How to Play Bat and Trap

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Bat and Trap is a traditional English outdoor bat-and-ball game played between two teams on a flat lawn or hard surface. One player at a time bats from a fixed trap, launching a small ball with a foot pedal and striking it toward the fielding end. Fielders attempt to bowl the ball back through a low gate in front of the batter to take a wicket. It is simple to learn, needs no great athleticism, and suits a wide spread of ages and abilities in the same game.

Its appeal is the combination of a satisfying strike, fielding pressure, and team tactics in a format that fits easily into a garden party or village fete. Rounds move quickly, everyone rotates through batting, and there is enough skill in both batting and fielding to reward practice without punishing beginners.

A little history

Bat and Trap is traditionally associated with Kent, in south-east England, where organised pub and club leagues have been recorded since at least the early twentieth century. Its origins are unclear, though it is widely regarded as one of the oldest English bat-and-ball games and is sometimes cited as a forerunner of cricket. Formal rules have been maintained by Kentish leagues for generations, and the game remains most actively played in Kent today, though packaged sets have spread recreational play across the UK and beyond.

Setting up

1. Mark out a rectangular pitch approximately 21 feet (6.4 m) long, though this can be adjusted for younger players or restricted spaces.
2. Place the trap on the batting crease at one end of the pitch, ensuring the spring pedal is accessible to the batter.
3. Position the fielding gate at the opposite end, centred on the pitch. The gate opening is typically around 7 inches (18 cm) wide.
4. Mark side boundaries clearly with cones, rope, or chalk lines. Any ball landing outside the boundaries on the full is treated according to your agreed local rules.
5. Divide players into two equal teams. Toss a coin to decide which team bats first.
6. All fielders stand beyond the fielding gate end, facing the batter. No fielder may cross inside the pitch until the ball has been struck.

How to play

1. The batting team sends one batter at a time to the trap. The rest of the batting team waits aside.
2. The batter places the ball on the trap's launching cup, then strikes the pedal end of the trap with their foot to propel the ball upward.
3. As the ball rises, the batter hits it with the bat, aiming to send it as far as possible toward the fielding end, staying within the side boundaries.
4. If the batter misses the ball entirely on the strike, they are out. The ball must be hit, not scooped or pushed.
5. Once the ball is struck and lands in play, any fielder retrieves it and attempts to roll or bowl it back along the ground so that it passes through the fielding gate.
6. If the ball passes through the fielding gate before the batter can defend it, the batter is out.
7. The batter may use the bat to block the ball from entering the gate. The batter must keep at least one foot behind the batting crease while defending.
8. If the fielder's return misses the gate or is successfully blocked, the batting team scores one point for that strike.
9. After scoring or being dismissed, the next batter takes their turn. Play continues until all batters on the batting team have been dismissed or the agreed innings count is complete.
10. Teams then swap roles: the fielding team bats and the batting team fields.
11. A full match typically consists of one or two innings per team, agreed before play begins.

Winning and scoring

The team with the higher total score at the end of all agreed innings wins. One point is scored each time a batter successfully hits the ball and the fielders fail to return it through the gate. There is no run-scoring beyond that single point per hit, so the score reflects the total number of successful strikes across all batters in the innings. In the event of a tie, a sudden-death extra innings or a nominated batter-per-side playoff is the common resolution, agreed before play starts.

The fine points

The most common dispute concerns whether the ball has passed cleanly through the gate or merely clipped the post. The standard ruling in organised play is that the ball must pass fully through the gate opening without deflection off a post counting as a dismissal. If a post is struck and the ball continues through, the batter is not out. Another regular argument involves the batter's foot position: both feet must remain behind or on the batting crease during the defensive block. Stepping forward before the ball reaches the gate results in the batter being given out in most league rules.

Fielders must allow the ball to be struck before moving inside the boundary markers. Any fielder encroaching before the bat makes contact may, at the batting team's discretion, have the strike replayed. On a no-hit (batter misses the launch), the batter is immediately out with no replay unless both teams agree a practice rule for young or inexperienced players before the match begins.

How to win more often

• Strike the ball low and hard along the ground rather than high in the air. A low drive is harder to field cleanly and gives fielders less time to set up a return.
• Aim for the sides of the pitch rather than straight down the middle. A ball hit to the edge forces the fielder to cover more ground and makes an accurate return through the narrow gate more difficult.
• When defending the gate, keep the bat face square and close to the ground. Most returns are bowled along the surface, so a low horizontal block covers the opening far more effectively than a high guard.
• As a fielder, back up the return bowler. If the first fielder's attempt misses the gate, a backup player positioned behind the gate can retrieve quickly for a second attempt before the batter resets.
• Save your steadiest batters for late in the innings if you are chasing a target. Early batters can absorb dismissals while your most reliable strikers aim to push the score in the final turns.

Variations

Timed Innings

Rather than batting until all players are dismissed, each team bats for a fixed period, typically ten or fifteen minutes. Batters who are out rejoin the back of the queue and bat again when their turn comes around. Total points scored in the time period decide the winner. This format works well for larger groups and keeps everyone involved throughout.

Single Player Knockout

Each player bats individually rather than as part of a team. Every player is allowed a fixed number of strikes, and the individual with the highest points total wins. Fielding duties rotate so that everyone spends time in the field between batting turns. Works well at informal gatherings where teams of equal size are hard to arrange.

Extended Gate

For younger or beginner players, the fielding gate is widened beyond the standard opening to make dismissals more frequent and the fielding side more competitive. Some families also reduce the pitch length to around 15 feet (4.5 m) to keep the game moving and reduce the physical effort of returns for smaller children.

Pairs Format

Players pair up and bat together, with both partners required to be dismissed before the pair's innings ends. Each successful strike by either batter scores a point for the pair. This format is common at village events where mixed ability levels are present, as a stronger batter can protect a weaker partner during the defensive phase.

Bat and Trap: frequently asked questions