Inside Track: A first for IT but maybe nothing to boast about

This is a first for Inside Track. In the 18 years the page has been appearing, never once was there a story on marbles. Now the question is: Does marbles come under the heading of sport, or is it – or, was it – a pastime?

It’s doubtful if there is anyone under 40, or maybe 50, who has ever played marbles. It was popular at one time, but so, too, were conkers, playing football with jumpers as goalposts, climbing trees, progging orchards, making cigarettes with collected butts, and wrapping doors on a winter’s night and skidaddling before someone comes to answer.

There were two kinds of marbles, glassies – which, as the name implies, were made of glass, or something like it – and chalkies, which wouldn’t stand up to much use because they were made of a soft substance, something like, er, chalk.

There were also two games and they were played on a cindered surfaced, something like the pass that used surround the small field outside Oriel Park. One was Hole-A-Scud-And-A-Hole and the other Mugga. And now I’m going to try the near-impossible: describe the games.

Only two could play H-A-S-A-A-H. The hole would be the size of a marble and the object of the exercise was to get your marble, using your thumb to project it off your curled up index finger, into the hole to get you under way.

Having done that, you’d then try to hit your opponent’s marble, sending it at least a yard. That was the scud.

Having completed that task, you tried to get the marble back in the hole. Whoever completed the exercise first was declared the winner, and would take custody of his opponent’s marble, or maybe a few more, if there had been a side bet.

And now for Mugga. (If I didn’t lose my marbles back in the day, I could now be on the way there, trying to explain this ancient art.)

The hole for Mugga was much bigger, maybe five or six times. There could be four or five playing, and each would have the same number of marbles, maybe five or six.

We’d throw from about three yards down on our hunkers, and whoever got the most marbles in the hole, or was closest to it, would get first throw of all the marbles. Every one we got in the hole with this throw we’d keep. If there were others spread around we got the chance to put them in the hole, using a curled-up index finger.

It was said that whoever dug the hole would have the run of it – something like home advantage in football, I suppose.  So, as a means of eliminating this, we’d all get a hands in making it.

And what brought all of this on? While searching for bits and pieces for the World Cup Waffle, which sits in the Curiosity Corner article you can read below, I came across a piece from the first finals, played in 1930, and it was this which transported me back to those days of innocence and one of the games we played.

Joe Carroll's Curiosity Corner: Sporting Trivia and World Cup Facts

Richard Brennan annoyed by poor Cooley attack in Leinster defeat

Only 13 teams took part in the inaugural tournament, which was held in Uruguay. Each had a direct entry, and it was only after a lot of persuading that four European countries took part.

Three months away and travelling to South America by sea wasn’t appealing to countries on this side of the world, but in the end France, Romania, Belgium and Yugoslavia decided to go.

There were four qualifying pools, and 17 games after France and Mexico had kicked-off the tournament, the host country and Argentina were through to the final.

Everything was in readiness for the game to be played at the new stadium in Montevideo, but the day before a row developed. Uruguay wanted to play with a ball manufactured in their country - and Argentina wanted to do the same.

An agreement was reached: the first half would be played with a ball manufactured in Argentina, and it would be one from Uruguay after half-time. It worked out best for Uruguay. After turning over 2-1 down, they hit the net three times with ‘their’ ball, ending with a 4-2 win.

Tell me, are there any readers who see a similarity there with each of us marble-players having a hand in digging the hole for a game of Mugga? Probably not.