Polyon

The History

During the redevelopment of Emirates Durham International Cricket Club, builders were amazed to find what looked like the ruins of an amphitheatre. Archaeologists were called in to excavate the impressive Roman site. To their surprise they discovered an intact, match day programme preserved in the boggy soil, opening a window onto a hitherto unknown Roman pastime known simply as Criketium.

Fascinated archaeologists went on to discover gold-plated armour, swords and spiked balls - the team kits of the Criketium teams - along with score boards and most fascinatingly, a small amphora filled with the ashes of a mysterious large-boned champion named 'Beefious Bothium'.

The rules of the game drew an uncanny parallel with the modern game we know as cricket.

The defending team, know simply as 'batters' would take to the 'crease' a thin, tar-filled pit which, during certain parts of the game would be set alight to increase the batters chances of failing to hit the oncoming spiked ball hurled at him by the opposing team or bowellers. (name so, because a well hurled ball could easily disembowel an opponent)

The target of the bowellers was a large amphora of fine wine behind the crease. If this was successfully defended by the batters, using a huge double edged sword, they were ‘IN’. If it was smashed they were ‘OUT’.

While in, the batters were allowed to RUN at their bowelling opponents, if the ball had been smashed away to safety. They could then batter the bowellers, who could only defend themselves with amoured pads, boxes and helmets. If the ‘felders’, usually common criminals chained to positions around the stadium, could retrieve the ball, they could hurl it at the amphora, smash it and end the batter’s time at the crease, thus earning their freedom.

To make the game a little more spicy, right beside the batter was a large wooden wheel. Each time a boweller hurled a ball and it was missed by the batter, this wheel would be turned one full turn, lengthening the chain wrapped around it.

Attached to the chain was a rather large, hungry LION.

 

The game came to an end when either the batters had battered the bowellers, or the bowellers had sliced and diced the batters. Any clear victor was awarded the spoils - any remaining Amphoras of wine, simply known as ‘OVERS’. These overs were taken, along with the wives and girlfriends of the losing teams and a good time was had by all. Well, by some more than others, obviously.

Although archaeologists were shocked at first by the brutality of this game, they later realised that it was not a drunken, lawless romp, but a close match of skill and courage officiated over by a ‘Trumpire.’ A high-standing roman official, similar in office to the magistrate or even a legatus. The trumpire had ultimate say over whether an amphora was cracked and leaking enough to be called broken. Or whether the near fatally wounded could play on. His slowly raised finger becoming a matter of life or death for the wounded player, who would usually be tossed to the waiting lion or worse still the baying crowd.

(Evidence was uncovered, mainly in the form of discarded animal bones, smashed amphora and
the occasional crushed human skull, that pointed to the audiences role in this much loved
spectator sport.)

Although some supporting evidence has since been found at other roman sites around Britain, regarding this ancient sport, it seems that Durham’s rare find places it firmly on the ancient sporting map, as the epi-centre of and probably the birthplace of the modern game we now
call cricket.