 Ladies Stoolball Team, 2009 | |
| Highest governing body | Stoolball England[1] |
|---|---|
| Nicknames | "cricket in the air" "bittle-battle" |
| First played |
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| Characteristics | |
| Type | Ladies-only or mixed |
| Presence | |
| Country or region | Sussex, Kent, Surrey, Midlands |
| World Games | No |
| Part of a series on the |
| History of baseball |
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Stoolball is a sport that dates back to at least the 15th century, originating in Sussex, southern England. It is considered a "traditional striking and fielding sport"[2] and may be an ancestor of cricket (a game it resembles in some respects), baseball, softball, and rounders.[3] The sport has been called "cricket in the air". There is evidence to suggest that it was played as a tradition by milkmaids who used their milking stools as a "wicket" and the bittle, or milk bowl as a bat, hence its archaic name of bittle-battle.[4]
The sport of stoolball is strongly associated with Sussex and has been referred to as Sussex's 'national' sport[5] and a Sussex game[6] or pastime.[7] The National Stoolball Association was formed in 1979 to promote and expand stoolball.[8] The game was officially recognised as a sport by the Sports Council in early 2008.[9][10] The National Stoolball Association changed its name to Stoolball England in 2010 on the advice of the Sports Council and was recognised as the national governing body for stoolball in England in 2011. The organisation is recognised by Sport England.
The game's popularity has faded since the 1960s, but continues to be played at a local league level in Sussex, Kent, Surrey and the Midlands. Some variants are played in some schools. Teams can be ladies only or mixed. There are ladies' leagues in Sussex, Surrey and Kent and mixed leagues in Sussex.
- ^ "Stoolball England". stoolball.org.uk. Stoolball England. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ^ Anita Broad (24 August 2020). "Stoolball: 'What Ball?' History of the traditional, rural women's sport". sportingheritage.org.uk. Sporting Heritage UK. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
- ^ "Ball Game Aka Stoolball Issue Title Is Believe It Or Not (1940)". youtube.com. British Pathé. 1940. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ History And Antiquities Of Horsham, Doreathea E. Hurst, Farncombe & Co, Lewes, Sussex 2nd Ed (1889) page 257
- ^ Coates 2010, p. 79
- ^ Gomme 1894, p. 219
- ^ Locke 2011, p. 203
- ^ "History of Stoolball England". United Kingdom: Stoolball England. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
Stoolball England was formed as the National Stoolball Association on 3 October 1979. ... The aims laid down in the inaugural meeting of the National Stoolball Association in 1979 [included]: The promotion and expansion of stoolball; To seek to link together existing associations and to encourage the formation of others.
- ^ "Medieval game gets sport status". BBC News. 31 March 2008. Retrieved 28 March 2009.
- ^ Kevin Paul Dupont (22 July 2014). "Meet baseball's ancestor: England's stoolball". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 30 March 2022.