"Rubby"
“Rubby”

I could write a book on my brothers. I have three of them. The first three of us were born within 2-3 years so we were close growing up together in the I’ll-kill-you-if-you-annoy-me-but-if-anyone-else-touches-you-they’re-dead kind of way.

The fourth came along 12 or so years later and grew up completely differently as an effective only child with three uncles who came and went at different intervals more or less.

We are all close but his experience has been vastly different.

Before he was born, the brothers and I had invented a game called “Rubby”. It wasn’t rugby. It was much more violent. The youngest one has never played “Rubby” – he would be killed if he did.

The basic premise is, “I’ve got it, come get it”.

The ball, that is - tightly wrapped in one arm as the other fends off all attackers.

“Rubby” is best played by three people, ideally brothers with a no-holds-barred rule.

Thus, when one possesses the ball, the others must conspire to obtain it from him then betray one another shamelessly upon gaining possession of said ball.

Once in possession of the ball, the goal was to run away, keep possession of it for as long as possible and in a final, profligate act of sheer, victorious joy and adrenaline, once utterly shagged out, to punt it in the air as high as you can and embark in a fabulous melee of rucking, violence and underhandedness to gain control of the plummeting torpedo.

No tactic was against the rules.

There were no rules.

Cuts, bruises, cracked ribs, broken teeth, concussions and bloody lips and noses were all obtained in the glorious pursuit of this wonderful game.

No one ever became champion.

No one even got better at it.

It was, is and always will be, simply,

“RUBBY!”

rafter
baz
(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Tue 30 Dec 2008, 13:18, 1 reply)

RUBBY
sounds like my kind of game
(bamboozled Can hear you getting fatter, Tue 30 Dec 2008, 15:00, closed)