Misplaced Pages

#741258

128-466: In the tradition of bat-and-ball games, British baseball has roots going back centuries, and there are references to "baseball" from the beginning of the eighteenth century, and "rounders" from 1828. Bat-and-ball games in Britain have a long history and a ball and bat game possibly ancestral to rounders and British baseball was attested as early as 1344. A game called "baseball" was attested in 1700 when

256-534: A bowling green to the north of the rugby ground, which is used by Cardiff Athletic Bowls Club, which is the bowls section of the Cardiff Athletic Club. The National Stadium also hosted many music concerts including Michael Jackson , Dire Straits , David Bowie , Bon Jovi , The Rolling Stones and U2 . The Cardiff Arms Park site was originally called the Great Park, a swampy meadow behind

384-542: A technical knockout in the 7th round, in what was called the "Battle of Britain". On 30 September 1995, Steve Robinson the World Boxing Organization (WBO) World Featherweight Champion, lost against Prince Naseem Hamed at the rugby ground in 8 rounds. In 1819, Cardiff Cricket Club was formed and by 1848 they had moved to their new home at the Arms Park. Glamorgan County Cricket Club , at

512-636: A 1-1 draw, while the men's game resulted in a 1-0 win for Swansea. In 1958, the British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Cardiff. The event was (to date) the biggest sporting event ever held in Wales; however, it would not have been possible without the financial support given by the WRU and the Cardiff Athletic Club. Both the opening and closing ceremonies took place at Cardiff Arms Park, plus all

640-511: A 20-round contest. Boxing contests were held later on 14 June 1943, 12 August 1944, 4 October 1951 and 10 September 1952. Around 25,000 spectators watched international boxing on 1 October 1993, at the National Stadium with a World Boxing Council (WBC) Heavyweight title bout between Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno . It was the first time that two British-born boxers had fought for the world heavyweight title. Lewis beat Bruno by

768-540: A 20-year contract to play a maximum of 18 games per season for a set fee, rather than per match at Cardiff City Stadium . But on 23 February, it was announced that the two Welsh 'derbies' against the Scarlets and the Ospreys would be played at Cardiff City Stadium, rather than the Arms Park, because of Cardiff Blues' anticipation that the attendance figures would far exceed the maximum capacity of 9,000. On 8 May 2012, it

896-402: A certain rate , which essentially imposes a time limit of sorts on these types of games. In some bat-and-ball sports, there are team penalties designed to ensure the game goes at a faster pace. For example, in various formats of cricket, there are over rate penalties which kick in if a team has bowled too few deliveries within an allotted amount of time, while in some baseball leagues, there

1024-658: A cost of £200 per annum. During 1934 the cricket pavilion had been demolished to make way for the new North Stand which was built on the rugby union ground, costing around £20,000. However, in 1941 the new North Stand and part of the west terracing was badly damaged in the Blitz by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. At a general meeting of the WRU in June 1953 they made a decision "That until such time as

1152-469: A cricket match than dozens of baseball games combined, and while a T10 cricket match generally ends in 90 minutes, a Test cricket batter may bat for hours over several consecutive days. Overall, most bat-and-ball games can be categorized as being baseball-like or cricket-like, with many of them following the same basic outline: This list may not apply to all bat-and-ball games, but covers certain features common to many of them: In cricket and baseball,

1280-583: A crowd of over 3,000 spectators, to see Scotland triumph again, 4 runs to 0. These two games were played to the American code. The 1930s saw American baseball's popularity peak again in Britain with professional teams sharing grounds with soccer clubs (10,000 spectators attending the biggest games), and saw the British team winning the inaugural Baseball World Cup in 1938. The American game was supported by more touring teams from America and Japan; this afforded

1408-408: A designated area, known as the strike zone or wicket ), and must hit the ball so that it is not caught by a fielder before it touches the ground. The most desirable outcome for the batter is generally to hit the ball out of the field, as this results in automatically scoring runs; however, in certain bat-and-ball games, this can result in a penalty against the batter. If the ball is struck into

SECTION 10

#1732793115742

1536-504: A large (35 cm) soft ball. Using the legs: Using the hands: Involving throwing: Cardiff Arms Park Cardiff Arms Park ( Welsh : Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd ), also known as The Arms Park , is situated in the centre of Cardiff , Wales . It is primarily a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green . The Arms Park was host to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958, and hosted four games in

