What do you get when you combine cricket and rounders? Crounders, obviously!
The game was born many years ago out of frustration. Whilst teaching "striking and fielding" and looking at cricket (which was very popular with our then Headteacher), if we had a good pair in bat then half the class would idly watch the world pass by whilst we tried to dispatch them. There are, of course, many "cricket-based" games you can do. Pair. Limit the number of bowls per pair. One out, both out.
But Crounders (always with a capital C my children inform me) was created when I stuck a pair of plastic wickets in the rounders batting square, swapped a rounders bat for a cricket bat and shared my improvised rules:
1) you don't talk about Crounders;
2) you don't talk about Crounders;
3) you can have upto 3 "good" bowls before you have to run;
4) if you hit the ball behind or fail to hit the ball and choose to run, you can only go to first base;
5) you have to get all the way round in one go to get a "Crounder";
6) like rounders, you can stop at a base if you can't make it all the way round;
7) you can be bowled out (the ball hits the stumps or you hit the stumps with the bat);
8) you can be caught out;
9) you can be got out by the opposing team hitting the base you are running to with the ball (or be holding the ball and touch the base with their foot);
10) you can be run out if the next person in bat passes you going round the bases;
11) if you make it round safely you line up again for another go;
12) if you're out, you're out;
13) game continues until all out. Then fielders and batting team swap and game resumes.
I'm sure there may be more to it - and it's more easy and fun to play than this reads, I'm sure!
My question: what strange and wonderful hybrid have YOU created?