How to Play Stoolball

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

Stoolball is an outdoor bat-and-ball game played between two teams, traditionally on a grass field or large garden. A batter defends a square wooden board mounted on a post roughly waist height, striking an underarm-bowled ball and running between two posts to score runs. It is fast, accessible, and genuinely fun for mixed ages and abilities.

The game demands quick reflexes from the batter, accurate underarm bowling, and sharp fielding. Because the bat is lightweight and the bowling style gentle enough for beginners, stoolball suits family gatherings, village fetes, and school sports days just as well as organised league fixtures.

A little history

Stoolball is traditionally associated with Sussex and the wider south-east of England, with written references appearing as far back as the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, making it one of the older recorded bat-and-ball games in Britain. Some historians suggest it may be an ancestor of cricket and rounders, though the exact relationship between these games is debated and its precise origins are unclear. Formalised rules were codified in the early twentieth century, largely through the efforts of Major William Grantham of Sussex, who standardised the pitch, equipment, and scoring around 1917.

Setting up

1. Mark out the pitch: place two posts 16 yards apart, each with a square wicket board (roughly 12 inches square) mounted face-on at the top, approximately 4 feet 8 inches from the ground.
2. Agree on the number of innings per team: one innings each is standard for casual play; two innings each for a full match.
3. Divide players into two teams of equal or roughly equal size. Six to eleven players per side is typical; more players can be accommodated by sharing fielding positions.
4. Toss a coin to decide which team bats first.
5. The fielding captain positions a bowler at one post and a wicket-keeper directly behind the opposite post. The remaining fielders spread out across the playing area.
6. Two batters take the field: one stands at the batting crease near each post, ready to face the bowler.

How to play

1. The bowler delivers the ball underarm from a crease at the base of the opposite post, aiming to hit the wicket board on the back of their own post.
2. The batter defends their wicket board, striking the ball with the flat face of the bat to send it into the field.
3. If both batters judge they can run safely, they exchange ends, each running to the opposite post. Every completed exchange scores one run.
4. Multiple runs can be scored from a single hit: the batters keep running back and forth until they judge it unsafe to continue, or until a fielder returns the ball.
5. A batter is out if: the ball is caught by a fielder before it bounces; the ball hits the wicket board after being bowled; a fielder hits the wicket board with the ball while no batter is grounded behind the crease at that post.
6. A batter is also out if they deliberately obstruct a fielder or handle the ball.
7. Wides and no-balls are signalled by the umpire. A no-ball is called for an overarm delivery or one that bounces before reaching the batter. One penalty run is added to the batting team's score and the ball must be rebowled.
8. When a batter is dismissed, they leave the field and the next batter in the batting order takes their place immediately.
9. An innings ends when all but one batter has been dismissed. The final batter cannot bat alone.
10. The fielding team then bats. After all agreed innings are completed, runs are totalled and the team with the higher score wins.

Winning and scoring

The team that scores the most runs across the agreed number of innings wins the match. There is no fixed winning total: the result depends entirely on the two teams' performances against each other. In the event of equal scores after all innings, the match is a tie. For informal garden play, teams often agree a target total in advance or play a single timed innings, with the higher score at the end of that period declared the winner.

The fine points

The most common dispute is the run-out call. A batter is safe only when some part of their bat or body is grounded behind the batting crease at their post before a fielder strikes the wicket board with the ball. If both batters are grounded at the same end, the batter who arrived second is out. An umpire stationed near each post is strongly recommended in competitive play for exactly this reason.

Caught-behind disputes also arise frequently. A catch is valid only if the fielder retains full control of the ball with both feet on the ground before it touches any other surface. A ball that deflects off the wicket-keeper's body before being caught is still a valid catch. Overthrows that cross a previously agreed boundary line score four additional runs; this boundary rule should be clarified before play starts, as it is optional in garden settings.

How to win more often

• Batters should watch the bowler's release point, not the ball in flight. The underarm action telegraphs direction early, giving you a fraction more time to position.
• Call loudly and early when running. The biggest cause of run-outs is a hesitant or silent call leaving your partner uncertain whether to go.
• Bowlers should vary height and pace. A flatter, faster delivery is harder to hit cleanly; a higher lobbed ball invites the batter to mis-time their swing.
• Place fielders on the side where the batter is strongest immediately after they have played a few shots. Stoolball fielding is highly reactive so do not set a rigid field and ignore the evidence.
• When fielding close to the post, back up every return throw. Overthrows are common in garden settings and a backing-up fielder can prevent a wasted four runs.

Variations

Single-wicket stoolball

Only one post and wicket board is used. The batter must run to a marked crease some distance away and return to score a run. One batter faces one bowler, with a small number of fielders. This stripped-back version suits smaller groups and tighter spaces, and each player bowls a set number of overs before roles rotate.

Pairs stoolball

Every pair of batters faces a fixed number of deliveries regardless of how many times they are dismissed. Dismissals cost the batting pair a set number of penalty runs rather than ending their innings. This format ensures every player bats for the same amount of time, which makes it well suited to schools, festivals, and events where inclusion matters more than strict competition.

Garden short-pitch

For smaller gardens, reduce the pitch length to 10 to 12 yards and use a softer ball. Boundaries are marked at the garden perimeter, with hits into flower beds or over fences counting as six runs rather than requiring retrieval. All other rules apply as standard. This is the most common informal adaptation and works well for groups of mixed ages at parties and fetes.

Timed innings

Rather than batting until all wickets fall, each team bats for an agreed period, typically 20 minutes. The team with more runs at the end of both timed innings wins. This variation keeps the game moving and guarantees equal playing time for each side, making it practical when time or daylight is limited.

Stoolball: frequently asked questions