1664-746: A leading sporting goods supplier, to arrange another tour of the United Kingdom by American baseball stars including the Chicago White Stockings . In 1892, in “finding there was so much prejudice against the name” the National Rounders Association and the South Wales Rounders Association dropped ‘rounders’ and replaced this with ‘baseball’. This resulted in the governing body, the National Rounders Association, being known as

1792-558: A match between Newport RFC and Cardiff RFC. The new ground was opened by Lord Ninian Crichton-Stuart . This new development increased the ground capacity to 43,000 and much improved facilities at the ground compared to the earlier stands. In 1922, The 4th Marquess of Bute sold the entire site and it was bought by the Cardiff Arms Park Company Limited for £30,000. It was then leased to the Cardiff Athletic Club (cricket and rugby sections) for 99 years at

1920-471: A mixed reception among players of the British game with some apprehensive the move would end the older game in England. Although British baseball would survive, the American league had a detrimental effect throughout the decade, with players, crowds and backers leaving the sport for a professional career in a game gaining support throughout England. An American league was also established in Cardiff in 1939, but

2048-518: A new North Stand and adjoining convention centre. However, it still has the original requirement on the lease, that the land will only be used for "recreational purposes", as stipulated by the Bute family. But the Arms Park site is a prime piece of real estate in the centre of Cardiff, which means that it may be difficult to sell the land to property developers . The estimated value of the whole Arms Park site could be at least £25 million, although with

2176-610: A number of Exhibition games played in London and teams established in Bristol and Coventry . The 1950s and 1960s saw more dominance for the Welsh international team. Welsh legend Paddy Hennessey made his international debut in the 1957 win over England. He would go on to be widely recognised as a great of the game, and the fastest bowler of the era. The 1964 International saw Hennessey (as captain) demolish his rivals' batting line up for

2304-476: A number of players more notable for their rugby or soccer careers. Welsh Rugby players Viv Huzzey , Terry Holmes , Mark Ring , David Bishop , and Wigan Rugby League legend and record points scorer Jim Sullivan all played the sport, often during rugby's off season. Association footballers include Welshmen John Toshack , George Whitcombe , Terry Yorath , Nathan Blake and Phil Dwyer , and Everton and England football star Dixie Dean . The sport differs in

2432-421: A number of ways from the internationally known game of North American baseball. The rules today are still very much in line with the rules created by the National Rounders Association, between 1887 and 1888. Despite these similarities with cricket, the game is much more like North American baseball in style and operates on a near identical, but smaller, diamond. There are also many similarities to rounders , which

2560-509: A peak between 1889 and 1890, when a national league for that code was formed, the first fully professional baseball league in Britain. The National League of Baseball of Great Britain was created at a meeting at the Criterion, London , alongside the establishment a new baseball association, the new association quickly moved to establish a headquarters at 38 Holborn Viaduct, London. Curiously the National Rounders Association were represented at

2688-550: A permanent return to Cardiff Arms Park following declining attendances at the Cardiff City Stadium. During the 2013 off-season, the pitch at the rugby ground was replaced with an all weather 3G (third generation) artificial turf surface from FieldTurf at a cost of £400,000, intended to prevent any adverse weather conditions from affecting the rugby. An agreement in principle was reached in December 2015 between

SECTION 20

#1732793115742

2816-403: A point where only four clubs remained active: All Saints, Anfield, Breckside and Townsend. The centenary international was held in Cardiff on 19 July 2008, with Wales winning their tenth victory in a row by an innings and 44. As well as the full international, similar internationals are held for 'B' teams and for junior grades. The match was the 83rd international played between the two nations, and

2944-414: A popular summer pursuit among the city's rugby players and the match saw three Cardiff RFC players take the field, including Viv Huzzey , who also represented Wales in rugby union and rugby league . The next international was held in 1914 at Goodison Park , Liverpool. The English won the match in front of 4,000 spectators, but annual internationals would not start until after the war. During World War I

3072-419: A record 16,000 spectators in attendance and Welsh legend Ted Peterson leading Wales to victory. This increasing popularity of the game saw it develop a distinct community appeal. In addition to the now established clubs, churches, stores, factories, and bars would form teams, and the game became the heart of social activities for many, especially in Cardiff. The sport was also enjoying popularity In England, with

