt / 1pt)

Comments: There did not appear to be any time limit in this game on how long the competitors could hold onto the ball before throwing it. This would have been seen as a disadvantage to the trailing team, as their competitor could then decide to waste time, preventing them from scoring further goals.

Game 2 - The Scootering Builders

The second game - ‘The Scootering Builders’ - was, although a simple game, well-thought out and entertaining to watch. Played in unison, two opposing competitors had to negotiate a course of various obstacles whilst riding a moped. However, in front of the scooter was a large solid wooden barrel which had to be manoeuvred up the course using just the front wheel and the competitors’ feet. The course comprised a shallow sandpit, a set of wooden rafters, a wooden hump, a bucket of water and four rows of two balloons, with a gap in between just wide enough for the barrel to pass through, laid out between the obstacles. On reaching the end of the course, the competitors had to return to the start via a narrow passageway which had 11 rows of two balloons laid out along it. They then had to complete another two circumnavigations of the course. The team completing all three runs in the fastest time would be declared the winners. However, there were time faults associated with the game and the competitors would incur a 5-second penalty for each balloon burst, each time their foot touched the ground and if they touched the barrel with their hands.

The game began with a toss of a coin to decide which side of the course each team would participate and to ensure that no advantage was given. Villingen won the toss and surprisingly chose the side of the course furthest away from the assembled crowd.

On the whistle, both teams set off at a steady pace, but it was Villingen that reached the turn-around point first and this involved guiding and turning the barrel 360° around a bucket of water. With this achieved, it was a straight journey through the narrow passageway to the start of the course to turn the barrel around once more, this time without the hindrance of a bucket to negotiate. It appeared that there was no stopping Villingen, despite their competitor going off-course after the second run, but on the final journey back to the start their competitor lost control of the barrel, and this allowed his counterpart to go ahead for the first time and finish the course in 3 minutes 30 seconds. Villingen finished the course just two seconds behind in 3 minutes 32 seconds. It was a difficult game for the viewer to establish the number of penalties accrued and it was therefore left for the referees to announce the final scores. The score for Villingen was announced first and they had been awarded 1 minute 20 seconds (16 x 5 seconds) in penalties giving them a total time of 4 minutes 52 seconds. But when the score of Ellwangen an der Jagst was announced and that they had been awarded 1 minute 45 seconds (21 x 5) in penalties giving them a total score of 5 minutes 15 seconds, the home crowd erupted once again. The win was awarded to Villingen.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Villingen (2pts awarded / 3pt total) ▲ 2nd Ellwangen an der Jagst (0pts / 2pts) ▼

Game 3 - Slide and Collect

The third game - ‘Slide and Collect’ - was an unusual twist on the normal playground slide games familiar to viewers over the years. The game featured a large wooden slide which had to be ascended and descended in an unusual manner. Above the platform at the top of the slide and on the first half of the descent, there were metal poles with tennis balls hanging down from them. At the base of this descent there was a large barrel filled with water which had a metal pole above it and which had a movable roller affixed halfway across. On the other side of the barrel was the second half of the descent to the ground. On the whistle, the competitors, who were sitting in small wooden carts, had to pull themselves up the humped incline by a rope in order to ascend to the platform at the top. On reaching this, they had to collect the tennis balls from above their heads and as they descended the slide they had to hold onto the metal pole in order to collect more of the balls. On reaching the barrel, the competitors had to lift themselves up onto the metal pole and cross the diameter of the barrel and avoid touching the roller which would inevitably send them plunging into the water below. Once across, they then descended the final incline and, on reaching the ground, empty all the tennis balls collected onto a podium. Any balls not collected on the first run could be gathered by repeating the course. The time would be taken when all the balls had been removed from the poles and deposited on the podium. However, for each ball collected there was a 2-second bonus, so it was imperative that the players did not lose or drop any during the descent(s).

Once again, the Villingen team got off to the better start and maintained the lead throughout the two runs made by both teams. The game was completed by Villingen without mishap or being plunged into the water barrel in 2 minutes 2 seconds. The visiting competitor was unable to complete the second run due to fatigue and was left stranded on the humped incline. Fortunately, the number of balls collected did not matter in the final reckoning, as Villingen had won the game by default and were awarded the win.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Villingen (2pts awarded / 5pt total) 2nd Ellwangen an der Jagst (0pts / 2pts)

Game 4 - The Keep Nets

The fourth game - ‘The Keep Nets’ - featured competitors with elongated baskets strapped to their backs and wearing long wooden shoes. The idea of the game was for the players to travel along a course of 25 balls which were laid out on the ground and they had to collect at least 20 of them and then toss them up over their heads and catch them in the baskets. A 10-second penalty was incurred for each ball under the 20 required that was not collected.

A straightforward race which once again saw the home team leading throughout and finishing the course in 1 minute 42 seconds, whilst the visiting side suffered some difficulties on the game and finished in 2 minutes 6 seconds. Villingen had collected 21 balls and therefore incurred no penalty points, whilst the Ellwangen an der Jagst competitor had only collected 18 of the 20 required and therefore incurred a 20 seconds (2 x 10 seconds) penalty, bringing their final time to 2 minutes 26 seconds. The home side had won their third consecutive game, and a healthy 5pts advantage, the assembled crowd were already sensing victory and that something remarkable was unfolding before their eyes.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Villingen (2pts awarded / 7pt total) 2nd Ellwangen an der Jagst (0pts / 2pts)

Comments: A game similar to ‘The Keep Nets’, but with competitors on roller-skates, featured in the 1968 series of It’s A Knockout when the programme visited Plymouth.

Game 5 - The Labyrinth

The fifth game - ‘The Labyrinth’ - was a classic game played over three minutes duration. It featured a large wooden labyrinth which had to be negotiated by the competitors by twisting their bodies in and out and up and down through the sections inside. Each competitor had to transport a large ball with him and when they reached the top of the labyrinth, they had to throw the ball into a box which was located 2m (6ft 6in) adjacent to it. Team members descended from the top of the labyrinth by means of a fireman’s pole located to the side of the game. Any balls that were thrown correctly ran down a series of slides to be collected by the teams for their next run and were only counted as valid when they reached the base of these slides. The team with the greater number of balls reaching the base of the slides within the time limit would be declared the winners.

Villingen participated first and got off to a flying start with all their four competitors reaching the top of the labyrinth in 43 seconds. At the final count, and although it appeared a lot more, they were declared as only having collected 10 good balls. Before the visiting team of Ellwangen an der Jagst participated, referee Kurt Hauser explained to them that only balls reaching the end of the slides would be counted. After they had also completed their first run in 43 seconds and having scored four out of four balls into the box, it appeared that they may be building up to a win. However, the strength-draining game was to prove too much for them and although 10 balls had been successfully thrown into the box, only 9 of them had reached the bottom of the slides before time ran out. The crowd erupted again as the result of a fourth consecutive win was declared, and the home side was now leading comfortably.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Villingen (2pts awarded / 9pt total) 2nd Ellwangen an der Jagst (0pts / 2pts)

Comments: An error by the director of the programme gave viewers an insight into the following game during Villingen’s participation in ‘The Labyrinth’. A camera shot showed stagehands preparing the robots which would be utilised in the next game, instead of concentrating on the current game.

Game 6 - The Robots

The sixth game - ‘The Robots’ - featured six competitors in robot costumes, three from each team, each standing in one of six sectors of the playing area. On the whistle, a team-mate handed two house bricks via a hole in the wall separating them from the game to the first robot, and in turn he handed them over to the second robot. The second robot then handed the bricks to the third robot that in turn passed the bricks through a hole at the other end of the course to another team-mate who then had to stack them on the floor in front of him. Any robots having a mishap and falling over resulted in the game being stopped for both teams whilst he could righted again. The robots were all given names with CA41672, Dampf and A25 competing for Villingen whilst OTTO, Wagger and 8 competed for Ellwangen an der Jagst.

Although this was a nicely designed game, it was uneventful and ended with Villingen having stacked 5 complete layers of bricks and Ellwangen an der Jagst having stacked 4 layers and 2 bricks of the 5th layer. Another win for the home team!

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Villingen (2pts awarded / 11pt total) 2nd Ellwangen an der Jagst (0pts / 2pts)

Game 7 - Skip Around

The seventh game - ‘Skip Around’ - was played by two opposing competitors but in different directions around the course. The game featured a somewhat strange contraption comprising a long trampoline, a number of nets, cages and inclines and competitors with their two feet inside a single foam shoe.

Before the game began, a coin was tossed and the outcome resulted in the visiting team opting for the white shoe and to circumnavigate the course in an anti-clockwise direction. Villingen were given the black shoe and they would traverse the course in the opposite direction.

On the whistle, both competitors armed with a rope, had to skip to their designated end of the contraption, secure the rope to a wooden upright and then make their way through the obstacles. The manner in which they cleared the obstacles was their choice, but the shoe had to remain intact on their feet throughout the game. Once they had reached the opposite end of the contraption, they had to exit, collect the rope left by their opponent and then skip back to the starting point and repeat the whole process. The team completing both circuits in the faster time would be declared the winners. Within 10 seconds of the start of the game, the home team were already ahead, reaching their end of the equipment first. This continued throughout the game and their competitor had reached the halfway mark in just 50 seconds and even before the Ellwangen an der Jagst competitor had exited the contraption. With the energy draining from both players, the time taken on the second run was obviously slower, but this did not prevent Villingen finishing the game in exactly 2 minutes. With yet win on the board, the demolition of their opponents continued. No matter what happened next, Ellwangen an der Jagst - 11pts behind Villingen - could not prevent the home side winning the competition overall!

