THE GAME of stoolball has recently been recognised as a sport by Sport England and it is mentioned in the National Schools Curriculum for next September.
Steep captain Shirley Reed, who is current president of the National Stoolball Association, said: “If we start getting it through the schools, then that’s terrific.
“It’s very much easier and cheaper to take up stoolball than, say, cricket. The eq
uipment doesn’t cost as much, for one thing.”
“It’s a game you can pick up and play anywhere,” Shirley explained. The ball is projected directly at the hitting area, rather than bounced off a playing surface, so expensive ground preparation isn’t necessary.
“Young boys as well as girls can play the game in schools. They can then decide whether to stay with stoolball or go on and develop as cricketers. It’s a game with skills that lend themselves naturally to cricket and other games.”
Shirley, who lives at Froxfield, added: “Stoolball has been a passion of mine for such a long time. It’s just a great game.”
This excellent medieval game in its modern form should now spread nationwide – and with the recent formation of the Indian Stoolball Federation perhaps worldwide.
The 14th century game of stoolball is generally accepted as being the ancestral forerunner of modern day cricket and baseball. It is recorded that the Pilgrim Fathers played stoolball in Boston in 1622.
The sport is played today by an enthusiastic following of between 3-4,000 players of both sexes at local league level in Hampshire, Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
Stoolball has thrived as a competitive sport in East Hampshire in recent years. Both Lodsworth and Midhurst clubs have held fiftieth anniversaries and appear to be the oldest of the existing local teams. Steep started in 1971, as did Harting, whose numbers have declined recently but who are still hanging on.
Other local clubs involved in both league and cup competitions are Milland, Ebernoe, Elsted, Fittleworth, Kirdford, Liphook, Northchapel, Three Counties (who play at Fernhurst), Tillington, Easebourne, and Stedham.
The National Stoolball Association has welcomed the decision to recognise the sport by the Sports Councils which agreed that the historical game meets the criteria needed. Stoolball’s medieval origins are believed to date back more than 500 years in England, where it was traditionally played during religious festivals.
The association has developed a programme with University College that has so far helped train over 250 stoolball coaches. It is hoped the decision will give stoolball more prominence across the UK and generate more participants within communities and schools beyond the South East of England.
National Stoolball Association chairman John Price said: “We are delighted with our new status which is the result of six years of hard work and lobbying.
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