3200-505: A record six runs in 30 balls and just nine minutes in front of a crowd of 6,000 at the Maindy Stadium . This record is notable as it would not be surpassed for 50 years, when Wales international Matthew Hopkins managed the same feat for the loss of just one run in the 2014 fixture at Whiteheads Ground, Newport. The record remains one of the longest standing in global sports. The sport gained a new audience in Wales as live coverage of

3328-435: A sufficiently long batting turn; in these circumstances, a rain rule is applied such that any runs scored by the first-batting team are usually devalued. Here are some terms or concepts common to many bat-and-ball games: In the field, there may be: Bat-and-ball games can be played with modified rules in unorthodox places, such as in the street or the backyard. Oftentimes, players are forbidden or penalized for hitting

3456-672: A vicar in Maidstone decried its playing on a Sunday, and referenced in 1744 in the children's book A Little Pretty Pocket-Book where it was called Base-Ball . Jane Austen also included a passing reference to the game in Northanger Abbey . The National Rounders Association were based in Merseyside, England, where in April 1886 they were one of a number of locally based sporting institutions with elected representation onto

3584-605: A visit to Liverpool and noted that “the closer link formed between the English and Welsh baseball authorities would materially help to attain the standard of a national pastime”. Welsh baseball was by now notable for its female participation, which had begun during the First World War among the young women working in factories. A women's league was set up in Cardiff in 1922 and in 1926 the first women's international match took place between Wales and England. By September 1922

3712-417: Is a pitch clock that penalizes batters and pitchers for taking too much time between pitches. Bat-and-ball games are played until: Ties can be dealt with in several ways: When one of the teams is not leading and only they have completed all of their allotted batting turns, this allows the other team to win automatically by surpassing the number of runs scored by the first team. In cricket, this situation

3840-524: Is often considered a transitional game between cricket and baseball. The basic concepts of British baseball cross-blend the basic concepts of cricket and the more standard versions of rounders. The sport is the subject of a song, "The Baseball Song", by The Hennessys , from their album Cardiff After Dark . Related sports: Rounders  • Welsh baseball Bat-and-ball games Bat-and-ball games , or safe haven games , are field games played by two opposing teams. Action starts when

3968-511: Is played every 3 years. At the domestic level, baseball tends to be played in leagues with 2 major divisions, with the playoffs being contested in a best-of-seven format. T20 leagues in cricket tend to have 6 to 8 teams and follow the Page playoff system (two semi-finals, with an additional match played to determine which team enters the second semi-final, followed by a final). Notable bat-and-ball games include: Gilli Danda (which

British baseball - Misplaced Pages Continue

4096-405: Is referred to as a " run chase ", with the "target" of the batting team being the number of runs scored by the other team plus one. In baseball, the home team can be considered to be chasing, with the aim of scoring the " walk-off " (winning) runs, when they are not leading anytime after the eighth inning , as a regulation game sees the trailing team bat at least nine times and the teams alternating

4224-400: Is related to several other traditional games in other parts of the world) is a South Asian game with similarities to baseball and cricket. The aim of the game is for the batter to knock a stick on the ground up into the air using a stick held in the hand, and then to hit the airborne stick as far as possible. The batter is out if the stick is caught by a player on the other team before it touches

4352-698: Is situated in the corner of the ground between the South Stand and the Westgate Street end. The South Stand of the rugby ground formed a complete unit with the North Stand of the National Stadium. Now the same structure of the South Stand of the rugby ground is also physically attached to the North Stand of the Millennium Stadium. This section is known colloquially as Glanmor's Gap, after Glanmor Griffiths, former chair and President of

4480-461: Is used instead of the 'timmy'. Runs are scored individually to the striker, and collectively to the side; a run for each base that the striker succeeds in reaching without stopping. The ball must be delivered over the striking base above the knee and below the head to be a 'good ball'; two bad balls count one point to the opposite side. The threat of the American code of baseball in Britain reached

4608-401: The 1991 Rugby World Cup , including the third-place play-off. The Arms Park also hosted the inaugural Heineken Cup Final of 1995–96 and the following year in 1996–97 . The history of the rugby ground begins with the first stands appearing for spectators in the ground in 1881–1882. Originally the Arms Park had a cricket ground to the north and a rugby union stadium to the south. By 1969,