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Villingen (2pts awarded / 13pt total) 2nd Ellwangen an der Jagst (0pts / 2pts)

Game 8 - The Watery Carpets

The eighth game - ‘The Watery Carpets’ - was a game played over 2 minutes 15 seconds duration and one that featured in many different guises during the history of Jeux Sans Frontières. It featured competitors carrying buckets of water across carpets which were being pulled back and forth by members of the opposing team and emptying the contents into a large rectangular Perspex container.

Villingen participated first and at the end of the game, the referees rushed in to remove some water which had been added after the time had expired. There was then a short delay whilst the contents of the container were allowed to settle and then it was announced that the team had collected 112.2cm (44¼in) of water. The Ellwangen an der Jagst competitors took their positions to start the second round and it was clear from the outset that they were slower in making their crossings than their counterparts. At the halfway point in the game, the team had not even reached the 56cm (22in) mark (half of their required target) on the container. The game continued but another defeat was staring the team in the face and at the end of the permitted time they had collected only 85cm (33½in) of water. With seven straight victories in a row, the Villingen team were running away with the contest - and they still had their Joker to play!

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Villingen (2pts awarded / 15pt total) 2nd Ellwangen an der Jagst (0pts / 2pts)

Game 9 - The Caterpillar

The ninth and penultimate game - ‘The Caterpillar’ - featured four competitors from each team with three large balls separating each of them, traversing an obstacle course of small hurdles which had to be stepped over or passed under, a trough of water, two inclines and a tunnel. As it had not yet been seen, it came as no surprise when the Villingen team captain presented their Joker to be played. The idea of the game was to transport all three balls without the use of hands from one end of the course to the other and this could only be achieved if all team members pressed tightly against each other, and for the lead team member to lean back putting pressure against his compatriots. All team members had to keep their hands behind or on top of their heads at all times. Any balls that were dropped would incur a 5-second penalty and any that were handled would incur a 10-second penalty. The team would also have to stop and retrieve it before continuing the game. The team completing the course in the faster time would be declared the winners.

Villingen participated first and the team dropped one ball whilst entering the trough, and they completed the course in 1 minute 8 seconds, but with the addition of the five seconds penalty their overall time was announced as 1 minute 13 seconds. This appeared to be a very fast time for the visitors to emulate and prevent the home team winning their Joker game. However before they could start, the members of the jury called the scoring into question, following their belief that the team should have incurred a 10-second penalty. Presenter Camillo Felgen approached them and explained that it was only a 5-second penalty for a dropped ball, but if they had touched the ball with their hands, then it would have been the full 10-second penalty.

With everyone now satisfied and in agreement, the second half of the game commenced. It was clear from the start that the team were trying too hard and began to make mistakes, dropping balls and also handling them. The trough of water finally sealed their fate when the team dropped two balls entering it and lost three balls when exiting. Although the team finished the course in a quicker time of 1 minute 6 seconds, it was just a matter of waiting to learn the number of penalty seconds incurred. When this was revealed, the team had been penalised with an additional 55 seconds bringing their overall total time to 2 minutes 1 second. Villingen had won their Joker game and had now established a massive 17pts lead!

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Villingen (4pts awarded / Joker / 19pt total) 2nd Ellwangen an der Jagst (0pts / 2pts)

Game 10 - The Bath Tubs

The tenth and final game - ‘ The Bath Tubs’ - which carried double points was by far the simplest and most straightforward of the whole programme. This was somewhat surprising considering that it could have decided the competition had events been different. The game began with two opposing team members each standing in large double-handed tubs. On the whistle, they had to grab hold of the handles and simply jump their way to the other end of the course, where they then handed over to team-mates for the return leg.

Both teams started on the whistle, but after just 8 seconds the Villingen competitor suffered a mishap and tumbled. This allowed the Ellwangen an der Jagst competitor to open up a 5m (16ft) gap and it appeared that the team could actually win their first game. However, this was not to be and the home competitor recomposed himself and made up the deficit and within 10 seconds he was in front. At the end of the course with a 2 seconds lead, the home team began their return journey. But it was all over for the visitors, as the Villingen competitor was stronger and faster, and finished the game in just 55 seconds, although he had reached the finish line in 43 seconds. The 12 seconds difference, despite calls from referee Kurt Hauser that he must cross the line to complete the game, was merely a delaying tactic. In a friendly gesture and camaraderie within the spirit of the game, the Villingen competitor waited for his opponent to catch up. He then held out his hand for his opponent, and knowing that in theory he had lost the game, his opponent also stopped. They shook hands and the Ellwangen an der Jagst competitor allowed his opponent to take the final jump and deservedly cross the line in first place. A terrific act of sportsmanship which ended an incredible piece of history. The home team were awarded the final double-points score and this brought the final score to 23-2.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Villingen (4pts awarded / Double Points Game / 23pt total) 2nd Ellwangen an der Jagst (0pts / 2pts)

Comments: This victory of Villingen over Ellwangen an der Jagst by 23-2 would prove to be the second highest winning margin ever achieved in the history of any Domestic competition (West German or British) or indeed in any Jeux Sans Frontières related competition. After dropping a point on the first game, in which their opponents scored their only points, Villingen went on to win all the remaining games, finishing the event just a single point away from the maximum achieveable score of 24. However, this almost perfect feat was to be equalled by British team Ely during the 1973 It's A Knockout series, when the home team trounced Hertford by 19-1. The highest-ever winning margin of 24pts would occur in the following year's series when Inzell beat opponents Schongau by 24-0, winning every game in the process. On the other side of the coin, the Ellwangen an der Jagst team had not won a single game. They had managed to draw the first game, and their single point score for this had been doubled up to 2pts as they had played their Joker on the game. Considering that they were not to win or draw any further games in the competition, the decision to play their Joker on the first game must be seen as a wise choice.

Additional Information

An insight into the security measures in place in 1967 could be seen at this event. At the time, the threat of violence, danger or terrorism was unthinkable. Therefore, any security measures taken were not so rigid, if any at all, and this can clearly be seen at the venue of this programme whereby the watching crowd are not separated from the games by any major measure. In fact, at the beginning of the second game, it can be seen that the only ‘security measure’ in place was a 1m (3ft 3½in) high fence separating the football pitch from the stand complete with gaps in between. How times have changed in 40 years!

Made in B/W • This programme exists in German archives

D

Spiel Ohne Grenzen 1967

Heat 4

Event Staged: Saturday 20th May 1967
Venue: Stadion Isarauen (Isar River Stadium), Mittenwald,
Bayern, West Germany

Transmission:
WDR 1 (D): Saturday 20th May 1967, 2.30-3.45pm (Live)

Neutral Jury in Mittenwald:
Bürgermeisters of Eutin, Memmingen im Allgäu and Tönning an der Eider

Referees on Duty:
Kurt Hauser and assistants Hans Ebersberger and Guido Pancaldi

Weather Conditions:
Overcast with Heavy Rain Showers

Theme: Kindheit Spiele (Childhood Games)

Teams: Lindenberg im Allgäu v. Mittenwald

Team Members included:
Lindenberg im Allgäu - Josef Zenter (Team Captain), Walter Brocks, Manfred Untin;
Mittenwald - Heinz Muehr, Max Rieger, Karl Sender, Fritz Tottmeier, David Wohmer.

Games: The Bagatelle Box, The Sliding Barrel Puzzle, The Rhinoceroses and the Straw, The Jigsaw Puzzle, The Water Keepers, The Tug-o-War Quintets, Swing Bowling, The Periscopic Lancers, The Skiers and the Snowman and The Crab

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd

 L • Lindenberg im Allgäu ● ●
 M • Mittenwald

16
10

Lindenberg im Allgäu qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Pisa, Italy:
staged on Wednesday 26th July 1967

The Host Town

Mittenwald, Bayern

Mittenwald is located approximately 16km (9.9mi) to the south-east of winter ski resort Garmisch-Partenkirchen, with a population of just over 7,500 inhabitants. It lies in the valley of the River Isar on the northern foothills of the Alps.

The town is famous for the manufacturing of violins, violas and cellos which began in the mid-17th century by the Klotz family of violinmakers, and has been a popular stop with tourists since the boom in motorised tourism which began in the 1930s. Matthias Klotz (1656-1743) founded the Mittenwald school of violin-making after studying with Giovanni Railich in Padua, Italy from 1672-1678, and with Jacob Stainer and Nicolo Amati. He has sometimes been criticised for exercising insufficient skill or care in the selection of his wood. But it is the instruments produced by his son Sebastian (1696–1768) that are probably the most admired among the many existing examples by the family. However, some instruments which have been identified as Sebastian's work bear his father's label.

The most significant landmark in the town is the pink coloured Roman Catholic church of Saints Peter and Paul, which is typical of the region. The church and many of the surrounding buildings, both businesses and private residences, are decorated with elaborate paintings on the exterior walls.

The Venue

Stadion Isarauen

The games in this heat were played in the small Stadion Isauren located on the west bank of the River Isar.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - The Bagatelle Box

The first game - ‘The Bagatelle Box’ - was played in unison and featured equipment which was both unique and deceptive in design, although at first glance it appeared not to be. In the middle of the arena there were two large boxes with transparent Perspex backs and fronts but with solid wooden sides. Each of the boxes had sections marked with four different values - the top section was valued at 1pt, the second section from the top was 2pts, the third section was 5pts and the base was valued at 10pts. Covering the top of the boxes were slightly-inclined ‘lids’ with three walls and open at the front to allow non-scoring balls to drop back to the ground. Each lid had 18 holes (6 horizontal rows of 3) cut into them. About 2m (6ft 6in) in front of the game, there were two large boxes filled with footballs and players from each team wearing large pairs of trousers and each holding a skillet or frying pan. The players’ trousers were attached to each other by means of a chain and a pulley located above. On the whistle, the player who was at present on the ground placed a football into his skillet and then released himself and jumped upwards. This resulted in his team-mate descending to the ground whilst he went up to the top of the box. On reaching the top, he had to toss the ball onto the lid in order for the ball to drop into one of the 18 holes. His team-mate in the meantime would release himself and gravity would bring his team-mate back to the ground and for him to go to the top of the box. This scenario was then repeated throughout the game. As previously stated, the equipment was quite deceptive and one wondered how the balls would score different point values. A high long camera shot revealed all and showed that all the sections had bases of different lengths. The base of the top section only extended about 25% into the box from the front, the second section 50%, the third section 75% and the bottom section covered the complete base area. The sections also had transparent backs and these created a seal to prevent balls dropping from section to section. Balls that dropped into the first two rows of holes nearest to the competitors, landed in the 1pt section and those that dropped into the third and fourth rows landed in the 2pt section. The fifth and sixth rows dropped balls into the 5pt and 10pt sections, respectively. It was therefore in the competitors’ interest to toss the balls to the back of the lid in order to maximise the possibility of the balls dropping into the higher scoring sections.

