Danish longball (

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

: ''Langbold'',

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

: ''Långboll'',

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

: ''Slåball'') is a

bat-and-ball game Bat-and-ball may refer to: *Bat-and-ball games *Bat & Ball Inn, Hambledon The Bat & Ball Inn is a historic eighteenth-century pub near Clanfield, Hampshire, England. The earliest widely accepted written rules for the game of cricket were drafted ...

similar to

brännboll Brännboll (), known as rundbold in Denmark, Brennball in Germany, and sharing the names slåball and brentball with longball in Norway, is a bat-and-ball game similar to longball, played at amateur level throughout Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denma ...

played in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. It is also played in some

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

secondary schools A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

, and is played recreationally by

scouts Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

, the

Air Training Corps The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British volunteer-military youth organisation. They are sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force. The majority of staff are volunteers, and some are paid for full-time work – including C ...

, Wetheringsett Camp Suffolk, and by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

and

Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of D ...

. It is also played at some U.S.

summer camp A summer camp or sleepaway camp is a supervised program for children conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as ''campers''. Summer school is usually a part of the academ ...

Play

Danish longball is similar to brännboll and can be described as a hybrid of

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

and

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

. Each team takes turns batting and fielding. In some areas, an element of

dodgeball Dodgeball is a team sport in which players on two teams try to throw balls and hit opponents, while avoiding being hit themselves. The objective of each team is to eliminate all members of the opposing team by hitting them with thrown balls, cat ...

is incorporated, with a player being "out" if he or she is hit with the ball (outside the safety zone) below the head whilst aiming to get a run.

Teams and positions

Players are split into two teams, a batting team and a balling team. The batting team waits behind the batting goal ready to bat. The balling team is spread behind the batting goal and the safe goal ready to field.

Field of play

The batting field has two parts: Inside and outside a square (or circle). The Federation For The Standardisation Of Danish Longball states that the field of play should have a width of 50 meters and a length of 30 metres with a 20x18 metre square in the centre. Fielders can position themselves inside or outside 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.

Equipment

*ball, usually a

tennis ball A tennis ball is a ball designed for the sport of tennis. Tennis balls are fluorescent yellow in organised competitions, but in recreational play can be virtually any color. Tennis balls are covered in a fibrous felt which modifies their aerodyna ...

*bat/tennis racket *optional safety pads

Rules

The bowler pitches the ball to the batter, who must use their bat to hit the ball. The ball must be hit within the field of play – the square. The ball must hit the ground at least once before it bounces or rolls off the field. 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" they must make it safely back to the original side of the square without getting out. Each side bats its entire line-up. The game is played until one team forfeits or reaches 50 runs. When played in Britain it is usually an alternative to Cricket, so timed

innings An innings is one of the divisions of a cricket match during which one team takes its turn to bat. Innings also means the period in which an individual player bats (acts as either striker or nonstriker). Innings, in cricket, and rounders, is bot ...

may be used along with a set of stumps. Typically, in Britain, a cricket ball is also used, however many danish longball purists disagree with this idea and feel that the standard tennis ball should be used under all occasions as to preserve the sanctity of the sport. A player is out if: * the hit is caught by one of the fielding team * the ball does not touch the ground of the marked area * if the fielders hit a runner outside the safe-zones with the ball * 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 the safe-zones then the entire batting team is out.

Winning the game

A team wins a match of Danish longball if one of the following events occurs. # The opposing team forfeits # They reach 50 runs

References

{{Team Sport Team sports Sport in Denmark Ball and bat games