Saturday 29 March 2008
Stoolball has been introduced to a school in Thailand just north of Chiang Mai, not far from the Laos, Myanmar (Burma) and Vietnam borders. The children’s first efforts at the game using bats and balls donated by the National Stoolball Association (NSA) and locally-made wickets are in our Stoolball in Thailand photo album.
Thai costume
Thursday 12 July 2007
Last year Emily Wotton, Key Stage 4 Co-Ordinator at Beacon Community College in Crowborough, got an email from the British Council in Thailand. It asked if the school would be interested in designing a development plan aiming to improve or develop the physical education in Beacon’s link school, Satthassamut School. Emily sent us this account of what followed.
“With a couple of hours to spare I sat myself down at my computer and started typing. Having spent hours researching (or maybe 10 minutes) it was no surprise that stoolball had not yet reached Thailand. (I’m not sure if it’s even being taught North of Watford Gap!?)
“So there I began my plan. I started by explaining the rules and regulations of the game, followed by a six week scheme of work the school could introduce and any equipment they might need. I made sure to emphasize the benefits playing stoolball could bring, from not only keeping fit whilst having great fun, developing teamwork, leadership skills and gamesmanship but also it’s a great sport for improving pupils’ hand eye co-ordination. Needless to say Satthassamut were [i]very[/i] interested.
“There was only one problem: how on Earth could they introduce the sport if they didn’t have the right equipment? Now my plan was really beginning to take shape. Perhaps the best way to really introduce stoolball would be if specialist PE teachers from Beacon could visit the school then they could take the equipment with them.
“So with my suitcases full, bats brought, balls donated by the East Division and sun tan lotion packed, I can’t wait to go on my travels, but most of all I can’t wait to spread the word of “stoolball” to the masses! Who knows, perhaps we’ll be meeting Thailand in the finals of the London 2012 Olympics?”
Emily has just returned from her trip and has promised to let us know how it went, so check back soon for an update.
Tuesday 12 June 2007
A party of five Americans will be in Horsham on Tuesday 19 June and Wednesday 20 June on a quest to find out more about the origins of baseball, perhaps their most popular national game.
The party comes from the media group who are responsible for producing and running the website for the Major Baseball Leagues (MBL) in New York and will be led by senior producer Samantha Marchiano and her Assistant Daria Debuono. Included in the party is author David Block, internationally recognised as the leading researcher and most published author on the origins of baseball.
Read more on American visit to learn about baseball, rounders and stoolball…
Saturday 30 April 2005
People are intrigued when they hear of stoolball, particularly if they are not from south-east England. We have had six recent enquiries from around the world that will, hopefully, spread the stoolball gospel.
The first came from a couple writing a book for English Heritage on old balls used in sport. The project started out as a poster featuring really old sporting balls (from football, rugby, bowls and so on) but, because the topic became so interesting, by the time the couple visited Kay and John Price at their house the poster had developed into a book called ‘A load of old balls’.
They spent nearly three hours taking photos of balls dating back to the 1920s and photocopies of memorabilia. They also bought a stoolball video.
The next enquiry came from Philip Jay, who does a weekly radio broadcast to the Gulf States. A 30-minute interview was recorded, and broadcast on 6 March 2005. All aspects of the game from 1400 to the present day were covered.
The next two enquiries came from TV companies. The first was from the BBC via Peter Cheesman’s son following receipt of our video, ‘Let’s Play Stoolball’. The BBC hopes to produce a programme focusing on the youth side of the game.
This was quickly followed by a request from John Wright of Trans World Sport, who wanted some material on stoolball for the “unusual sports” part of their programme. They have asked to film a game and we have provided them with dates of some interesting fixtures plus, of course, the offer of a video.
Our next and most distant enquiry came from Mr Pravin Manwatkar, representing the stoolball Federation of India based on Kamal Chowk, Nagpur, India. Pravin wants as much information as possible about the game and is anxious for him/them to develop the game throughout India and the rest of Asia!
We shall be sending him our video and rules of the game booklet. He has also issued an invitation to anyone from the stoolball world to visit India and give first-hand instruction. In view of this southern hemisphere interest we would love to hear from anybody who has contacts in or who travels anywhere near the Nagpur district of India.
The last enquiry came from Neville Goward and his wife, who are living in France and played their stoolball in Sussex – his wife in Mountfield and he in Haywards Heath.
They volunteer help to teach English to the children in their village and have been asked to demonstrate a typically English game – stoolball, a good choice. We are working out how to get wickets, bats and balls to them in time for a particular school occasion in May.
Being involved with a sporting governing body throws up all sorts of challenges! With all these enquiries we think our modern-day developer of the game, WW Grantham, would be proud. We have been in email correspondence with his grandson, David Grantham, who lives in New Zealand.
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