The game was played at high speed throughout its 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and the number of balls that were tossed was quite remarkable. Although it was an uneventful game, it was a joy to watch and when the results were announced, Mittenwald had scored a total of 96pts (9 x 1pt, 12 x 2pts, 7 x 5pts and 4 x 10pts) whilst Lindenberg im Allgäu had scored 132pts (6 x 1pt, 13 x 2pts, 12 x 5pts and 4 x 10pts) and were declared the winners.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Lindenberg im Allgäu (2pts awarded / 2pts total) 2nd Mittenwald (0pts / 0pts)

Game 2 - The Sliding Barrel Puzzle

The second game - ‘The Sliding Barrel Puzzle’ - was played in unison and was again unique in design but sadly it only lasted 46 seconds. In the arena was a small holding pen containing 70 large metallic barrels on castors, 66 of which were sealed and 4 of which were open at one end and had been placed in pairs in two diagonally-opposite corners. The holding pen could in fact hold a maximum of 77 barrels (7 rows of 11 or vice-versa) and the shortfall of the other seven barrels was soon to become clear. Standing outside the pen and in front of the barrels were two competitors from each team. On the whistle, both teams had to jump inside their barrels and then clear a path for themselves, in a manner akin to a child’s sliding picture puzzle, in order for them to reach the opposite end of the pen.

Both teams started well but it was the home side that began to make ground and finished the game well ahead of their rivals. Mittenwald had won and the scores were levelled.

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Lindenberg im Allgäu (0pts awarded / 2pts total) =1st Mittenwald (2pts / 2pts) ▲

Game 3 - The Rhinoceroses and the Straw Bales

The third game - ‘The Rhinoceroses and the Straw Bales’ - was played over four minutes duration and featured two life-size rhinoceroses. Each rhinoceros was operated by four team members in rolled tubes under the body of the animal to create its four legs. The idea of the game was for the two rhinoceroses to race up a course to piles of straw bales which had been bound together with thin wire. The horn of the animal then had to be utilised as a hook in order to lift the bales and carry them back to the start. There was no limit to the number of bales that could be hooked or carried on each run.

A straightforward game ended with the Mittenwald team collecting 10 bales whilst Lindenberg im Allgäu collected 11 bales. A second win by the visiting team saw them regain the lead.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Lindenberg im Allgäu (2pts awarded / 4pts total) 2nd Mittenwald (0pts / 2pts) ▼

Comments: A comic moment occurred at the start of this game when presenter Camillo Felgen asked which team was in the rhinoceros marked ‘L’. The reply given by the four competitors inside was “Lindenberg” in a very a high-pitched tone which was immediately mimicked by Felgen. On asking the same question of the rhinoceros marked ‘M’, the reply was “Mittenwald” but in completely opposite deep-toned voices. Again mimicked by Felgen, this was met with some hilarity from the assembled crowd. Additionally, this game was similar to one played at the West German International staged at Straubing later in the year, but on that occasion giant mammoths and wooden logs were utilised.

Game 4 - The Jigsaw Puzzle

The fourth game - 'The Jigsaw Puzzle' - was played in two heats and it witnessed the visiting team playing their Joker. It featured competitors attached to a rope around their waist and involved them swinging between two large vertical boards surrounded on three sides by metal poles. On the left-hand board were eight large pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and on the right-hand board was an outline of the completed picture which also indicated where the pieces had to be placed. All the pieces had to be placed exactly in position otherwise they would not be counted. Before the game began, the competitors were helped by scene hands to the top of the right-hand board in order for them to grasp the upper metal pole. On the whistle, the competitors released themselves and it was now up to them to swing from side to side using their own strength in order to collect the individual pieces of the jigsaw.

The Mittenwald competitor participated first and although it appeared that he would finish the game, he suffered a mishap when affixing the sixth piece of the puzzle. After being informed by assistant referee Guido Pancaldi that he must straighten up the pieces so that they fitted in exactly, one of the pieces fell to the ground and no matter how he tried it was an impossible task to get low enough to retrieve it. After 2 minutes 25 seconds of play, the game was ended and although the Mittenwald competitor had affixed 7 pieces of the puzzle, he was given a score of just 6 correctly positioned pieces. The Lindenberg im Allgäu competitor participated next and played the game at a cracking pace and finished with all eight pieces in the correct position in just 1 minute 10 seconds. With the Joker doubling the points awarded for winning the game, Lindenberg im Allgäu had now opened up the competition and were leading by 6pts.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Lindenberg im Allgäu (4pts awarded / Joker / 8pts total) 2nd Mittenwald (0pts / 2pts)

Game 5 - The Fireman's seesaw

Ironically, as the fifth game - ‘The Fireman’s seesaw’ - was introduced, rain began to fall and umbrellas began being raised around the arena. The game featured a large seesaw with opposing competitors suitably attired in waterproof clothing, crouched down in a large open box at each end, holding a shield and armed with a hose-pipe.

On the whistle, the water was turned on and wooden blocks keeping the seesaw balanced were removed. The idea of the game was for the competitors to aim their hose-pipes towards their opponent’s box in order to fill it with water and therefore weighting it down, whilst using the shield to block his opponent’s jet of water from filling his box. However, the game did not play out to its full potential as it only had a duration of two minutes and when this time was reached the game was stopped and the blocks replaced. The referees then used dipsticks to determine which team had deposited the greater amount of water into their opponent’s box. In order that the seesaw was exactly level when measuring, the team captains were shown a spirit level placed on the beam separating the two boxes by referee Kurt Hauser.

There was a surprise when the results were announced in the fact that whilst Mittenwald had deposited 3.50cm (1⅜in) of water into their opponent’s box, Lindenberg im Allgäu had managed the exact same amount. The game ended in a draw and both teams were awarded 1pt each. Although there was no change to the leadership or difference between the two teams, the scores had moved on and the visitors’ advantage of 6pts remained intact.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Lindenberg im Allgäu (1pt awarded / 9pts total) 2nd Mittenwald (1pt / 3pts)

intermission

At the end of the fifth game, and reaching the halfway point of the competition, the games were put on hold for a few minutes whilst ten members the Volkstratten Schuhplattgruppe (Flat Shoe Folk Dancing Group) of Mittenwald, dressed in the traditional local Tracht costume, gave a display of their dancing accompanied by a Bavarian brass band.

Game 6 - Tug-o-War Quintets

The sixth game - ‘Tug-o-War Quintets’ - saw the team captain from Mittenwald present the team’s Joker for play and it was to be one of the quickest games in the history of Spiel Ohne Grenzen and of any Jeux Sans Frontières related programme. The game featured a wooden wall which had five numbered ropes (1-5) threaded through drill holes in the middle of each of its five panels. On one side of the wall at the end of the ropes were the Mittenwald team of five competitors, whilst on the other side were the opposition and a sixth player from each team was standing adjacent to each end of the wall. On the whistle, the five team members had to participate in a tug-o-war contest whilst the sixth player could choose to assist any of his team-mates in order to pull his opposite number across a designated line. Once achieved, he could move on to assist another and so on. His opposition counterpart, in the meanwhile, would be giving the exact same assistance to his team-mates.

The game ended in just 22 seconds with Mittenwald achieving 3 pulls to Lindenberg im Allgäu’s 2. The Mittenwald team were awarded double points having played their Joker and had now moved to within 2pts of the visitors.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Lindenberg im Allgäu (0pts awarded / 9pts total) 2nd Mittenwald (4pts / Joker / 7pts)

Game 7 - Swing Bowling

The seventh game - ‘Swing Bowling’ - had a duration of three minutes and was interrupted by a break in communication on the ‘live’ picture feed, possibly due to the inclement weather, for virtually the entire first half of the game. However despite this, the audio link remained intact. The game featured a playground swing which had a solid weighted ball attached to its base by a small pole. Around the swing were four diagonally raised platforms with five concrete skittles standing upright on each. On the whistle, the referees pulled the swing backwards and then released it. The competitor’s task was to get the swing in full motion and then to steer it towards the skittles in order for the weighted ball below to make contact and dislodge them.

The visiting side of Lindenberg im Allgäu participated first and within 11 seconds of the start, and without any skittles having been dislodged, pictures from the venue were lost. After a further eight seconds, a placard was placed on screen with the words ‘Kurze Unterbrechung’ (short interruption), and it was not until a further 22 seconds that presenter Camillo Felgen apologised to viewers for the interruption and stated that the ‘acoustics’ would continue. Ironically, this interruption was to last until the exact moment the whistle to end the game was sounded when pictures were restored. The score was given as 16 skittles for the visiting side. Mittenwald participated next and once again as soon as the competitor commenced play, the live pictures began to break-up. This inconvenience continued for approximately one minute after which everything returned to normal. The game continued and after 1 minute 45 seconds, the Mittenwald competitor had reached the opposition’s total of 16 skittles and now only needed one more to win the game. However, he was unable to get the swing to move in the direction of the remaining skittles and, for the next 1 minute 15 seconds, he struggled with the swing’s momentum. Unfortunately for him, all his efforts were in vain and, unable to dislodge any of the remaining 4 skittles, the game was declared a draw. With the rain now pouring down, Mittenwald were still trailing Lindenberg im Allgäu by 2pts.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Lindenberg im Allgäu (1pt awarded / 10pts total) 2nd Mittenwald (1pt / 8pts)

Game 8 - The Periscopic Lancers

The eighth game - ‘The Periscopic Lancers’ - was based on the home-made periscopes that children often construct from wood or cardboard and which utilise two small internal mirrors. The game featured two opposing ‘knights’ each equipped with a lance and both wearing periscopic helmets and long black cloths over their heads and torsos. The competitors had to ensure that they kept their free hand under the black cloth at all times. On the whistle, the knights had to negotiate a course of 8 podia, each with 3 balloons, set at varying heights along its length. The team bursting all 24 balloons in the faster time would be declared the winners.

