Grounds & Travel Information
The Holy Wenaist Sultanate of Gruenberg is a large nation in the former Southern Malibu Islands region, politically aligned with Antarctic Oasis. It forms its own sprawling subcontinent. Gruenberg is probably best known for being the only Wenaist state in the world. Wenaism is a monotheistic religion founded some 750 years ago. Highly hierarchical in structure, Wenaist teachings are handed down through the priesthood, while the state is administered by religious advisors from the Viziery. The Head of State is a hereditary monarch, currently Sultan Gardab Woltzten IX, who has been considered something of a modernist reformer ever since he ordered a bunch of West Wing DVDs off eBaa.
Outsiders tend to focus on Gruenberg's repressive qualities - its gross social inequality, oppression of women and minorities, its ongoing subjugation of its eastern province, The Gelzien Nub, the public executions and corporal punishments, the fact that listening to Radiohead is a capital offence - but actually the state action has been characterised by the motto of "evolution not revolution" over the past century. Not literally - monkey science is of course not taught in schools - but rather that the Viziery have pushed modest reforms, such as political parties, an elected parliament, an expansion of the suffrage, fairly broad free speech permissions - to prevent the middle classes from rebelling.
Culturally, Gruenberg is best known for its populace's insane fixation on goats, which are revered as cats once were in Ancient Egypt, and as lolcats are in the contemporary USA. Most Gruenbergers are vegetarians, as meat is expensive, but cheap fast food chains such as Gruenberger Fried Dolphin and WhaleCo Global Foods are gaining in popularity. A staple breakfast consists largely of fruit. Alcohol is illegal, although anyone with the money can find speakeasies and moonshines that are tolerated by the police so long as they do not lead to public disorder; most Gruenbergers drink multiple cups of tea throughout the day, as well as an array of cola drinks such as the native Capra Cola and Glow Cola, the imported Blast! and Pink Bunny Cola, and the ever popular GruenChem Non-Toxic Industrial Syrup Mix #7.
Cricket is hugely popular, but the national team have had few international outings and only limited success. The domestic form of the game includes a lengthy first class season, two 50 over competitions, three T20 competitions, and several interregional All-Star games. Gruenberger cricket is best known for its bowling, and in particular spin bowling. Furthermore, Gruenbergers regard themselves as the first developers of reverse swing, which is probably the only thing ever invented in a country with poorly defined patent laws. Fielding standards even among top teams tend to be poor as professional cricketers are semi-royalty, and spend more time promoting sponsorship deals than practising throwing drills. Batsmen tend to be wristy players who like to play the ball late, and often excel against spin while suffering from a lack of exposure to top pace.
Gruenberg's GCF season begins with four home Tests. Here are the grounds, and some information about them. (OOC: I realize it's unrealistic that the pitch details would be known this far in advance, or even at all, so you can consider it OOC/Secret IC.) Weatherwise, the four Tests are being played in the Gruenberger summer - ICly, I consider there to be perhaps a month's gap between the two series. As such, rain breaks will mainly be attributable to sudden monsoons, and temperatures will usually be extremely hot during the day.
Loonaterian, First Test [Week 1] - The Flurthwel Oval
Gruenberg's first ever home Test match will take place in the capital city, Flurthwel (pronounced "flirt-well"), at the famous Flurthwel Oval. Being based in the royal city, The Oval is naturally set in luxurious surroundings mixed with bureaucratic imposition: the North End faces a tree-lined lake, while the Ministry End has a large, windowless building affiliated to the Sub-Viziery for Toes affiliated to it. The crowd is expected to be much more middle class than at the average domestic game, but home support will still be key.
The Oval is generally a batting paradise, although there are predictions of intermittent cloud cover, meaning the ball could move around. Most teams winning the toss opt to bat first, and several of Gruenberg's highest domestic scores have been achieved here - but so have some of their highest successful run chases. The exquisitely prepared pitch usually holds true over a four day first class game, and does not crack easily, but - especially if left/right combinations are produced to make the most of footmarks - can get a little dusty. It has a lightning quick outfield; being an Oval, it naturally rewards shots square of the wicket.
