Date: Tue, 28 Nov 1995 01:07:32 -1600
From: Michael Bailey <pd82495@wapol.gov.au>
Subject: RICE Paper #SM-1106-A

The first in a series of papers providing an 'in-depth' look at Jewell.  As
always, comments and gripes to pd82495@wapol.gov.au

RICE Paper #SM-1106-A

'The Jewell Cup - An ancient Solomani sporting tradition survives on Jewell'
by Lir Shiraa, 047-1202

More than any other human race, the Solomani were a fiercely competitive
people.  Many socioligists attribute the famous Solomani fractiousness to
the fact that they alone rose to civilisation in their aboriginal
environment.  Their suitability to this environment caused population
pressures relatively early in their history.  At any rate, long before they
discovered the jump drive, Solomani competitiveness manifested itself in the
form of nearly constant warfare.  As their weaponry grew in destructive
power the Terran's were forced to subsume their aggressiveness into sporting
contests, but lost none of their aggression in the process.

In the 18th and 19th Terran Centuries (c. -2800 to -2600), the planet-bound
Terran's were divided into rival blocs, the legacy of earlier conquests and
colonisation.  The most powerful of these was the British Empire, which at
it's height covered one-sixth of Terra's land area and encompassed nearly a
quarter of it's people.  The British made efficient enough soldiers, but
were more of a mercantile people than a martial one.  A certain distaste for
violence was embedded in their culture, this led them to channel their
aggression into many sporting pursuits, some of which have survived to this day.

The British played many games, but perhaps their favorite was the game of
cricket.  By the later 20th Century Terran, cricket was played in nearly all
of Britain's former colonial possessions, and was a professional sport in a
dozen nations.

The conquering Terrans took their games with them to the stars.  As the
mantle of rulership passed from the Vilani to the Solomani with the
establishment of the Rule of Man, Terran culture became the new standard by
which other races judged themselves.  naturally, manu aspects of Terran
culture were absorbed by their subjects - including this curious English game.

The Vilani in particular were attracted to this complex and lengthy sporting
pursuit.  Many historians have made comparisons between the Vilani and
Terran English characters, particularly their shared conservatism and
mercantilism.  Whatever the cause, the Vilani took to cricket with vigour.
The first recorded game was played on Vland in -2160, when the crew of the
tCS 'Swiftsure' played a limited overs match between themselves.  In -2157,
Sharurshid sponsored the first recorded match between the Terrans and a
Vilani XI.

As the Rule of Man collapsed, the game survived on a number of worlds, and
was still being played in one form or another when these worlds were
absorbed into the growing Third Imperium.  Imperial colonists took the game
with them to the Spinward Marches, and the game was standardised on it's
original rules following the admission of Terra into the Imperium in 588.
The game is still played today on a number of worlds within the Regency,
including the industrialised world of Jewell (1106/Spinward Marches).

The game is played with a passion on Jewell during the summer months (a
tradition only, as the stadia in which the game is played are invariably
enclosed against Jewell's tainted atmosphere).  From school teams through to
the heavily sponsored Jewell League competition, locals support their teams
with a fanatical fervour.  Towards the end of the season, the leading teams
representing Jewell's Administrative Districts play a knockout competition
known as the Sharurshiid Cup.  The Cup winner wins the right to play in one
of the biggest events on the Jewell social calender - the 'Jewell Cup'.

On the last day of summer, thousands of fans pack into Admiral Plankwell
Stadium to watch the season's leading team play a limited overs contest
against a Regency Navy side (the 'Navy XI').  Those unable to get tickets to
the game watch via holovid broadcast, and large parts of the planet come to
a virtual standstill.  For weeks beforehand, the coming game is the subject
of endless discussion and speculation.

While on Jewell on assignment for the Regency Insitute for Cultural
Education, I was invited by the Navy to view the big game.  I confess to
having only the most basic knowledge of cricket (and that was the product of
an afternoon's frantic research the day before the match).  At any rate, the
social aspects of the event interested me far more than the contest itself.