Despite the limited view afforded by the periscopes, the Mittenwald competitor appeared to be moving at an exceptional speed and bursting the balloons with greater accuracy than his rival and eventually completed the game in a time of 1 minute 8 seconds. The Lindenberg im Allgäu knight had difficulty bursting the balloons on the final element and finished the game in 1 minute 31 seconds. However, when the official result was announced, the home team competitor was disqualified for flouting the rules and using his free hand outside the cloth to assist his view. The win was awarded to the visiting team and they had increased their lead to 4pts.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Lindenberg im Allgäu (2pts awarded / 12pts total) 2nd Mittenwald (0pts / 8pts)

Game 9 - The Skiers and the Snowman

The ninth and penultimate game - ‘The Skiers and the Snowman’ - featured a scaled-down button lift, used by skiers to ascend mountains, and a wooden snowman with holes cut out of its face and body. On the whistle, four skiers ascended a greasy ramp (representative of a mountain) each pulling a ‘button’ attached to a vertical pole. On reaching the top of the ramp they turned 180° and, after collecting a tennis ball, they sat on their buttons and descended the ‘mountain’. On reaching the snowman which was sited 1m (3ft 3in) distance away from the slope at the base of the mountain, the competitors had to throw the balls through the holes. The face of the snowman had three holes, each valued at 10pts, whilst the torso had four larger holes, each valued at 5pts. The team could make as many circumnavigations of the game within the 2 minutes 30 seconds time limit. The team achieving the greater score would ultimately be declared the winners.

Lindenberg im Allgäu participated first and scored a total of 85pts (8 x 10pts + 1 x 5pts). The home team participated second and emulated their rivals’ score with a total of 185pts (16 x 10pts + 5 x 5pts). Mittenwald had won the game and they were once again trailing the visiting team by just 2pts. Everything would be decided on the final game.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Lindenberg im Allgäu (0pts awarded / 12pts total) 2nd Mittenwald (2pts / 10pts)

Game 10 - The Crab

The tenth and final game - ‘The Crab’ - was a race up a small obstacle course in a posture similar to the crab position in yoga where the body is supinated so that the back faces the ground. A straightforward game, which saw the competitors negotiating a course of small hurdles, logs, a ramp and a tunnel of water-filled balloons, was neck and neck on the outbound run. At the end of the course, the ball was handed over to a second competitor and he made the return journey.

The Mittenwald competitor unfortunately kicked his ball slightly harder than expected before making his way through the tunnel and the ball went out of the course. Although he passed through the tunnel, assistant referee Guido Pancaldi signalled to him to pick up the ball and negotiate the obstacle with the ball under control. This mistake permitted the Lindenberg im Allgäu competitor to complete the course without fear of being overtaken and, to all intents and purposes, handed them the competition overall. The referees declared them as winners of the game and awarded them the double points. Lindenberg im Allgäu team had won the competition by a clear 6pts margin.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Lindenberg im Allgäu (4pts awarded / Double Points Game / 16pts total) 2nd Mittenwald (0pts / 10pts)

Additional Information

Similar to that of the previous heat, following the opening film postcards of the competing teams, the programme’s staging was displayed below cable-car No.1 which was descending the mountain whilst accompanied by a local brass band playing in the arena below.

Made in B/W • This programme exists in German archives

D

Spiel Ohne Grenzen 1967

Heat 5

Event Staged: Saturday 27th May 1967
Venue: Turn und Sportverein Stadion (Athletics and Sports Club Stadium),
Straubing, Bayern, West Germany

Transmission:
WDR 1 (D): Saturday 27th May 1967 (Live)

Neutral Jury in Straubing:
Bürgermeisters of Duderstadt, Eutin and Lindenberg im Allgäu

Referees on Duty:
Kurt Hauser and assistants Guido Pancaldi and Jan Riddes

Weather Conditions:
Warm and Sunny

Theme: Berufe (Professions)

Teams: Memmingen im Allgäu v. Straubing

Team Members included:
Memmingen im Allgäu - Hannes Hann (Team Captain), Van Eckemann, Weiter Serringer;
Straubing - Voss Küchenmeister.

Games: The Tailor’s Changing Rooms, The Construction Workers’ Tug-o-War, The Window-Cleaner’s Ladder, The Professional Pugilists, The Carpet Layers, The Laundry Maids, The Draper’s Cloth, The Farmer’s Sacks, The Circus Clown’s Arms, The Wheelwrights and The Wheels (Tie-Break).

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd

 S • Straubing ● ●
 M • Memmingen im Allgäu

14
12

Straubing qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Straubing, West Germany:
staged on Wednesday 9th August 1967

The Venue

Straubing, Bayern

Straubing is an independent city akin to London, Oslo, Tokyo and Bucharest, in that it does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a county). It has a population of around 41,000 inhabitants and is located on the River Danube in the Lower Bavarian region of Germany.

Annually in August, the Gäubodenvolksfest (originally an agricultural carnival when it was first held in 1812), the second largest fair in Bavaria (after the München Oktoberfest), is held in the city. Although today the Gäubodenvolksfest is a modern and family-friendly festival with about 120 carousels, roller coasters and six large beer tents with 25,000 seats set in an area of about 90,000m² (968,752ft²), it has been able to uphold its traditional character. Many of the 1.2 million visitors wear the Trachten, a traditional Bavarian costume, throughout the festival’s duration.

The Venue

Athletics and Sports Club Stadium

The games were played at the home ground of TSV 1861 Straubing, the local football and sports club. It was originally formed as a gymnastics club in 1861, under the name of TV Jahn Straubing.

Football in Straubing was first represented at top-level in the 1931-32 season, when F.C. Straubing, formed in 1921, spent a year in the Bezirkliga Bayern (the highest league in Bavaria before 1933). Another attempt was made by the military team of Luftwaffen SV Straubing, which played in the Gauliga Südbayern (the highest league after 1933) from 1942 to 1944. The current club, TSV Straubing, formed in 1945 out of a merger of TV Jahn and F.C., first appeared in the upper reaches of Bavarian football in 1946. Following various relegations and promotions, the club achieved notability by playing in the 2nd Oberliga Süd (second division), the second highest level in West German football, from 1950 to 1961. Following on from this, TSV Straubing came second in the Landesliga Bayern-Mitte in 1970–71, but unfortunately only the champions were promoted in this era and the club's fortunes in the league became a mixed bag after that. In 2009, Straubing was relegated from the Bezirksliga and the club dropped through the ranks from there, to the Kreisklasse in 2011 and after the club became insolvent in April 2013 the club was automatically relegated to the A-Klasse. The financial crisis and the relegation caused the club to go out of business with the 2012-13 season being their last.

Unfortunately, the stadium where this heat was staged no longer exists today. Its location in the city centre surrounded by houses and shops was not only seen as anti-social during the 1980s but also became unsustainable with the lack of club success. The ground was sold to developers for modern housing and retail units and the club relocated to the banks of the Danube in the north-east outskirts of the city.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - The Tailor's Changing Rooms

The first game - ‘The Tailor’s Changing Rooms’ - appeared at first glance to be a run-of-the-mill Domestic game, but as soon the competitors commenced play, it was actually an enjoyable and quite exciting opening to the programme. At the start of the course there was a competitor dressed in an all-black outfit comprising sleeveless shirt and tracksuit bottoms. Standing adjacent to him was a tailor’s mannequin which had been clad in a white long-sleeved sports-type shirt. On the course itself, there were five upright rectangular cages with open-top ends set out at regular measured intervals. Inside each of the cages was a team-mate also wearing an all-black outfit but comprising long-sleeved shirt and tracksuit bottoms. Also inside the cage, and tied around the rim of the open end, there were 10 water-filled balloons. On the whistle, the first competitor had to remove the white shirt from the mannequin and attire himself in it. He then had to race to the first cage and enter through the top and the ring of balloons. Once inside, he and his team-mate had to remove their respective shirts and swap them over. Once both attired, the second competitor now wearing the white shirt, had to climb out and make his way to the second cage and repeat the procedure. This was then repeated until the sixth competitor exited the cage and ran to the finishing line, removing the white shirt and placing it on another tailor’s mannequin. Any balloons burst within the game would incur a time penalty of 3 seconds, and the team with the faster overall time would be declared the winners.

