The inventiveness of man seems unbounded when it comes to playing ball. Kicking, heading, punching, hitting one with catgut stretched over a wooden frame - and the many other combinations of striking the sphere to accelerate it away from the player can all be difficult enough, but there's now another ball game in the arena vieing for popularity. It's called Cycleball. They play it mainly in West Germany and Austria.

The equipment is a football, a high-geared fixed-wheel cycle, an indoor field of play the size of a basketball pitch, two hockey-sized goals - and circus star trick cycling ability.

The game seems to have caught on quite successfully if the crowd int he stadium at Darmstadt, West Germany on Seturday (20 April) is any indication of its popularity.

Two-a-side teams play two seven-minute halves, dribbling the ball, flicking it from side to side and shooting at goal - all with the front or rear wheel or any other part of the cycle frame. Kicking or handling the ball are not allowed.

Actually, if records are accurate, Cycleball has been played for at least 75-years. The event filmed was a friendly match to mark the anniversary of Darmstadt Velocipede Club. The teams wheeling against each other were Mzinz-kostheim and Mainz-Hechtsheim.