For the majority of sportsmen and women, the nature of the beast entails the kicking, handling, passing, potting, putting, punting, batting, bowling hitting or as our American cousins prefer - slam-dunking the ball.

Regardless, the name of the aim is ball possession and the aim of the game is ball control.

However, a group of Abergavenny athletes are fast making a name for themselves for doing the exact opposite, namely, ball dodging, or to give it its proper title - Dodgeball.

Film fans will be familiar with the name Dodgeball, a film from 2004, which was based on the increasingly popular game of the same name.

Now Dodgeball has arrived in Abergavenny and in only its first season the new team, which goes by the name of Crossfire, is already making its mark on both the regional and national stage.

In one of its very first outings last year, the Crossfire Dodgeball team came third in a regional tournament in Cardiff, beating several more highly ranked teams on the way.

And in recent weeks the Abergavenny Leisure Centre-based team found itself beaten only by the top two ranked teams at the South Wales Open, which resulted in Crossfire qualifying for a place in the National Dodgeball Tournament which takes place this June in Hatfield.

With over 15 teams doing battle to earn the right to attend the national championships, Crossfire fought their way through to the quarter-finals, only to be bested by the side which is rated number two in Britain - the Leicester City Ligers.

However, Crossfiew were delighted with their performance as they have worked hard in the past six months to bring their skills up to national standards.

Abergavenny Dodgeball would like to congratulate all the members who took part so valiantly in the tournament and also express their thanks for the help and support of Neil Pinnock and staff of the UK Dodgeball Association.

The words 'dodge' and 'ball' perfectly sum up the aim of this sport, which has undergone a huge surge in popularity in recent years and Abergavenny Dodgeball are already able to field three teams.

One of Dodgeball's greatest attractions is that it is open to all ages and ability with mixed teams being very much the order of the day.

Most matches are held over five fast-paced sets each one lasting two minutes and providing a fun and challenging workout for those of all levels of fitness.

For more information on Abergavenny Dodgeball look on Facebook or contact Abergavenny Leisure Centre for further details of training times, etc. - watching can be great fun too.