The home team of Straubing participated first and completed the course in 2 minutes 14 seconds and with the team having only burst two balloons along the way, their overall time was 2 minutes 20 seconds. The Memmingen im Allgäu competitor participated next but with the shirt colours in reverse. The mannequin was clad in a black shirt which had to be swapped with white ones being worn by his team-mates in the cages. Although the competitors appeared to be participating at a faster pace, the sound of balloons bursting throughout was audible to the watching crowd and viewers at home. However, it did not come down to the number of penalties incurred in the end, because the team got delayed somewhat whilst dressing themselves in the final cage and eventually finished the game in 2 minutes 39 seconds. With another 12 seconds added for 4 balloons burst, the overall time was 2 minutes 51 seconds. The first points were awarded to Straubing and the home crowd went wild.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Straubing (2pts awarded / 2pts total) 2nd Memmingen im Allgäu (0pts / 0pts)

Game 2 - The Construction Workers' Tug-o-War

The second game - ‘The Construction Workers’ Tug-o-War’ - was one that has been utilised in both the Domestic and International programmes over many years in different guises. On this occasion, it was designed for hefty competitors and the visiting side had brought along a couple of well-built men to participate. In the arena was a small pool surrounded on all four sides by podia with a competitor on each in a manner that two competitors from the same team would be standing facing each other. Around the waists of each of the four competitors was a large circular rope which would be used rather like a rubber band whereby pulling at both ends would cause the middle of the band to be pulled inwards. In this case, pulling the ropes back by two fellow competitors would result in the opposing team members being pulled inwards and into the pool. However, any competitor who fell off his podium would also be scored as having been dislodged by the opposition. Surprising nobody, the Memmingen im Allgäu team captain presented his team’s Joker at the start of this game. It was merely a case of the team that dislodged the most competitors over five rounds that would win the game.

The first round ended in just 1.12 seconds after a Straubing competitor was pulled into the pool. However, one of the Memmingen im Allgäu competitors lost his footing and stepped off his podium. With both teams being awarded a point in this round, the score stood tied at 1-1.

The second round was even more spectacular than the first with one of the visiting competitors not only pulling both of his opposition into the pool or off the podium, but he also managed to pull his own team-mate, who was clearly the heaviest team member of all four, into the pool also. The score now stood at 3-2 in Memmingen im Allgäu’s favour.

The third round was a repeat of the second with the Straubing pair and the same visiting competitor being pulled off their podia. Memmingen im Allgäu were now leading 5-3 on the game.

It was again a case of déjà vu when the fourth round ended the same as the previous two. The score was now 7-4 and visitors had already ensured victory, irrespective of the final round. Despite this, the round was played and it ended, as did the previous three, with both of the home team’s competitors being dislodged. The only difference was that the opposition competitor who had been dislodged previously remained intact whilst his team mate was the victim. The end result was 9-5 in Memmingen im Allgäu’s favour and they were awarded the win and double points, having played their Joker. They were now leading overall on the scoreboard.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Memmingen im Allgäu (4pts awarded / Joker / 4pts total) ▲ 2nd Straubing (0pts / 2pts) ▼

Game 3 - The Window Cleaner's Ladder

The third game - ‘The Window Cleaner’s Ladder’ - featured a meandering maze of 18 pairs of columns constructed from six plastic containers and a large ladder which had a football hanging down from ropes at either end. On the whistle, a competitor had to make his way through the maze avoiding knocking down any of the columns. Due to the design of the maze, it would result in the competitors having to move forward and backward in order to clear the columns and pass through them. The idea of the game was to negotiate the maze in the quickest time. However, there were three different time penalties associated with the game. An additional 5 seconds would be added for each time a ball touched the ground, 10 seconds would be added for every column knocked down and 5 seconds would be added for every time the competitor put his foot outside the outlined course. The team completing the course in the fastest overall time would be declared the winners.

The visiting team participated first and their competitor completed the course in 1 minute 49 seconds. Although he succeeded in keeping within the boundaries of the game, he incurred 45 seconds in other penalties (5 balls x 5 seconds + 2 columns x 10 seconds). This gave the Memmingen im Allgäu team a total time of 2 minutes 34 seconds. The home team of Straubing participated next and also completed the course within its boundaries but in a faster time of 1 minute 39 seconds and, unlike his counterpart, did not knock down any columns. He did however incur 35 seconds (7 x 5 seconds) in ball penalties and this gave the team a total time of 2 minutes 14 seconds. With the win awarded to Straubing, they had drawn themselves level with the Memmingen im Allgäu team.

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Memmingen im Allgäu (0pts / 4pts) =1st Straubing (2pts awarded / 4pts total) ▲

Game 4 - The Professional Pugilists

The fourth game - ‘The Professional Pugilists’ - featured two boxers fettered by rope in their respective corners with numerous plastic drinking cups attached open-end down to their upper bodies. On the whistle, they had one minute to ‘fight’ in order to crush or dislodge as many of their opponent’s cups as possible. To ensure parity, the two competitors changed corners for the second round and then fought for another minute.

A straightforward, uneventful game ended with Straubing having 10 cups intact whilst Memmingen im Allgäu had only 5 remaining. With the win going to the home team, they had regained their original lead.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Straubing (2pts awarded / 6pts total) 2nd Memmingen im Allgäu (0pts / 4pts) ▼

Game 5 - The Carpet Layers

The fifth game - ‘The Carpet Layers’ - was an unusual game that began with six interwoven long rectangular carpets laid out in a outlined plan on the arena floor. On the whistle, each of the five team members had to run to the end of a carpet and roll themselves up in it. This was not as simple as it sounds because each competitor had to wait at the interwoven points in order that the team-mate whose carpet was lying on the top had completed his roll past before he could continue. Once completed, the competitors then had to secure the carpets around their bodies with straps and then negotiate a course of five small hurdles which required them to pass over and under them. After all the competitors had completed this section, they then had to return to the area where the carpets had originally been laid out and unfurl themselves in order that the carpets mimicked the original outline. They then had to return to their original start positions to get a finishing time.

The Straubing team participated first and although all their competitors had unfurled themselves in 1 minute 18 seconds, the team had to straighten the carpets so that none were lying outside the outline. They eventually completed the game in 1 minute 35 seconds. The visiting team of Memmingen im Allgäu participated next and were slightly quicker at the unfurling, completing it in 1 minute 8 seconds. They, like their rivals, also had to straighten the carpets but eventually crossed the finishing line in 1 minute 20 seconds. A win for the visiting team which once again drew them level with their opponents from Straubing.

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Memmingen im Allgäu (2pts awarded / 6pts total) ▲ =1st Straubing (0pts / 6pts)

Game 6 - The Laundry Maids

The sixth game - ‘The Laundry Maids’ - was to witness the first participation of female competitors in Spiel Ohne Grenzen, as until now it had been a male-dominated competition, and a refereeing blunder that could have cost the home team overall victory. At the start of the course there was a male competitor inside a large bobbin of rope and two female team-mates standing behind a laundry basket. Along the course were 10 upright poles with hooks hanging down on either side. In order to move up the course, the male competitor had to rotate the bobbin to release the rope. As he passed each of the poles, he had to hang the rope over the hooks to create a washing line. On reaching the end of the course, he then returned to the start on the other side of the poles passing the ropes over the hooks. On his arrival back at the start line, his female compatriots then had to hang out 18 pieces of washing (one on each section) on the line. Any pieces not hung correctly would incur a 5-second penalty. The team completing the game in the fastest overall time would be awarded the points.

On the whistle, both teams started neck and neck, but then the Memmingen im Allgäu competitor began moving in front and it was clear to all the viewers and assembled crowd that he appeared not to be abiding by the rules. Instead of rotating the bobbin, he simply held his hands aloft so that the rope would just unwind itself. Halfway down the course, assistant referee Jan Riddes could be seen somewhat bewildered as to whether his actions were within the rules, whereby he continually looked back to senior referee Kurt Hauser for inspiration. The game continued nevertheless, with the visiting team completing the washing line in 1 minute 5 seconds followed by his Straubing counterpart just 6 seconds later. The women then took over and despite trailing at the start, the Straubing team closed the deficit and finished the game in 2 minutes 41 seconds, just 1 second ahead of their rivals. However when the result was delivered, everybody including the home crowd and presenter Camillo Felgen, was somewhat shocked that the referees had allowed the flouting of the rules and confirmed that both teams had completed the course correctly. The Straubing team in meantime had incurred a 5-second penalty for having one of their pieces of clothing incorrectly pegged on the line, and was given a total time of 2 minutes 46 seconds. Their rivals had completed the task 'correctly' and their time was confirmed as 2 minutes 42 seconds. Memmingen im Allgäu had won the game, albeit under a cloud of controversy. However, the neutral jury of bürgermeisters did not object to the result.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Memmingen im Allgäu (2pts awarded / 8pts total) 2nd Straubing (0pts / 6pts) ▼

Game 7 - The Draper's Cloth

The seventh game - 'The Draper’s Cloth’ - featured a large length of cloth and saw the presentation of the Straubing Joker. At the start of the course there were two large tubes which had 30m (98ft 6in) of compressed cloth encompassed around them and with a opening wide enough for a head to pass through. On the whistle, the two opposing team members jumped into one end of the tube and on exiting pulled the cloth with them. They then had to make their way up the course inside the cloth by any means possible, pulling the whole length with them. They also had to negotiate three obstacles on the way which required them to climb over and through.

The two players opted for different methods of propulsion, with Straubing using a crawling motion on the floor, whilst the visitors opted for the quicker, hopping motion. It was no surprise that the Memmingen im Allgäu competitor finished the course ahead of his rival in 55 seconds with Straubing finishing in 1 minute 26 seconds. The visitors had defeated the home team on their Joker game and had increased their lead to 4pts. With just three games remaining, the home team now appeared to have a mountain to climb to ensure that they would be competing at, as well as hosting, the West German International heat later in the year.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Memmingen im Allgäu (2pts awarded / 10pts total) 2nd Straubing (0pts / Joker / 6pts)

Game 8 - The Farmer's Sacks

The eighth game - ‘The Farmer’s Sacks’ - was based on the universal sack race but with a twist. At one end of the course was a competing player inside a sack, whilst at the other end were six opposing team members in individual sacks which had been conjoined. On the whistle, the competing player had to avoid being caught by the opposing team by moving around the designated area. The team lasting the longest before being caught would win the game.