The talk in Jewell's bars and taprooms was centred on the match in the
preceeding weeks. Much talk centred on the Navy's team, particularly the
inclusion of a Vargr Ensign named Gvouur in the named squad.  Given the
dislike of Vargr and Zhodani on Jewell, it wasn't surprising to hear many
disparaging, some of them quite humourously so, remarks about the Vargr's
abilities and habits.  One particular gem involved a description of the
Vargr picking up the ball with his mouth, then running it (rather than
throwing it) back to the bowler.  The general consensus was that the local
team, from Crerar District, would retain the Cup for the second successive year.

The Navy Team arrived five days before the match, amid much fanfare.  A
press conference was held at the starport, in which the team captain,
Commander Ramon Esterhazy, dismissed rumours that Ensign Gvouur had been
selcted as a 'sop to Regency cosmopolitanism'.  An enthusiastic Gvouur
answered a few questions from the local journalists, then the team was
whisked away to the hotel by grav bus.  Their first training session that
evening was heavilly attended by media pundits and interested locals.  The
Crerar District team arrived the next day, with much the same reaction from
the locals.

Enthusiasm for the game built to a fever pitch over the next few days.  A
few locals who had attended the Navy training sessions admitted grudgingly
that the Vargr appeared to know what he was doing, but the 'smart money'
remained on the Crerar District XI.  A parade of both teams through the
center of Amadan City the next day.  Led by the Imperial 212th Fleet
Marching Band, the two teams travelled by motorcade to a civic reception
hosted by Senator Andries Piett, senior senator for Jewell.  Thousands of
locals crowded the thouroughfare, lending a holiday atmosphere to an
occasion which would better fitted the return of a triumphant army.

On the morning of the match, I took my seat in the Navy boxes while a highly
enthused Subcommander explained the finer points of the game to me.  I was
surrounded by a sea of humaniti - almost two hundred thousand spectators had
packed into the Admiral Plankwell Stadium.  Uncountered numbers of banners
dotted the crowd, many painted in the black and gold Navy colors as well as
the maroon and gold of the Crerar XI.  The two teams eventually made their
way onto the stadium amid tremendous cheering, and stood to attention while
the Navy band played 'Take Hold of the Flame'.  The game was afoot.

I must confess, much of the game was indecipherable to an observer with my
limited knowledge.  As a social spectacle, it was a rival to the coronation
of Regent Caranda in 1090.  As the first bowler began his run up to the
delivery point, the crowd erupted into a chant of 'Lillee, Lillee...' (the
origins of the chant are unknown, but are believed to date back to Old
Earth).  The Vargr Gvouur proved to be an able sportsman, and was a superb
fielder as well as a very capable batsman.  

Crerar District never really looked comfortable batting against a potent
Navy attack, but managed to struggle to 9/223 from their allotted 50 overs.
Jenna Amrasil, a 'leg spinner' from the 88th Fleet, took the bowling honours
for Navy with 4 wickets from her allotted 10 overs.  In reply, Navy were
seldom troubled as they surpassed Crerar's total with almost three overs to
spare.  After losing the captain with the score on 0, Mendan Lishinkhu and
Farroughl Gvouur decimated Crerar's attack, putting on a 160 run partnership
before the Vargr's dismissal for 74.  Lishinku, the unquestioned player of
the match, achieved his 'century' (100 runs) off the final ball of the day
as he guided Navy to victory.

As the crowd filed out of the stadium to get merrily drunk, I reflected on
the nature of the contest.  Locals had pitted themselves against the pride
of the Regency Navy and lost, but the real winner was unity.  Solomani
aggressiveness, so often the cause of violence and suffering, had been
turned into a potent tool for forging unity and loyalty within 'Fortress
Jewell'.  Tomorrow, as hung-over workers made their way to the factories and
industrial plants of Jewell, this world would continue to be a vital part of
the Regency.

Lir Shiraa
047-1202

*** Lir Shiraa is an independant journalist currently on part-time contract
to the Regency Institute for Cultural Education.  A previous winner of the
prestigous Digest Touring Award, Shiraa is also the author of 'In Their
Image', an account of democratic reforms in the Regency and their effect on
local populations. ***

Coming up:

#SM-1106-B:  A Free Trader's Guide to Jewell's Distillieries
#SM-1106-C:  Fremantle Shipyards, LRC
Michael Bailey (pd82495@wapol.gov.au)