4736-427: The British Empire , cricket slowly emerged as the game of choice for the colonizers to spread their culture and values among the colonized. Some of the colonized people adapted to playing cricket in order to win the favor of the British, while in other cases, colonized peoples played cricket as a way of beating the British at their own sports, and thus proving themselves as equals. This helped to cement cricket as part of

4864-488: The South Wales Valleys ), as the game allows for mixed gender participation, is easy to understand, and can be adapted to accommodate a high number of players. Among those who achieved fame through their baseball exploits were Ted Peterson , whose international appearances stretched from the 1930s to 1960s, and Paddy Hennessey , renowned for his fast bowling. The sport's appeal to winter footballers attracted

4992-463: The colonial era by English immigrants who played games similar to rounders ; at the time, cricket was significantly more popular in the United States, since it was one of the main sports throughout the British Empire. However, the main format of cricket was first-class cricket , in which games lasted multiple days; baseball by comparison was a game that lasted less than two hours. Because of

5120-566: The national stadium of Wales. The rugby ground has remained the home of the semi-professional Cardiff RFC yet the professional Cardiff Blues regional rugby union team moved to the Cardiff City Stadium in 2009, but returned three years later. The site is owned by Cardiff Athletic Club and has been host to many sports, apart from rugby union and cricket; they include athletics, association football, greyhound racing , tennis, British baseball and boxing . The site also has

5248-552: The "recreational use" requirement, its actual value could be a lot less than that figure. A decision by Cardiff Athletic Club on the future of the Arms Park has yet to be made. In 2011, the Cardiff Blues regional rugby union team made a £6 million bid for the Arms Park, later the WRU made an increased bid of £10 million for the site. Both bids were rejected by the trustees of the Cardiff Athletic Club. However, in 2012 Cardiff Blues announced that they would be making

British baseball - Misplaced Pages Continue

5376-484: The 18th-century games played in England . The teams alternate between "batting" (offensive role), sometimes called "in at bat" or simply in , and "fielding" (defensive role), also called "out in the field" or out . Only the batting team may score, but teams have equal opportunities in both roles. The game is counted rather than timed. The action starts when a player on the fielding team (the "bowler" or "pitcher") puts

5504-592: The All Blacks. After the success of the 1971 Lions tour , which captured the imagination of the whole country, it was an opportunity to bring a lot of that side together again. Gareth Edwards The National Stadium is best known as the venue for what is considered to be " the greatest try ever scored " by Gareth Edwards for the Barbarians against New Zealand in what is also called "the greatest match ever played" on 27 January 1973. The final result

5632-663: The Cardiff Arms Hotel. The hotel was built by Sir Thomas Morgan , during the reign of Charles I . Cardiff Arms Park was named after this hotel. From 1803, the Cardiff Arms Hotel and the Park had become the property of the Bute family. The Arms Park soon became a popular place for sporting events, and by 1848, Cardiff Cricket Club was using the site for its cricket matches. However, by 1878, Cardiff Arms Hotel had been demolished. The 3rd Marquess of Bute stipulated that

5760-556: The Cardiff Athletic Club, so they purchased about 80 acres (320,000 m ) of land at Island Farm in Bridgend , which was previously used as a prisoner-of-war camp . It is best known for being the camp where the biggest escape attempt was made by German prisoners of war in Great Britain during the Second World War. Due to problems including transport issues Glamorgan County Council never gave outline planning permission for

5888-683: The Cardiff and Newport areas. As the number of amateur clubs expanded in Cardiff , Newport and Merseyside a Wales-England fixture was proposed to promote the sport further. The inaugural international match was held on 3 August 1908 at the Harlequins Ground in Roath, Cardiff (St Peter's RFC). Wales won the match 122–118 with batsmen and captain Lew Lewis hitting a number of balls 'over the house tops'. The game in Cardiff had already become

6016-640: The English Baseball Association and the South Wales Rounders Association becoming the South Wales Baseball Association, who at their annual meeting in Newport, in 1893, "decided to continue to play under English rules". By the end of the 1892 season, baseball teams from Liverpool and Lancashire were invited to play matches at Cardiff Arms Park with the express purpose of popularising "the improved version of

