thumb|The Horse and Groom pub would score 6 runs: 4 runs for the four-legged horse, plus 2 for the two-legged groom

Sign cricket (also called pub cricket) is a car game which is played in the United Kingdom and other countries with a sufficient number of suitably named pubs. Players score points by spotting pub signs: the score is equal to the total number of physical legs belonging to the people or animals in the pub's name. (For example, the King George would be worth two points.)

Rules

There are several variations of the rules. A basic version is described in the 1966 AA Book of the Road.

"The Cricketers" scores four points (the number of cricketers is unspecified, so assume two) but "The Cricket Team", if it existed, would score 22 (there are eleven cricketers on a cricket team). "The Eleven Cricketers" at Storrington in Sussex, now closed, did score 22 runs since the number of cricketers was specified.

The "Duke of York's Men" can be argued to fetch 20,000 points, by reference to the nursery rhyme, but can also be argued to score only four points as the name does not specify how many men. Similarly, "The Beehive" could be argued to equal 60000 points, as there would be at least 10,000 bees in a beehive; conversely it could be argued to gain twelve points as the number of bees are not specified. It could also be argued that the beehive is the hive itself and therefore scores no points. Finally, it could also simply be used as a convenient way to declare a winner, especially if one was, anyway, having a pub lunch.

Example game

Alice and Bob play the game using the basic version and handling plurals using method (1). Alice is in.

  • The Fox – 4 points (4)
  • Henry IV – 2 points (6)
  • The Oak Tree – 0 points (6)
  • Coach and Horses – 8 points, because we assume two horses and no passengers (14)
  • King's Head – Alice is out with 14 points, Bob is in
  • The Crown and Anchor – 0 points (0)
  • The Red Lion – 4 points (4)
  • The Three Horseshoes – 0 points (4)
  • The Carpenter's Arms – Bob is out with 4 points, Alice is back in
  • The Pig and Rooster – 6 points (20)
  • The Baker's Arms – Alice is out with 20 points, Bob is back in
  • The Zebra – 4 points (8)
  • The Fox and Hounds – 12 points, because we assume one fox and two hounds (20)
  • The Silver Star – 0 points (20)
  • The Wrestlers – 4 points, because we assume two wrestlers (24)
  • The County Arms – Bob is out with 4 points, Alice is back in
  • Sir Isaac Newton – 2 points (22)

The journey ends. Bob wins with 24 points to Alice's 22.

References