SILLY SPORTS
Prompt - Silly Sports : Write about an extreme or silly sport. If none inspire you, make up the rules for your own game.
The Game. Those two simple words are sufficient to identify players to one another around the planet. They are a signal of friendship, like mindedness, and fierce competitiveness. They are a gateway into hours of absorbing pleasure, honing wits and testing stamina. And into a deep and rich history, for The Game has existed, in one form or another, for two millenia, the earliest evidence of it's being enjoyed being found on volcanically preserved wall mosaics in Pompeii. The Game is a game like no other. And the great joy is that can be played anywhere, any time, with no need for special equipment (although loose clothing is strongly advised) and by any number of people greater than one. (Solo practice of the game is useful for learning the basics, but is no real preparation for the drama of combat.)
The rules as they exist now, at least at World Championship level, have been codified as such since 1903. But even today there are still many, many regional and national variations, and skilled players love the thrill of having to perform in what can at first seem like alien territory. The universal maxim that no two games can ever be alike finds its apogee in the sport of Mornington Crescent.
Newcomers to The Game often suffer severe bafflement at first. It almost seems as if there are no rules at all, as if players are simply making things up as they go along. Nothing could be further from the truth, and The Game has a very strict envelope within which it operates, yet offers the latitude for imagination to flourish. That breadth of opportunity makes it necessary for a strict and knowledgeable umpire to be present for professional competitions, and many of their adjudications pass into legend, set precedents, and dictate how the modern game evolves. For Mornington Crescent is a living being, which it has needed to be to maintain its popularity over so many centuries.
I have listened breathlessly to many competitive matches, and been fortunate enough to attend a good few as a spectator (for I am a mere amateur compared to the gods I saw at these events), as part of crowd that sat silent and mesmerised by the felicitatious moves of the true experts. Who could forget the drama on Brooke-Taylor's clinching rubber at the 2011 world championship final, won in just four moves. There has never been a more worthy winner of the Armitage Shanks Charity Bowl, and it was a joy to see him drink a toast from said bowl when it was passed to him.
The umpire for that match was, of course, umpired by the MC champion of champions, the late great Humphrey Lyttelton. Sadly I never got to see him play at his best, but his judicious officiating and trivially stimulating exhibition games hinted at how supreme the master must have been at his peak. It's just a shame he nodded off so often.
Whether you prefer the Stovold or Knaresborough variations, favour the Baker Street or Kennington openings, have cheered for Cryer or Garden as they succinctly uttered the dual words of victory, or simply become animated and passionate at the mere mention of Bethnal Green, The Game has something for everyone and everyone for something. It can be enjoyed as pure recreation, there are children's versions (get them hooked young and they will never leave), and a thriving international competitive circuit has fans following on foot, by train and on social media. The Game truly is the global and ultimate game. Play fair and play safe.
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