Podex

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Podex (Pronounced: puddocks) is an English unisex team ball game which originated at Manchester Grammar School^{[citation needed]}, where it is still played today.^[1] The name probably comes from the Latin podex, meaning 'bottom'.^{[citation needed]} It is also often played at Lee Abbey and by the Oakley Holidays organisation. It is unknown who holds the record for the highest Podex average, but it is widely known that the player with the lowest Podex career average is Basil Moss, who gave up a sparkling acting career to pursue a "house-party inspired" lifelong dream of signing for an international podex team.

[edit] Rules

The game is played between two teams, usually of 11, although at Lee Abbey (see below) teams are of unlimited size. A wicket similar to that in cricket is set up, upon which the batspeople take up an end each approximately twenty two yards from one another^{[citation needed]}. Each batsperson has a baseball bat with which to defend three upright stumps. A bowler stands at each end of the wicket and there is one cricket ball in play. Each team has an innings lasting either 20 minutes, or until the entire team has been given 'out'. The style of play is similar to that in non-stop cricket. There are two umpires in the game who are responsible for giving people out, calling no balls and keeping track of the run.

[edit] Batting

The game in action at Lee Abbey. A batsperson is running between the wicket; a bowler is stood behind the stumps.

A batsperson is given out either by being bowled from a full toss by one of the two bowlers, or by the ball being caught off the bat by any of the bowling side before the ball has bounced. The batsperson can also be declared by their team captain following exhaustion, after which they are treated as being out.^{[citation needed]} The objective of the batting side is to score as many runs as possible. There are always two batspeople at any one time. Runs are only scored by both batspeople completing one length of the wicket. When a batsperson is given out they should be immediately replaced by one of their team-mates as play is continuous. Whilst any members of the batting side are not in play their main task is to shout support for the batspeople as well as berating the bowling.

[edit] Bowling and fielding

Bowling can happen from either end of the wicket at any time. To bowl someone out the ball must hit the stumps without bouncing. If the ball bounces in front of the stumps a no-ball is called and the batting team is awarded a run.^{[citation needed]} The bowlers can be changed at any time, either due to a tactical decision from the bowling team or by either of the umpires due to repeatedly poor play.

The fielders' role is to catch batspeople out and to return the ball to the bowler. If the ball is caught after bouncing off trees or other objects without touching the ground then the batsperson is out.^{[citation needed]} The fielders are also responsible for sledging the batspeople, pressurising the umpire and general noise making. Veteran fielders are often involved in the art of time-wasting.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Podex venues

Podex is played:

• at Manchester Grammar School^[1]
• by the Christion Union of St Paul's School, London, during their Summer House Parties.^[2]
• at Lee Abbey, Devon, during the summer holiday camps. Traditionally, the house plays the camp.
• during Oakley Holidays.^[3]

[edit] St Paul's School CU Podex

This podex experience is one like no other. The team names are devised using a clever system devised by the "secretaries". It envolves enveloping a name into a popular media title like a film title, or the name of a band or song. For example, if your name was...say...Olly Watson, you would be Watson Women Want. If you then had to leave the houseparty, and pass your team onto, say, two brothers called Sam and Ben, you would have it called WatSam Woben Want. Such ideas are attributed to Matthew Maltby the best secretary of the CU ever, after a certain C Cahill.

The rules are at best variable and at worst non-existent, especially if a character called "Pidders" is umpiring. The best umpire is widely known to be the vicar, although swearing is heavily punished.

At the end of the house-party, there is a "Natwest" day. Named after the Natwest One-Day cricket series, Teams play short matches against each other, with each player facing only six balls. The winner wins a prize at the end of the House Party.

The losing team of the house party's leagues are forced to eat pickled eggs. Eugh!

[edit] Lee Abbey's Podex

The campers arrive at the field of play.

The game is played annually between each of the camps and the house. The first camp often plays two games, one in the first week and one in the second. On the morning of the game members of the House walk down the hill to the campsite and challenge the camp leader by throwing a glove on the ground. The camp leader accepts the challenge and the campers prepare themselves for the game. The campers play the game in fancy dress, or 'war dress'. Once the campers are ready, they march up the hill as a group, singing and playing musical instruments. At the top of the hill they are greeted by the house captain, at which point the camp anthem is sung:

"God save our gracious team,
long live our noble team,
God save our team.
Send us victorious,
happy and glorious,
long to reign over them,
God save our team."

The toss is then decided and the winning captain chooses whether to bat or field first. Traditionally, the house has shown little interest in the fancy dress aspects of Podex; however, in recent years they have been making a slight effort.

Throughout the game, the camp make most of the noise, including the main Podex chant:

"What makes the best meat pies? Podex!
What makes the pastry rise? Podex!
What makes the house burn down? Matches! Podex Matches!
And we'll huff, and we'll puff, and we'll blow the house down."

Traditionally, the camp always wins at Podex, but in 2004 the House won^[4]

In 2007 there was a break in the traditional House versus Camp in which the teams were chosen from a mixture of the House and Camp.^[5] 'The Tarquins' won.

[edit] Oakley Holidays' Podex

In this version of the game the wicket is surrounded by an oval ring of cones. Fielders (except bowlers) are not allowed inside this ring if a non-officer is batting until the ball has been bowled. The current field of play at Bilton Grange Preparatory School is surrounded by a fence (it is the rugby pitch area), although striking the ball over this fence is permitted. Similarly, fielders may stand on the other side of the fence if they wish.

Each of the four teams on the party plays the others at Podex once during the week (pronouned "pudux" on the camps). Each team divides itself into pairs. These pairs bowl, and subsequently, bat together.

An orange Kwik Kricket ball is bowled to the opposite batter at "less than twenty two sausage lengths per second" with the aim of striking the wicket with the ball.

The batter uses a softball bat (normally aluminium, but more able members may wish to use a wooden bat) to strike the ball as far as they can. The two batters then run between the creases to score as many runs as possible. All runs to be scored must be run (e.g. no "4s" or "6s" as in cricket). The most runs that can be scored of one ball is 6. The batters must then stop running. If the ball is not struck, the batters cannot run. If it is struck, they must run - though not immediately.

Batters are out through being caught, run out, or bowled out, or through physically hitting the wickets twice in the same innings. When out - you do not leave the field of play, you merely lose runs:

• -2 for non-officers.
• -5 for officers (leaders).

A modification to the rules has been introduced by which the last 3-5 balls of an over are the 'blue zone!' all points scored or lost during the 'blue zone' are doubled.

Each pair's innings lasts from between 10-15 balls (at the discretion of the officers before the party) dependent on team sizes, time constraints etc.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Lee Abbey