6144-541: The English Baseball Association organised an international fixture, whereby England took on Canada at the Police Athletic Ground in the Fairfield area of Liverpool. This game was advertised to have been ‘American baseball’. The game continued to gain popularity during the interwar period and was an "integral part of local culture" in Cardiff and Newport. Schoolboy leagues were established, and Cardiff saw

6272-557: The English Baseball Association signed an agreement to travel to Edinburgh in 1935, to begin the process of introducing the game into Scotland, though a number of well known Scottish players such as Billy Lamont, Charlie Moore and Donald MacKinlay were already playing in leagues in Liverpool. In the first game, the Scottish defeated the English at Edinburgh by 24 runs to 3, with over 5,000 in attendance. The return game at Bootle attracted

6400-411: The English Baseball Association were keen on keeping baseball ticking over in the Liverpool region, despite a lack of experienced players. In February 1916 the annual meeting was held, with the primary topic of discussion being efforts to utilise munitions workers and others to supplement existing teams, and the English Baseball Association organised games to raise funds for the war effort. In August 1918

6528-509: The Games about the state of the pitch. On 4 December 1960, due to torrential rain, the River Taff burst its banks with the Arms Park pitch being left under 4 feet (1.2 m) of water. The Development Committee was set up to resolve these issues on a permanent basis. They looked at various sites in Cardiff, but they all proved to be unsatisfactory. They also could not agree a solution with

SECTION 50

#1732793115742

6656-436: The National Stadium in a World Cup qualifying match , which ended goalless. It was also the first ever international football match held in Great Britain that was watched by all-seater spectators. The adjoining Cardiff Rugby Club ground has also been used for Association Football. In July 1995, Ton Pentre played two Intertoto Cup games there, against Heerenveen (Netherlands) and Uniao Leiria (Portugal) as their own ground

6784-685: The National Stadium, but it no longer uses the Arms Park name. Since 2016 it has been known as the Principality Stadium. Only the rugby ground and the Cardiff Athletic Bowls Club now use the name Cardiff Arms Park. The rugby ground has two main stands, the North Stand and the South Stand. Both the Stands have terracing below seating . The other stands in the ground are the Westgate Street end Family Stand, which has rows of seating below executive boxes , plus

6912-403: The South Wales Rounders Association. The rules of the new game, created by the National Rounders Association were as follows. "The bases are four, and the runs are made to the right. Eleven is the correct number of players, as at cricket, the bowler, man behind batsmen, longstop, one at each of the bases and cover bases. A regulation bat, not to exceed 30 inches in length or 3 1/2 inches in breadth,

7040-402: The U.S. Beaufort and U.S. Jupiter. British baseball matches have also regularly taken place at the Arms Park and hosted the annual England versus Wales international game every four years. The games are now usually held at Roath Park . The first boxing contest held at the Arms Park was on 24 January 1914, when Bombardier Billy Wells beat Gaston Pigot by a knockout in the first round of

7168-496: The WRU. The new South Stand opened in 1956, in time for the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. This brought the overall capacity of the Arms Park up to 60,000 spectators, of which 12,800 were seated and the remainder standing. The Arms Park hosted the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, which was used for the athletics events, but this event caused damage to the drainage system, so much so, that other rugby unions ( England , Scotland and Ireland ) complained after

7296-484: The WRU. This came about because the WRU were unable to secure enough funding to include the North Stand in the Millennium Stadium, and the National Lottery Commission would not provide any additional funds to be used for the construction of a new ground for Cardiff RFC. The Millennium Stadium was therefore built with the old reinforced concrete structure of the National Stadium (North Stand) and

7424-486: The Welsh men's league and cup fixtures were abandoned mid-season due to a lack of players at some member clubs. Since then the men's game has continued through ad-hoc fixtures. The women's league remains in operation. Subsequent years have seen the Welsh Baseball Union working with local councils to reintroduce the sport into high schools. This has seen the sport played beyond its traditional areas (especially

7552-536: The Welsh teams a chance to test themselves against the more widely appreciated (and often professional) American teams. In one such game on August 27, 1938, the Penylan club side beat the London Americans at Cardiff Arms Park. The contest saw one innings under "Welsh" rules, and three innings under U.S. rules. The decade also saw further moves to establish American baseball on Merseyside. The moves met with

