‘Cross the Coin’ is one of the less known coin games which used to be played on classroom desktops. Although not as popular as three-coin football, it is no less fun to play.
It is played by four players and a coin, on a rectangular desk- or table-top. The aim is to score goals by blowing a shot to the coin crossed by a teammate.
Players are divided into teams of two. Two players from opposing teams sit side-by-side at each longer side of the table, every player facing an opponent team member.
During the game one of the teams will be attacking and the other defending. Players of the attacking team will share roles of crosser and striker. Opponent team member sitting across the
striker is goalkeeper, and his/her teammate spectator.
The coin is tossed to decide who is going to attack first.
The goalkeeper forms a goal with the hands as shown.
The crosser (sitting next to the goalkeeper) places the coin about a meter away from the goal, close to the edge of the table. He/she holds the coin vertically against the table with one
finger to get ready to cross the ‘ball’. Then flicks it with another finger, causing the coin to spin in its vertical position on the tabletop towards the goalmouth. The rest is up to the striker
and the goalkeeper.
The striker will try to put the coin into the goal by making strikes of blowing. He/she can make one or two gentle blows to move the spinning coin to a position suitable to make the final
blow to shoot it to the goal, or can shoot at the very first blow. When the spinning coin is shot by the striker, the keeper can move the index finger to save the shot. It is a score if the coin
passes the imaginary goal line between tips of the keeper’s pinkies.
Apart from a goal, the attack comes to an end also when the coin stops spinning or falls from the table. After the first team makes ten attacks in row, the attacking/defending roles are
changed and the second team makes ten attempts to score. The team to score more goals is the winner.
