Danish longball
Encyclopedia
Danish Longball is a bat-and-ball game founded in Denmark
. It is popular in British secondary schools, and is played recreationally by scouts and by the British Navy
and Australian Navy. It is also a popular sport at U.S. summer camp
s.
and cricket
, in which each team takes turns batting and fielding. In British secondary schools in particular, an element of dodgeball
is incorporated, with a player being "out" if he is hit with the ball (outside of the safety zone) below the head whilst aiming to get a run.
When played in Britain it is usually an alternative to Cricket, so timed innings
may be used along with a set of stumps (though usually not a cricket ball, as the risk of injury is significantly raised rather than a tennis ball).
A player is out if his hit is caught by the fielding team, if he hits the ball outside the square, or if the fielders hits a runner outside of the safe-zones with the ball. The player is also out if he/she runs outside the side lines of the square.
A variant of the above is sometimes used: if a fielder hits a runner with the ball outside of the safe-zones then the entire batting team is out.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. It is popular in British secondary schools, and is played recreationally by scouts and by the British Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and Australian Navy. It is also a popular sport at U.S. summer camp
Summer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
s.
Play
To English-speakers Danish Longball may be described as a hybrid of baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, in which each team takes turns batting and fielding. In British secondary schools in particular, an element of dodgeball
Dodgeball
Dodgeball is any of a variety of games in which players try to hit other players on the opposing team with balls while avoiding being hit themselves. This article is about a well-known form of team sport with modified rules that is often played in physical education classes and has been featured...
is incorporated, with a player being "out" if he is hit with the ball (outside of the safety zone) below the head whilst aiming to get a run.
Field of play
The batting field has two parts: Inside and outside a square (or circle). Fielders can position themselves inside or outside of the square.The fielder who fields the ball cannot move with it rather they must pass it to another fielder in a better position to hit the runner.Rules
The bowler pitches (either as in Baseball, Cricket or general underarm) the ball to the batter, who must use his bat to hit the ball. The ball must be hit within the field of play - the square - but is permitted the bounce or roll out. The batter must then run to the other side of the square to a "safe zone". The runner may rest in safety, but to earn a "run" he must make it safely back to the original side of the square without getting out. Each side bats its entire line-up. Five rounds of play are recommended.When played in Britain it is usually an alternative to Cricket, so timed innings
Innings
An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. In cricket, the term innings is both singular and plural and is...
may be used along with a set of stumps (though usually not a cricket ball, as the risk of injury is significantly raised rather than a tennis ball).
A player is out if his hit is caught by the fielding team, if he hits the ball outside the square, or if the fielders hits a runner outside of the safe-zones with the ball. The player is also out if he/she runs outside the side lines of the square.
A variant of the above is sometimes used: if a fielder hits a runner with the ball outside of the safe-zones then the entire batting team is out.