7680-404: The agreement, the bowls section would have to vacate its current site at the Arms Park and move to a new facility. At present Cardiff Blues pay Cardiff Athletic Club rent of around £115,000 per annum, however this would nearly double to around £200,000. Cardiff Arms Park is best known as a rugby union stadium, but Cardiff Athletic Bowls Club (CABC) was established in 1923, and ever since then,

7808-499: The average MLB game had gone from being two hours long to about three hours long, so the two sports now had formats that were of a comparable duration. Later on, the T10 format of cricket, in which games last less than two hours, emerged at a domestic level, with leagues being started for it in several major cricket-playing countries. There is a great deal of variation among bat-and-ball games; for example, more runs are generally scored in

SECTION 60

#1732793115742

7936-528: The ball in play with a delivery whose restriction depends on the game. A player on the batting team attempts to strike the delivered ball, commonly with a "bat", which is a club whose dimensions and other aspects are governed by the rules of the game. If the ball is not fairly delivered to the batter (i.e. not thrown within his reach), then penalties generally occur that help the batting team score. The batter generally has an obligation to hit certain balls that are delivered within his reach (i.e. balls aimed at

8064-611: The ball out of the field into an area where it would be hard to reach, and play may be modified so as to ensure all players have an opportunity to participate, such as in Kwik cricket . At the international level, the World Baseball Classic is the premier baseball tournament. For cricket, the ODI World Cup , ICC T20 World Cup , and ICC World Test Championship are the premier tournaments. The Pesäpallo World Cup

8192-675: The ball; these variations may also give the batter possession of the ball at the start of each play, eliminating the defensive team's role in starting the action. A prominent example of this is Baseball5 , one of the main sporting disciplines governed by the World Baseball Softball Confederation along with baseball and softball . The history of baseball's formation and rise in popularity took place in England (potentially influenced by or descended from games played in continental Europe ) and then America. Predecessors of baseball were brought to America during

8320-513: The bases. The movement between those "safe havens" is governed by the rules of the particular sport. The game ends when the losing team has completed the maximum number of innings (batting/scoring turns), which may range from 1 (as in limited-overs cricket ) to 9 (as in baseball) or more. Ties are generally broken (if at all) by allowing each team to have an additional turn to score. Some variations of bat-and-ball games do not feature bats, with batters instead using parts of their bodies to hit

8448-432: The batter (such as Schlagball ), but may (like baseball) restrict batters from hitting the ball behind themselves or too far to the side; see foul territory . Bat-and-ball sports can be modified to be played in an indoor court. For example, indoor cricket takes place in a 30 by 12 metres (98 ft × 39 ft) facility, while Baseball5 is played on a 21 metres (69 ft)-square field. In baseball-like games,

8576-480: The batter occupying the next previous base.” The Athletic News reported, in June 1927, that a British Cup was being considered, between the finalists of the English Baseball Association and Welsh Baseball Union championships. By 1927 the English Baseball Association had three divisions, with a total of 23 clubs across Merseyside and attendances were outstripping those at greyhound racing stadiums. A number of international rugby, football and cricket players were taking up

8704-435: The batting, with the home team always batting last. In addition to the number of runs a team won by over their opponents, other factors which are relevant to determining which team wins, such as the number of outs or legal deliveries that were remaining in the batting team's turn (if they won/there was a limit on either resource), can be included with the statement of the result. The result may also mention how many more times

8832-550: The club has used the Arms Park as its bowling green. The bowls club is a section of the Cardiff Athletic Club and shares many of the facilities of the Cardiff Arms Park athletics centre. The Les Spence Memorial Gates were erected in memory of the former Cardiff RFU player, who captained the team in 1936–37. He was born in 1907 and became chairman of the Cardiff RFU and president of the WRU between 1973 and 1974. He

8960-629: The club shop, and the River Taff end (the Barry Nelmes Suite, named after Barry Nelmes , the former Cardiff RFC captain), which has 26 executive boxes. The rugby ground has two main entrances, the south entrance, and the Gwyn Nicholls Memorial Gates ( Angel Hotel entrance), which was unveiled on 26 December 1949 in honour of the Welsh international rugby player Gwyn Nicholls . The Cardiff Athletic Clubhouse

