Limbering up for Wimbledon

Maureen Hiron offers us the first sight of a new dice game, with all the thrills of tennis and no skill required. All you need is two - or ideally three - dice. Here's how to play ( Maureen Hiron):

Toss to decide who serves in the first game. One dice is rolled to serve. A "1" indicates an ace - point won outright; "2" or "3" is a good serve; "4" or "5" is a fault; "6" is a let - roll again.

As usual, a double fault loses the point. The returner then rolls two dice and notes their combined score. The server then rolls the two dice, trying to equal or better that score. If a lower total is rolled, the point is lost. The rally proceeds with the players rolling the two dice alternately until one or the other loses the point by failing to equal the previous roll.

Scoring proceeds exactly as in tennis: 15-30-40-game, with deuce reached at 40-40, after which a two-point lead is needed to win the game. Service alternates between games; six games to win the set and the match.

So get out your dice, and now you have something to do when rain stops play at sunny Wimbledon.