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Bat and trap is a bat-and-ball based English pub game. Currently, the game is mostly played in Kent, and to a lesser extent in Brighton. It is possibly an ancestor of the game of cricket.

The equipment used for game play are, a trap, a bat and a ball. The trap is a wooden box 22in X 5in X 5in in dimension with a simple see-saw mechanism on top.  The ball used is a heavy solid rubber ball.

A bat and trap game is played between two teams with up to eight players on each team. One team bats first while the other team bowls and then teams switch roles after the first innings.

While batting, the ball is placed on one end of the trap, and the player hits the other side to propel the ball upwards. The batsman then attempts to strike the ball between two 7ft tall posts 13ft 6in apart located 21ft from the trap.

Players from the bowling team try to catch the ball before it falls on to the ground. Batsmen are declared out if the ball is caught or if they are unable to hit between the posts. If the batsman successfully hits the ball between the posts it accounts for one run. After all the players of the batting team gets out the bowling team tries to score more runs to win the match.

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Similar Sports

• Cricket — a team sport played on a rectangular pitch in the middle of a large grass oval, two batters protect their wicket while the fielding team attempt to get them out.
• Gilli-Danda — a South Asian game played with two sticks; the long stick is used to strike the shorter one in the air.
• Knurr and spell — an old English game game from Yorkshire in England, using a stick to hit a ball launched from a trap. (no longer played)
• Stoolball — a team sport played on a circular grass field, possibly the precursor to cricket and baseball.

Related Pages

• Complete list of sports
• The Encyclopedia of Sports