Loonaterian, Second Test [Week 2] - The Moroschwegen Arena of Death
Historically the site of gladiatorial combat, as Moroschwegen has abandoned its traditions to become Gruenberg's largest urban metropolis, so has The Arena of Death been transformed into the country's largest cricket ground. Arguably one of the most imposing spectacles in the sporting world, it regularly features attendances of over 125,000 and can seat 150,000 - the first day sell is for 162,000. Seismic monitoring stations often pick up minor tremors as the result of crowd enthusiasm. Surrounded on all sides by high rise buildings and frequently smogged over in the morning by industrial smoke, what it lacks in glamour it makes up for in sheer awe-inspiring size, as the Vizier said to the actress.
The MAD is regarded as a prime location for swing bowling. The buildings surrounding the ground create wind tunnels from the Jailhouse End, while preventing cross-breeze at the Eighth Avenue End. There is frequently cloud cover - or at least, skin-melting smog cover - and many of Gruenberg's reverse swing pioneers cut their teeth here. The ball will begin to reverse, with the right technique, after just 40 or 50 overs on occasion. Of help is the enormous boundaries and slowish outfield, which means the ball rarely goes soft. For spinners the wicket generally begins to work on the third day. Batting can be a difficult experience - but centuries are rewarded with an acclaim heard at virtually no other sporting venue in the world.
Krytenia, First Test [Week 3] - The Silver Crown Ground, Arradan
Arradan is much further east than the three main cities, and was wrecked by the GruenChem industrial accident a few years ago. Slowly rebuilding, scheduling the game is seen as a move to restore civic pride, as well as show off the newly redeveloped ground with its state of the art facilities and mostly non-toxic drinking water. Security is less stable than in the West, meaning the visitors will largely be confined to their hotel, but unless they particularly want a tour of gutted high rises and hospitals brimming with mutated infants and limbless workers, they're not really missing anything. Arradan is also the most culturally conservative city, and has experienced many religious revivals since the accident, meaning foreigners may get short shrift from the locals.
The pitch for this game is a drop-in, and expected to offer some serious bounce. Deliveries will tend to hold their true path, but can spring up unexpectedly off a length; particularly from the Old End, it is common to see virtually the entire fielding side behind square. Because of this it favours batsmen with quick hands, and those able to move their feet to spinners - get stuck in the crease, or try to play the ball early, and you're in trouble. The weather here is also a major consideration as by now, the searing summer will be at its hottest. Fatigue is a major consideration and fitness is demanded of batsmen planning a long innings.
Krytenia, Second Test [Week 4] - The Merlefurt Cricket Ground, colloquially known as "The Spin Lab"
The series concludes in Merlefurt, Gruenberg's largest port. In a country not known for its all-embracing cosmopolitanism, Merlefurt is the closest thing to an international city, with the docks, the large university, and the relaxed local governance combining to make it almost legal to be foreign. The semi-legal nightlife is legendary. Merlefurters themselves tend to consider themselves somewhat superior to rural hicks from the rest of Gruenberg, and are more tolerant of deviance from Wenaism's norms. The Cricket Ground itself is nothing remarkable, but is set in a bustling market district. Fresh sea smells waft in early on, and as the evening draws in, fans will pour out of the stadium and into the street to try imported meats, exotic spices, and mysterious foreign drinks.
As the local nickname suggests, the MCG is best known as the haven of Gruenberger spin. It is not uncommon for South West to field three or four spinners or to open the bowling with a spinner, and teams really need to plan with regard to selection of batsmen and wicket keepers. A conventional seam attack will get little out of a fairly flat track, even once it starts to crack, although there is sometimes reverse swing from the Port Harbour End. From the Dark End, there is really nothing doing unless you take the pace off the ball. Many of Gruenberg's greatest spinners hail from Merlefurt. With relatively short boundaries it is by no means a batting nightmare, but expect the hosts to field multiple spin options - come prepared.
