A WEST Wickham school has taken up the challenge of bringing a fringe Dutch sport to the masses after agreeing to include it in its curriculum.

From March, Oak Lodge Primary School, on Chamberlain Crescent, will be teaching korfball to Year 4 and 5 pupils and could become pioneers for the sport should other schools in the borough follow its example.

This is the hope of North Downs Korfball Club who have stumped up sponsorship to send Oak Lodge teachers on a coaching course and provide equipment and practical advice in an effort to raise the profile of the sport.

North Downs chairman and player Bill Perry said: "It is essential clubs like ours give something positive back to the communities in which we live.

"Most schools are so busy with the regular curriculum sports they put other, less mainstream, sports into after-school clubs.

"But by including korfball in the curriculum, pupils will get a go at it and we hope the school will have a team for this summer's National Youth Games."

He said: "We're also talking to the borough's schools sports co-ordinators about getting more schools involved and feeding korfball into secondary education."

Korfball was founded in 1902 by a teacher from Amsterdam called Nico Broekhuysen who wanted a sport playable by girls and boys together.

Korf' means basket in Dutch and the sport is very popular in its country of origin but it is not confined to Holland.

Alongside the Dutch, Belgium is korfball's equivalent to Brazil in football although countries such as Australia and Pakistan are among the 35 around the world which play.

England's first organised game of korfball was held in Mitcham in 1946 and the London and District Korfball Association (LDKA) was founded, and the first leagues created, in 1948.

Croydon-based North Downs are affiliated to the British Korfball Association (BKA) competing in the BKA Senior and LDKA Premier Divisions.

Founded in 1975 the club boasts players who have been selected for Great Britain and they train at Trinity School, Shirley Park, on Thursday evenings.

Bill Berry said: "Korfball is free from the circus of transfers and salaries often associated with football.

"All the players learn something from the sport. The kids are learning ball control, the top players are passionately trying to reach the big finals and the older players play for recreation."

If you are interested, call Bill Berry on 020 8325 2801 or visit ndkcuk.tripod.com What is korfball?

Korfball is a non-contact sport similar to basketball and netball.

The court is divided into two sections and in the middle of each is 3.5m pole with the korf at the top.

Two teams of eight four men and four women field the two court sections, one offensive and the other defensive.

By throwing the ball to teammates, without walking or dribbling, you try to throw the ball into the korf.

A score gets one point and the team with the most after a regular match of two 35-minute halves outdoors, or two 30-minute halves indoors, is the winner.