A very straightforward game saw Memmingen im Allgäu participating first and their player avoided capture for 1 minute 4 seconds. The Straubing competitor participated next and his opposition were determined not to let him emulate their time from the first heat. They achieved their goal after just 13 seconds when they brought the Straubing competitor to his knees. With their fourth consecutive win, Memmingen im Allgäu had now built up a 6pts lead. With just two games remaining, the best the home team could hope for now was a drawn competition.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Memmingen im Allgäu (2pts awarded / 12pts total) 2nd Straubing (0pts / 6pts)

Game 9 - The Circus Clown's Arms

The ninth and penultimate game - ‘The Circus Clown’s Arms’ - featured two competitors from each team attired in clown outfits each holding a 3m long arm which had a giant hand attached. Along the course were eight 2m (6ft 6in) high podia which each had a bowl placed atop. The two competitors from each team had to work as a pair and, by using the giant arms and hands together, lift large beach balls from the ground and place them into the bowls on the podia. The first team to place all eight balls into their respective bowls would be declared the winners.

On the whistle, the home team’s competitors began to fight back and close the deficit on the scoreboard by placing their first ball in the bowl in just 7 seconds, this was followed by their second, eight seconds later. Memmingen im Allgäu in the meantime placed their first after 15 seconds and were already trailing. Straubing’s third ball was successfully placed in 27 seconds, followed one second later by their rivals’ second ball. The home team stretched their lead further after they placed their fourth ball after 38 seconds, but the visitors had not given up the fight, and they reduced the deficit once more to just one, after they placed their third ball in 43 seconds. However, from this point the game was to become very close with a nail-biting, edge-of-the-seat ending. Straubing had already placed their fifth ball off camera before the visiting team placed their fourth in 58 seconds. Following a small mishap by dropping the ball, the home team placed their sixth ball in 1 minute 9 seconds whilst the visitors placed their fifth off camera in 1 minute 18 seconds. This time was confirmed by the actions of team-mates jumping up and down on the sidelines. Memmingen im Allgäu began to make a comeback when they quickly placed their sixth ball in the bowl in 1 minute 23 seconds and both teams were now level. However, Straubing were already in the process of lifting their seventh ball and placed it successfully in 1 minute 26 seconds. The team almost secured victory on the stroke of 1 minute 36 seconds when attempting their final ball, but dropped it before it was securely in place. This mistake allowed their rivals to place their seventh ball in 1 minute 37 seconds and it was now a matter of which team could keep their nerves. Both teams lifted their final balls, albeit for the second time in the home team's case, simultaneously, but it was Straubing that securely placed the ball in the bowl in 1 minute 43 seconds. In the tense atmosphere, the Memmingen im Allgäu competitors unfortunately dropped the ball whilst doing the same. Straubing were declared winners by 8-7 on the game and, after a four-game wait, the home team had added some points to their score. Despite this, they were still trailing their visitors by 4pts. There was now just one game remaining and that carried double points to the winners.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Memmingen im Allgäu (0pts awarded / 12pts total) 2nd Straubing (2pts / 8pts)

Game 10 - The Wheelwrights

The scheduled tenth and final game - ‘The Wheelwrights’ - was a simple, straightforward race up the course with competitors inside large sponge wheels negotiating several obstacles along the way and it ended in the most exciting finish of all the games. These obstacles included a seesaw, small humps and a section of raised wooden blocks. The competitor in each wheel had to make a return journey of the course before handing over to a team-mate to complete a second run. On the whistle, the Straubing competitor took the lead and held it throughout his run. With an advantage of just 5 seconds at the handover point, the team kept their nerve even after almost being overtaken halfway up the outward journey and reached the start line six seconds ahead of their rivals. The game was not finished yet and the toughest part was yet to come. Not revealed until now was the fact that beyond the start line was a small incline which lead into a pool of water and, after reaching the start line, the competitors had to pass through this pool. With their ‘wheels’ soaked in water, it was a tough task to roll the remaining 10m (32ft 9in) to cross the finish line. The final few seconds of this game created some of the most heart-stopping moments witnessed over the years, as the home team desperately tried to finish the game and level the scores. After taking 33 seconds just to complete the last section alone, the Straubing competitor crossed the line first in 1 minute 51 seconds. The crowd went wild as referee Kurt Hauser confirmed the result and awarded the team a thoroughly deserved 4pts. However, the two teams were tied on the scoreboard and despite the team making one of the most remarkable comebacks of all time, the heartache was not yet over for the home crowd.

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Memmingen im Allgäu (0pts awarded / 12pts total) =1st Straubing (4pts / Double Points Game / 12pts) ▲

Tie-Break!

It was clear that the scenario of a drawn contest had not crossed the minds of the organisers and that the awarding double points on the final game would be sufficient to overcome such a scenario. This was evident in the fact that the watching crowd were held in suspense for a further 4 minutes 13 seconds whilst the tie-break game was set-up in the arena. The game itself - ‘The Wheels’ - involved the sponge wheels from the final game and in this instance all that was required of the teams was to make a single journey of the course without hindrance of any of the obstacles.

From the outset, the Straubing competitor headed the race and finished the course in 35 seconds. An additional points were awarded to Straubing, bringing them victory and qualification for Jeux Sans Frontières in their home town!

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Straubing (2pts awarded / 14pts total) 2nd Memmingen im Allgäu (0pts / 12pts) ▼

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

Presenter Camillo Felgen, who was almost 47 years of age at the time of transmission, proved to be very agile in this heat. During the first game, he ‘walked’ the course whilst the competitors participated in order to give a blow-by-blow account of what was occurring. This was followed by him walking back over the full length of the football pitch, on which the games were being staged, commentating throughout. He then repeated the whole caboodle for the second heat of the game. At the start of the second game, he is seen cycling a bicycle from one end of the arena to the other whilst negotiating a seesaw obstacle and still presenting his usual commentary!

Additional Information

The home team of Straubing made an incredible comeback in this heat. After losing one of the games in a cloud of controversy and then being beaten on their Joker game, the team clawed back a 6pt deficit and at the end of the programme, the scores were level 12-12 with the contest ending in a draw. However, unlike the International heats later in the year where no reserve games were scheduled, and which would cause confusion to all concerned, this contest had to be decided on the day and therefore a tie-break game had to be played.

The venue for this heat was used again when the West German International heat was held in Straubing later in the year.

Made in B/W • This programme exists in German archives

D

Spiel Ohne Grenzen 1967

Heat 6

Event Staged: Saturday 3rd June 1967
Venue: Krankenhaus Sankt Martini (Santa Martini Hospital),
Duderstadt, Niedersachsen, West Germany

Transmission:
WDR 1 (D): Saturday 3rd June 1967, 2.30-3.50pm (Live)

Neutral Jury in Duderstadt:
Bürgermeisters of Bardenberg, Straubing and Villingen

Referees on Duty:
Kurt Hauser and assistants Peter Hochrath and Karl Niermeyer

Weather Conditions:
Overcast with Rain Showers followed by Sunny Spells

Theme: Kinder-Zeitverteibe (Children's Pastimes)

Teams: Bad Hersfeld v. Duderstadt

Team Members included:
Bad Hersfeld - Günther Gereits (Team Captain);
Duderstadt - Willi Arnaud, Marita Brand, Monica Bruder, Wiltner Eisel, Gisela Huwendiek, Anita Krapf, Erica Müller, Ilona Reininger, Karin Thiele.

Games: In a Roundabout Fashion, The Counting Frame, Hooking the Balloons, The Go-Kart’s Wheels, The Bank Robbers, Net-o-War, Dressing Up, The Sorcerers’ Hats, The Big Top Clowns and Tomato Squash.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd

 D • Duderstadt ● ●
 H • Bad Hersfeld

16
8

Duderstadt qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Blackpool, Great Britain:
staged on Wednesday 23rd August 1967

The Venue

Duderstadt, Niedersachsen

Duderstadt is a city located in the district of Göttingen in the south of the German state of Lower Saxony. The city contains many historical buildings in the half-timber style, most notably along the Market Street, which stretches all the way from St. Cyriakuskirche (Catholic) down to St. Servatiuskirche (Protestant). The city is located on the Deutsche Fachwerkstraße (German Timber-Framed Road), a German tourist route leading from the River Elbe in the north right down to Bodensee (Lake Constance) in the south. Along this road are numerous cities and towns each with examples of the vernacular timber-framed houses traditional to the German states.

Built in 1343, the Westerturm is one of at least eight gate towers and peels of the city's fortress wall, and although it burned down in 1424, it was rebuilt over the course of 12 years. The Westerturm has a very distinctive twisted spire. Though not the only tower in Germany with a twisted spire, its execution was particularly successful. There are a number of folk tales to explain the twist: one tale claims that an unoiled weather vane caused the wind to twist the roof. Another claims that when the devil was driving the men of Duderstadt to drink, the women drove him away, but not before he grabbed the tower and twisted it while passing over the wall, making his escape. The city Innenstadt (inner city) is surrounded by a 3km long earthen wall which was constructed by a travelling master fortress builder named Andreas. The city council (Rat) of Duderstadt contracted with Andreas in 1506 to build the wall. Since the surrounding farmers were also to be protected by the wall, the Rat conscripted them to work on the construction of the wall. Andreas was reportedly a cruel taskmaster, and the farmers detested him. They soon also blamed the citizens of Duderstadt for their woes, and took to calling all of them Anreischke, after Andreas. The citizens of Duderstadt, in turn, had a wooden bust of Andreas constructed and attached to a clock-work. Every two hours since then, the wooden Anreischke would come out and nod to the farmers coming to market, to remind them of the detested Andreas, and of their dependency on the city. The wooden Anreischke nods until this day from the Rathaus tower every two hours between 9am and 7pm.

