Stoolball

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Stoolball is a ball game that dates back to the 14th century, originating in Sussex, southern England. It may be an ancestor of cricket (a game it resembles), baseball, and rounders. Traditionally it was played by milkmaids who used their milking stools as a "wicket".

The game's popularity has faded since the 1960s, but is still played at a local league level in Sussex, Kent, and Surrey. Some variants are still played in some schools. Most teams are for ladies only, but there are some mixed teams.

Stoolball is played on grass with a 90-yard (82-metre) diameter boundary, and the pitch is 16 yards (14.5 metres) long. Each team consists of 11 players, with one team fielding and the other batting. Bowling is underarm from a bowling "crease" 10 yards (9 metres) from the batsman's wicket. The "wicket" itself is a square piece of wood at head or shoulder height, traditionally the seat of a stool hung from a post or tree. Some versions use a tall stool placed upright on the ground.

As it is played today, a bowler attempts to hit the wicket with the ball, and a batsman defends it using a bat shaped like a frying pan. The batsman scores "runs" by running between the wickets or hitting the ball beyond the boundary in a similar way to cricket. Fielders attempt to catch the ball or run out the batsman by hitting the stool with the ball before the batsman returns from his run.

Originally the batsman simply had to defend his stool from each ball with his hand and would score a point for each delivery until the stool was hit. The game later evolved to include runs and bats.