The xixu street game that we used to play in Paola in the early 1950s (there was very little traffic then to interrupt street games) was not exactly as described in The Times (January 14).

The small length of wood with pointed ends had to be hit on one end by the wooden bat and, while in mid-air, hit as hard as possible with the bat so that it would be propelled beyond the reach of the opposing players.

I always assumed this game was derived from cricket because the basic concept seemed similar.

You can imagine my surprise when, a few months ago, on a Sunday morning, I witnessed two small teams of Italian men playing what seemed to be something identical to the xixu (including the small length of wood with pointed ends and a cricket-like bat) in the cobbled court-yard of Palazzo dei Tribunali, just off Piazza dei Signori, in central Verona.

I wonder whether anybody has any further information that might shed some light on how come this street game was played in Malta and is still played in northern Italy.