The old Town Hall is acclaimed as one of the most beautiful seats of government in the entire country. The massive, half-timbered structure, with three great towers worn like a crown was established in 1302 and has been renovated many times since. All the sightseeing that is on offer in this city is certain to arouse one’s appetite for the local Eichsfelder or Duderstädter, the main feature of which is a hearty homemade sausage, made from finely cut lean pork and chopped bacon. During the manufacturing process, pepper, honey and raspberry juice are added and then encased in a skin. After several days of hanging in order for the sausages to produce a pellicle, a tacky skin of proteins on the surface of the meat, it is then cold smoked for 24 hours, at a temperature between 20-30°C (68-86°F). This allows the food to take on a smoked flavour whilst allowing it to remain relatively moist. A version called Feldgieker is especially popular in this area, where restaurants with al-fresco seating and cosy street cafés allow you to linger in the architectural atmosphere as you dine.

The Venue

Krankenhaus Sankt Martini

The games were played in the grounds of the 14th century Krankenhaus Sankt Martini, which was constructed around 1347. Maintained as a non-profit organisation, it is managed by the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in Hildesheim, with their sole aim being to serve and help the old and the sick, following the example and the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul. 

Although today it has been enlarged and totally renovated, the hospital has offered the Eichsfelder population of Lower Saxony comprehensive medical and nursing care for over 650 years. However, in recent years the hospital has become inundated with the ever-growing demands for very good medical care. With a total of 126 beds, the hospital offers patients general internal medicine, cardiology, general and visceral surgery, trauma and reconstructive surgery, gynaecology and obstetrics and anaesthesiology and intensive care medicine. Many of the nurses in full uniform could be seen ‘taking time off’ from their duties and watching the games from the sidelines during the transmission.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - In a Roundabout Fashion

The first game - ‘In a Roundabout Fashion’ - featured six competitors, three from each team, four of whom were sitting aboard a kinderschaukel or children’s roundabout, with the other two standing in front of goals located on either side of the playing area. In front of the roundabout were four small laundry baskets filled with footballs and between the equipment and each of the goals were two small wooden-framed doorways. On the whistle, the teams had to back-step in order to motivate and rotate the roundabout and then grab a ball from the basket. When the competitors were directly in front of their opposition’s goal, they had to throw the ball through the doorway and try to score goals.

Before the game commenced, the Bad Hersfeld team captain, confident of success, presented the Joker for play.

The game was played over three one-minute rounds and the first round finished with both teams having scored two goals each. The second round was a very different story with the home team scoring 7 goals whilst the visitors only scored another 3 goals. Duderstadt were now leading 9-5 on the game. The third round produced 5 more goals for both teams and the final score was Duderstadt 14, Bad Hersfeld 10. Duderstadt had wiped out the Bad Hersfeld Joker and, with the points awarded, the home team were leading the competition.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Duderstadt (2pts awarded / 2pts total) 2nd Bad Hersfeld (0pts / Joker / 0pts)

Game 2 - The Counting Frame

The second game - ‘The Counting Frame’ - was a simple but unusual game from the norm. It featured a spinning carousel and above it was a wire from which hung ten large boards numbered 1-10. However, the boards were in a specific order of 9, 10, 5, 2, 7, 4, 8, 6, 1 and 3 reading left to right. Before the game commenced, three competitors boarded the carousel and maintained a jog underneath the wire. On the whistle, the competitors had to remove numbers one at a time and then move around to the other end of the row and start to rearrange the numbers in a numerical order 1-10. The first player under the right hand-side removed the number 1 and moved around to the other side whilst a team-mate was removing the number 9. The player with the board numbered 1 was then able to position it in the correct space occupied by the number 9 whilst the player with the board numbered 9 was able to do the same on the other side. After this the team-mates had to work together to remove the correct numbers so that their new positions would be in the correct place. The team completing the game in the faster time would be awarded the points.

Duderstadt participated first and completed their task in 1 minute 43 seconds. The Bad Hersfeld team participated next and made a complete hash of the game with the competitors unable to hook the numbers on the wire and losing their footing and falling down onto the carousel. Although whilst this was unfortunate for the competitors, it did however produce some hilarious moments for both the audiences on-site and at home, with bodies being spun off the carousel at all angles after hitting the deck. With their target time of 1 minute 43 seconds passing by, and all three team members off the carousel, they had only placed three numbers (1, 3 and 9) in their correct positions on the wire. The referees, seeing that no further progress was going to be made, stopped the game at 1 minute 51 seconds. The win was awarded to the home team and, with their second consecutive victory, Duderstadt had opened up a 4pts lead.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Duderstadt (2pts awarded / 4pts total) 2nd Bad Hersfeld (0pts / 0pts)

Comments: Presenter Camillo Felgen committed a gaffe after the second game when he announced the score as 6-0 to Duderstadt. This somewhat surprised the scoreboard operator who quickly jumped out of his seat to amend the correct score of 4-0 that was actually on view!

Game 3 - Hooking the Balloons

The third game - 'Hooking the Balloons' - was played over a duration of four minutes and featured a large octagonal frame with eight wires stretched across the top producing eight exact sections. Hanging from the wires were 160 hooks (20 along each length) which were precariously supporting the same number of water-filled balloons attached to rings. Standing in the centre of the frame were two opposing competitors attached by individual ropes on wound-up bobbins to a central support pole, with the lengths of ropes hindering the distance that could be covered by them away from the centre. Each competitor, equipped with a hand-held vanity mirror, was wearing a helmet attached to a long vertical hook which was bent forward at the top. On the whistle, the competitors had move around the frame hooking the rings using only the reflections in their mirrors to assist them in finding the locations of the balloons. When there were no more balloons available within their reach, a competitor could tag his opposition from behind and this prevented any further play and the clock was stopped. The tagged player had to move forward 180° around the pole and this resulted in the rope being unwound on the bobbin and therefore increasing the range that could be reached. Once both players had repositioned and ensured that they were 180° apart, the clock was restarted. This tagging was also used as a way of stopping opponents from scoring. If it appeared that a player was about to hook a balloon, his opposition could tag him and stop the clock and prevent him from doing so.

Although it appeared that the Bad Hersfeld competitor had collected the greater number of balloons, at the final count both teams had collected 20 each. However, the home team competitor was penalised for repositioning his helmet whilst in play and incurred a deduction of 1 balloon. The visiting team had won the game 20-19 and were awarded the victory. With their first points on the scoreboard, they had closed the deficit to just 2pts.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Duderstadt (0pts awarded / 4pts total) 2nd Bad Hersfeld (2pts / 2pts)

Game 4 - The Go-Kart's Wheels

The fourth game - 'The Go-Kart’s Wheels’ - would become the longest game in the history of any Domestic competition and also the longest game of all-time in any Jeux Sans Frontières related programme. It featured four hefty competitors from each team standing adjacent to two large tree trunks stripped of bark at one end of the course and two go-karts without wheels on a holding frame at the other. The idea of the game was for the teams to cut through the already partially-sawn logs which had been drilled through in the middle, in order to produce 4 circular wheels from each. Each time a wheel was produced, a competitor ran with it to the other end of the course to attach it to one of the kart’s axles. After affixing all four wheels, the teams had to steer the go-kart up the course, negotiating a seesaw, and return to the finish over a set of humps. The first team across the finish line would be declared the winners.

On the whistle, it took an excruciating 8 minutes 28 seconds before either of the teams had cut through the log and produced all four of their wheels. The home team raced down the course to affix their final wheel whilst the visitors were still trying to cut through their third. Finally on the stroke of 10 minutes play, the Duderstadt team lifted their go-kart off its holding frame and began their journey. Under no pressure from the Bad Hersfeld team, who had still not cut their fourth wheel, the team relaxed a little and took their time and eventually finished the game in an astounding 10 minutes 25 seconds. With another win, Duderstadt had restored their previous 4pts lead.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Duderstadt (2pts awarded / 6pts total) 2nd Bad Hersfeld (0pts / 2pts)

Comments: During the fourth game, the organisers had arranged for members of local singing club Rhumspringe to entertain the crowd whilst the game was played out. The singers sang a traditional German song whilst the competitors sawed through trunks of wood. It should be noted that, without the entertainment, the game appeared very tedious to the television audience. However, listening to the same verse and chorus repeated over and over again was also very monotonous and did little to alleviate the boredom! Even the singers gave up singing after repeating the song for 7 minutes 30 seconds! At 10 minutes 25 seconds long, this game holds the record of having the longest-ever running time of any game in a Jeux Sans Frontières related programme. It overshadowed the second-longest of 7 minutes 35 seconds duration (staged at Procida in Italy during the 1966 series of Jeux Sans Frontières) and the third-longest of 6 minutes 8 seconds duration (staged at Codroipo (Villa Manin di Passariano) in Italy during the 1993 series of Jeux Sans Frontières.

Game 5 - The Bank Robbers

The fifth game - ‘The Bank Robbers’ - was one of the most ingenious games ever played in the 31-year history of any Jeux Sans Frontieres related programme. The game featured two bank robbers carrying backpacks standing adjacent to a white portable cage which had an open base and two doors on adjacent sides. This cage had to be transported with them through a maze of 4 slightly larger stable cages which also had two adjacent doors that opened. At the start of the game, the team were given a bunch of 6 keys (2 of which were red herrings). To avoid repetition, it is important to note that all entry doors had padlocks which had to be opened by a key and that both players had to be inside the portable cage with the doors to both cages closed before they could proceed further. On the whistle, the robber with the keys had to open the portable cage so that his ‘partner-in-crime’ could be incarcerated and then close the door behind him. In the meantime, his unfettered comrade moved to the first cage in the maze and opened the door. The robber who was incarcerated then moved the white cage inside this one and his partner joined him inside and closed the doors to both cages. Once fully incarcerated, the second door in the side of the white cage could be opened inwards to allow one of the robbers to open the second door of the main cage and escape. The other robber had to manoeuvre the cage through the opening whilst a second secured door was being opened by his confederate. This procedure was repeated throughout the game until the robbers had ‘escaped’ through all four cages. Once through the final door, the bunch of keys had to be secured to the robber’s backpack strap and then the white cage had to be transported back to its original starting point. Once both of the robbers were safely ‘incarcerated’ inside the cage with both doors secured, the clock was stopped and the time taken.

