Sports
From Wild Southwest Wiki
A wide variety of sports are played in the Wild Southwest.
Contents |
Football
The most widely played ball game in the Southwest is Australian Rules Football, usually referred to as Aussie Rules, Footy or even AFL (after the long extinct Australian Football League). It is a fast moving sport played in the winter on a large, oval field (usually a cricket field) with an oval ball and 18 players to a side. Goals are scored by kicking the ball between four posts at each end of the field.
Most larger settlements have at least one amateur team, and contests between neighbouring towns are common. Most of the bigger towns have amateur leagues with several teams competing each year for a premiership trophy. The largest such league is found in Albany.
Scratch games of soccer are a popular pastime for young and old, although there are no organised teams or competition. Rugby is also occasionally played, with the rules being a combination of League and Union.
Other forms of football are unknown.
Cricket
Cricket is the summer sport of choice in the Southwest. Every settlement worthy of the name will rustle up enough teams for a few games over the summer, and matches between towns are major social fixtures. Most years the States (including on occasion Pallinup) will organise official teams and hold a series of interstate test matches. Borden and some of the larger Settlements have even been known to participate.
Racing
Horse racing died out with the near extinction of horses in the Winter. Dog racing has taken its place, with betting every bit as frenzied as at any pre-war race meet. The dogs are traditionally mongrels, although breeding between champions has started to produce greyhound-like traits.
Auroch buggy races are sometimes held, although they tend to be fairly slow affairs. Pig races are also staged, although more often as light hearted entertainment than serious sport.
Blood Sports
A number of blood sports are fairly common - despite being illegal in many settlements. Cockfighting, dogfighting and bull baiting all have their devotees, even though they're illegal in every State and most of the larger Settlements. A much rarer sport is sanguaroo baiting - in which a series of dogs are put into a cage with a live sanguaroo. Naturally the hardest part of organising such a spectacle is obtaining a sanguaroo in the first place.
Other Sports
Tennis is a sport of the wealthy who consider having room for a court a major status symbol. There are very few public courts, and no organised clubs.
Basketball is very rarely played. The few courts that exist are mostly used for informal hoop shooting contests, although occasionally an exhibition game will be organised.
Most track and field events are extinct - people get enough opportunity to exercise their skills at throwing, running and jumping in day to day life. A sort of javelin throwing survives at Frenchmans Bay where whalers keep their skills up with harpoon throwing competitions.
Boxing no longer exists as an organised sport, although boxing matches are often held. Rules vary from match to match, some with gloves and 'off-limits' areas, others no-holds barred.
Fencing is a popular affectation among the wealthy, although how much is actual sport and how much blatant showing off is debatable.
