Stinning

Stinning is a low-contact team sport originating in and most popular in Great Nortend. It first developed in the 17th century and is a form of football played on a round, oval field wherein the goal is to kick (known as striking) with the feet or legs a small leather ball between two of four posts (known as metes) set at either end of the field, around three quarters of the way between the centre of the field and the boundary.

Players are arranged in two teams of eleven a side. The aim is for players to advance the ball, sometimes known as a stone, up the field by either striking, punting, bouncing or passing it. The player must strike, however, the ball cleanly between the centre metes for a full goal to be counted. If the ball should hit a mete and then pass through, or if it should pass through a side mete, a half goal is counted. If the stone, after passing through the metes, reaches or passes the boundary fence of the field, four goals are counted.

Stinning, along with cricket, are considered the national sports of Great Nortend. It is a very popular sport, and is the traditional sport played in winter, cricket being played during the summer. It became popular in the late 19th century as a recreation for cricket players during the winter seasons. Thus, the rules of stinning were established to provide for eleven men a side, the same as in cricket, and the use of the cricket green as the field.

Teams

Teams consist of eleven players on the green at any given moment. These are allocated in the roles of three defenders, known as backmen, five midfielders, known as midgreenmen and three forwarders, known as frontmen. The captain plays during the match and serves as the team's coach whilst also traditionally acting as a forwarder. The roles and responsibilities of the other team members are relatively self explanatory. There is no equivalent to a goalkeeper.

Players wear dark grey flannel trousers, white open-collared shirts, stinning caps, leather gloves and a stinning vest. The stinning vest is a woollen knitted pullover, with coloured stripes according to the team's colours. These same colours are used for stinning blazers as well as the playing cap. Players wear leather boots, similar to football boots without studs.

Play

The aim of stinning is for the frontmen to kick or punt the ball through the midgreenmen and past the backmen and to score a port or half port. The midgreenmen and backmen are not permitted to cross the central line, called the crease, on the green and must rather stay on their own side of the green.

The backmen have the responsibility of defending the metes against balls kicked through the midgreenmen by the frontmen and may use their hands to catch the ball but may not punt.

The midgreenmen, chosen from the largest players usually, try to prevent the frontmen kicking through them to the backmen; however, they are not allowed to use their hands at all.

Laws of Stinning

A typical village stinning-cum-cricket green.

The field in stinning is known as a green, and is practically the same as a cricket green. It is generally oval shaped, though it can be round as well. The size of greens vary, depending on local use and custom; however, most stinning and cricket greens are between 400 and 500 ft in their largest axis.

The centre of the green is marked by a line, perpendicular to the longer axis of the green, known as the crease. Three quarters of the way from this line to the ends of the green, opposite each other, are set in the ground four tall posts at each end known as metes. These are traditionally made of wood and painted white. They are set around 22 feet apart, and up to 22 feet high. The four metes are not connected together, and must be set securely enough in the earth as to not be liable to fall over.

Stinning matches are either 'long' or 'ones'. Long matches are split into thirds. Each third lasts for an hour, leading to a total playing time of three hours. In between thirds are the breaks, which last twenty minutes each. The duration of an average long stinning match is nearly four hours. A one stinning match only lasts for one hour and has no breaks.

Ball

The ball, is a round leather ball filled with cork. It is brown and somewhat smaller than an association foot-ball. It is around eight inches in diameter though it is not entirely spherical but rather somewhat squashed. It is also rounder and smoother and harder than a typical foot-ball, which has led to its being called a 'stone'.

Goalscoring

A player scores a port (goal) when he kicks the ball through one of the three pairs of metes which the other team is defending at a height of at least a foot off the ground. If the ball flies cleanly between the two centre metes, defined as when the ball 'flies in a smooth arc, unperturbed by a collision from either the metes or another player from one side to the other', the team scores a port, signified when an umpire waves one white flag and one chequered flag. If the ball happens to hit a mete whilst passing through the portal, or if it passes cleanly through two side metes, a half port is scored, and an umpire waves a single chequered flag.

If, after a port is scored, the ball continues to travel, and manages to travel to and touch the edge of the boundary of green without being touched or collided upon by any man, the team scores an extra three port equivalents of a total of four goals, signified when the under umpire crosses two white flags above his head. If such occurs after a half port, the team scores another half port for a total of a full port, signified when the umpire holds a single white flag to the side.

Fouls

There are a number of types of foul in stinning, divided into common fouls, hand fouls and offensive fouls. Common fouls do not affect play; however, they result in the deduction of ports. A player who commits a foul may be liable to be caned by the senior umpire, at his discretion. When a foul affects an attempted strike, the umpire may award a free strike to the opposing team.

Common fouls common to all positions include, but are not limited to:

• Striking the ball backwards.
• Striking the ball with the head.
• 'Rolling' the ball with the foot.
• Intentionally colliding with the ball struck through the metes (except by backmen).
• Striking the ball past the boundary, except when striking.
• Knocking a man's cap off his head.
• Crossing the crease line (except by frontmen).
• Crossing the crease line before the ball is in possession, by frontmen.

Hand fouls include:

• Throwing the ball.
• Bouncing the ball with the hands.
• Dropping the ball intentionally.
• Swiping the ball being carried.
• Punting the ball (except by frontmen).
• Picking up the ball from the ground (except by backmen).
• Catching a ball with the hands by midgreenmen.
• Touching the ball with the hands at all, by a midgreenman.
• Running with the ball held for too long, by a frontman.

Certain fouls are considered 'offensive fouls' may result in the dismissal of the player without replacement at the discretion of the senior umpire.

• Unreasonably battering or assaulting another player or an official.
• Complaining unreasonably, yelling, cursing, spitting or acting in an ungentlemanly manner.
• Failure to heed the umpire's lawful directions.
• A player leaving the green without permission from the umpire.

Tackling

Players are not permitted to tackle other players intentionally. Tackling is defined as grabbing the clothing or person of another player, or acting so as to collide with him. A tackle must, however, be appealed to the umpire who will if satisfied a tackle occurred. A tackle is considered a common foul unless it is classified as an offensive foul.

Starting or restarting play

The umpire starts play by placing the ball in the centre of the green, with all players on their own 'side' of the green. The senior umpire removes his hat and bows to the players, who return the courtesy. When the umpire replaces his hat, the match starts.

If after a foul occurs the ball is returned to the centre, the non-feasing team's captain will be able to start play after the umpire nods, at his reasonable leisure.

Officials

An under umpire signalling a goal.

There are three officials in a normal match of stinning: one senior umpire and two under umpires. The senior umpire follows the ball in play, whilst the under umpires each watch their allocated mete. An umpire wears a white coat over black trousers, and a white hat. Under umpires signal to the senior umpire by means of hand gestures or flags.

Competitions

Stinning is played in Great Nortend at an amateur and professional level. At a domestic level, the Cricket and Stinning League comprises the national winter stinning tournament or competition, in addition to the summer cricket competitions. Its top level, Division I, comprises the top sixteen cricket and stinning clubs in the country. Stinning is also played on an international level, although it is not as popular as other sports.