The visiting team of Bad Hersfeld participated first and played with the incarcerated player inside the cage for most of the game and completed it in 2 minutes 23 seconds. The Duderstadt team participated next and used a different method which brought about a much better result. Following the initial incarceration, their competitor stepped out of the cage and competed without hindrance and they completed the course in 1 minute 39 seconds as registered on the on-screen stopwatch. Referee Kurt Hauser was then asked by presenter Camillo Felgen to confirm the time of Duderstadt, but neither he nor his two colleagues could tell him. He stated that he would have to refer to the TV monitor and on his return got the time completely incorrect and stated that the time was 1 minute 30 seconds. He also stated that the team had not secured one of the cages correctly and therefore incurred a 10-second penalty. This should have given the team a total time of 1 minute 49 seconds, but Hauser stated that with the 10 seconds added, the time for Duderstadt was exactly 1 minute 40 seconds. Fortunately, this error did not have any bearing on the outcome of the game and the home team registered another win.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Duderstadt (2pts awarded / 8pts total) 2nd Bad Hersfeld (0pts / 2pts)

Comments: Referee Kurt Hauser deserved to be recognised as the ‘King of the Gaffes’ after this heat. He had previously made a momentous error in Erkelenz, West Germany, at the fourth International Heat of Jeux Sans Frontières 1966. On that night, he had been responsible for the worst refereeing blunder ever witnessed in the series, whereby he called the correct time for the Erkelenz team on the fifth game, then noted it down as having been 20 seconds faster than it actually was. The correct time plus penalties was not good enough to beat the time then achieved by West Germans' rivals from Ath, Belgium, but the incorrect time was allowed to stand (since Hauser was convinced it was the correct one) and Erkelenz won the game. In this Spiel Ohne Grenzen Domestic Heat, he again declared an incorrect finishing time - coincidentally also on the fifth game - this time for the Duderstadt team. Fortunately, in this instance his error did not affect the result of the game as the Bad Hersfeld team finished nowhere near the Duderstadt time. Hauser was very lucky that this was the case, or the confusion, protests and animosity seen in Erkelenz and Ath in 1966 might well have been repeated in Duderstadt.

Game 6 - Net-o-War

The sixth game - ‘Net-o-War’ - saw the home team of Duderstadt present their Joker and was based on the popular tug-o-war contest and featured heftier and beefier competitors than was the norm in the programme. On the arena floor was a long net with two open ends which was bound in the middle. Six large competitors from each team entered their designated end of the net and, once inside, the open ends were closed with ropes by stagehands. Before the start, all the competitors had to be on their knees, and on the whistle they stood up and began to pull on the net as opposed to rope in the normal tug-o-war. The designers were very hopeful for a good contest in this game as it was scheduled to last for 4 minutes and they were vindicated in this decision after neither team could pull the other across the line.

At the final whistle, the Duderstadt team were declared the winners having pulled the Bad Hersfeld team 20cm (8in) over their side of the line at the time the whistle was sounded. Although the end result proved that this was a risky game on which to play the Joker, the team were awarded double points and had now opened up a 10pts gap to their opponents. Despite the deficit, Bad Hersfeld could still close the gap as there were four games remaining to be played, with a total of 10pts available.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Duderstadt (4pts awarded / Joker / 12pts total) 2nd Bad Hersfeld (0pts / 2pts)

Game 7 - Dressing Up

The seventh game - ‘Dressing Up’ - was witness to a rare occurrence in Spiel Ohne Grenzen whereby equipment used earlier in the programme was utilised for a second time. On this occasion, the spinning carousel used in the second game had a washing line above it with seven items of clothing attached. On the whistle, a competitor had to mount the carousel and dress himself in a specified order of a shirt, a pair of trousers, a bow-tie, a jacket, a pair of boots and finally a top hat, but he did not necessarily have to stay on his feet to do so. However, in order that he did not get spun off, he had to ensure that he sat in the centre of the carousel.

Suitably accompanied by some circus-type music, the competitor from Bad Hersfeld participated first and gave the crowd some hilarious moments but failed to complete the game. After 2 minutes 47 seconds he had only attired himself in the shirt, trousers, bow-tie and jacket and decided that he could take no more and walked away from the game. Kurt Hauser explained to the Duderstadt competitor that he had to better four items of clothing in 2 minutes 47 seconds. The home team competitor had clearly observed what had taken place previously and completed the game in full attire in 2 minutes 18 seconds. With their fourth consecutive victory, Duderstadt had established an unassailable points haul and any chance of a comeback by Bad Hersfeld had now vanished.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Duderstadt (2pts awarded / 14pts total) 2nd Bad Hersfeld (0pts / 2pts)

Game 8 - The Sorcerors' Hats

The eighth game - ‘The Sorcerers’ Hats’ - was a game that was played by five competitors of each team inside five large pointed hats of various sizes which were designed to completely obscure the competitors’ vision. At the other end of the course was a large wooden panel with triangles cut out of it which matched each of the five different hat shapes and sizes. Before the game started, and to ensure that there was no chance of skullduggery, the referees chose which hats would be worn by which competitors. However, once the competitors knew which hat they had been assigned, they just needed to look down the course to see the position on the board of their particular sized cut-out. On the whistle, the competitors had to negotiate a small course which included an open gate and, once through it, they then had to make their way to the wooden panel at the end. It was then just a matter of each competitor finding the correct hole to go through. Once all five competitors had completed the course the time would be taken.

The home team of Duderstadt participated first and whilst their first three competitors completed the course in just 33 seconds followed by the fourth 20 seconds later, it was the fifth player who appeared to lose his way somewhat. After going back and forth up the course, he eventually found the correct cut-out and finished the course in a time of 1 minute 52 seconds. Bad Hersfeld participated next and completed the course in 1 minute 9 seconds. The team were awarded the victory, although of course they were now simply playing for pride.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Duderstadt (0pts awarded / 14pts total) 2nd Bad Hersfeld (2pts / 4pts)

Game 9 - The Big Top Clowns

The ninth and penultimate game - ‘The Big Top Clowns’ - was the opposite of the fourth game in that it would become the shortest game in the history of any Domestic competition and also the shortest game of all-time in any Jeux Sans Frontières related programme. It featured six competitors attired as clowns wearing boxing gloves and large comic heads. In the middle of the arena was a large net in the shape of a circus Big Top.

At the start of the game, presenter Camillo Felgen led all six competitors into the tent and marched them around in a circle to try and disorientate them. After a short time, Camillo exited the tent and the whole net was dropped onto the competitors. On the whistle, the competitors had to find their way to the middle of the tent and ‘escape’ through one of two holes, which were in the roof of the Big Top when originally erected. Their passage was obviously made somewhat harder by the fact that they were wearing boxing gloves which prevented them from feeling their way. However, it was not long before all three of the home team’s competitors had found the holes and made their escapes. Reviewing the game in slow motion at the moment the net fell explains how the game was completed in a record time of 20 seconds. The Duderstadt competitors were obviously aware of the possible area where the hole would fall and can be seen moving themselves into position before the whistle was blown. A tactical piece of play saw another triumph for the Duderstadt team.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Duderstadt (2pts awarded / 16pts total) 2nd Bad Hersfeld (0pts / 4pts)

Comments: There was a light-hearted moment at the beginning of the ninth game where the competitors were attired in clown outfits and comic heads. Presenter Camillo Felgen went along the line of six competitors and asked for their names. All of them gave names of slapstick comedians such as Stan Laurel and Charlie Cairoli, but when he asked the first Duderstadt competitor, he replied “Camillo from Luxembourg,” which raised a few smiles in the assembled crowd in the arena and from the amiable Camillo himself.

Game 10 - Tomato Squash

The tenth and final game - ‘Tomato Squash’ - carried double points and featured two competitors, one from each team, dressed in a large tomato costume which obscured the view of their feet. On the meandering course were 22 small circular areas containing three inflated balloons each (66 in total). On the whistle, the competitors had to run and jump from circle to circle bursting balloons step by step. Competitors were not permitted to stop along the way and had to make a clear run from one end to the other in just 22 steps. On reaching the end of the course, they ran back on the outside of their course and then made a second run attempting to burst any of the remaining balloons missed on the first run. Due to the shape of the course and to ensure parity, the competitors had to run back to the finish line on the outside of the other side of the course on which they competed. Any balloon not burst would incur a penalty of 5 seconds and another 10 seconds would be added to the time for each additional step made.

Duderstadt actually won the race in 48 seconds followed by Bad Hersfeld in 50 seconds, but any penalties incurred had yet to be added. Bad Hersfeld failed to burst 10 balloons and their competitor made an additional 14 steps over the two runs. This gave the team a total of 4 minutes exactly (50 seconds + 10 x 5 seconds + 14 x 10 seconds). Duderstadt, despite having finished the game in a faster time, failed to burst 20 balloons but only made an additional 10 steps. Their total including penalties gave them a time of 4 minutes 8 seconds (48 seconds + 20 x 5 seconds + 10 x 10 seconds). The visiting team had won the game by just 8 seconds overall. However, this was by now an exercise in saving face for the Bad Hersfeld team, as the victory was already beyond their reach. The win saw Bad Hersfeld awarded double points for their efforts, and the final score of 16-8 (as opposed to a 20-4 scoreline had Duderstadt won the final game) meant that respectability was theirs, even if the victory was not.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Duderstadt (0pts awarded / 16pts total) 2nd Bad Hersfeld (4pts / Double Points Game / 4pts)

Made in B/W • This programme exists in German archives