How to play Rounders
Rounders is a fast-moving, fun game that is played by schoolchildren, co-workers, friends and families for fun, fitness and also competitively.
Rounders is usually played on grass but you can also play it on the beach.
The Rounders field should always be laid out in the form of a pentagon -- a geometric figure with five sides -- with the fifth side left open.
ROUNDERS Field Diagram
Rounders teams
A Rounders team consists of nine players. It means there are nine people to get out during an innings. A Rounders match consists of two innings, so each team gets a turn to bat and to field/bowl.
The batsman stands at the batting square, which is about 28 feet from the front line of the bowling square.
The bowler has to throw the ball in the direction of the batter in the batting square. However, he must not bowl below the knee or above the head of the batter.
The batter's job is to hit the ball. If he does not swing the bat, or if he swings but misses, he has to run to the first post. When the next batsman strikes, he then proceeds to the second, third and fourth posts. Unlike baseball, there is no foul area in Rounders. It the ball travels beyond the batting line, the batter can run to the first post.
A runner is "out" if:
- The ball he hit is caught by a fielder.
- If he is, while running from one post to another, touched by a fielder who is holding the ball in his hand.
- Before reaching his target post if a fielder holding the ball touches the post.
If the bowler bowls three bad pitches consecutively, the batter should move to the next post (this is known as 'half-a-rounder'). If a batter completes the full circle of all four posts he scores one point or 'one Rounder'.