9088-697: The country; thus, several professional cricket players switched to playing baseball, and cricket faded away in America. Baseball then began to spread throughout the Pacific Rim and the Americas, supported by the contemporary westward expansion of the United States. Over time, several variations of baseball appeared, with some being informal ( kickball ), others becoming professional sports in their own right ( softball ), and some even taking root overseas ( pesäpallo ). In other countries that were part of

9216-551: The cricket ground had been demolished to make way for the present day rugby ground to the north and a second rugby stadium to the south, called the National Stadium . The National Stadium, which was used by Wales national rugby union team , was officially opened on 7 April 1984, however in 1997 it was demolished to make way for the Millennium Stadium in 1999, which hosted the 1999 Rugby World Cup and became

9344-492: The defending team throws a ball at a dedicated player of the attacking team, who tries to hit it with a bat and then run between various safe areas in the field to score runs (points). The defending team can use the ball in various ways against the attacking team's players to force them off the field ("get them out") when they are not in safe zones, and thus prevent them from further scoring. The best known modern bat-and-ball games are cricket and baseball , with common roots in

9472-452: The defensive team deliver the ball to the batter, is not crucial. These games use the foot or hand to hit the ball, and make it significantly easier to hit the ball overall, either by placing significant restrictions on the way the defensive team delivers the ball to the batter, or by giving the batter possession of the ball at the start of each play. Otherwise their rules may be similar or even identical to baseball or cricket. The first two use

9600-646: The directorate of the Liverpool Athletic Grounds Company Ltd. Calls were made to follow the success of other working class sports such as football , on Merseyside, and rugby in Wales to adopt a distinct set of rules and bureaucracy. The National Rounders Association were one of a number of national organisations supported by the National Physical Recreation society, created in 1886 with Herbert Gladstone as President, "to promote physical recreation amongst

9728-419: The facilities at Swansea were improved, all international matches be played at Cardiff". At the same time, plans were made for a new South Stand which was estimated to cost £60,000; the tender price, however, came out at £90,000, so a compromise was made and it was decided to build a new upper South Stand costing £64,000 instead, with the Cardiff Athletic Club contributing £15,000 and the remainder coming from

9856-436: The field, then the batter may become a runner trying to reach a safe haven or "base"/" ground ". While in contact with a base, the runner is "safe" from the fielding team and in a position to score runs. Leaving a safe haven places the runner in danger of being put out (eliminated). The teams switch roles when the fielding team 'puts out'/'gets out' enough of the batting team's players, which varies by game. In modern baseball,

9984-630: The fielders (also known as "position players") operate in a standard set of baseball positions because it is generally possible to cover most of the field by spacing the fielders out in certain ways. By contrast, the significantly larger cricket field has many possible cricket fielding positions , with the 11 fielders occupying the slips cordon behind the batter, or other areas of the field. T20 cricket and baseball both last about 3 hours, while other forms of cricket can last either multiple days or less than three hours . Informal bat-and-ball games may take place in shorter periods of time, and in general,

10112-556: The fielders put three players out . In cricket, they "dismiss" all players but one, though in some forms of cricket, there is a limit on the number of deliveries (scoring opportunities) that each team can have, such that the fielding team can become the batting team without getting anyone out. In many forms of early American baseball ( townball , roundball), a single out ended the inning. Some games permit multiple runners and some have multiple bases to run in sequence. Batting may occur, and running begin (and potentially end), at one of

10240-410: The first base, and the batting side shall have a bye recorded in their favour. If the first base, at the time, is occupied by another batter, that batter should go to second base. If two or three bases are occupied by batters at the time, each batter shall proceed to his next base, the batter at third base reaching home; but no batter at second or third base shall go to his next base except to make way for

10368-438: The first schoolgirls league. In July 1921 there were efforts for the establishment of a National Baseball Council, where members of the English Baseball Association and South Wales Baseball Association met to discuss the formation of the new governing body. In March 1922 the first annual meeting of the newly formed Welsh Baseball Union was held at Grange YMCA, succeeding the South Wales Baseball Association. The new body quickly made

10496-485: The first time and the 1925 fixture at the Police Athletic Ground, Liverpool, saw a crowd of 12,000. In September 1925 it was reported in the Liverpool Echo that a “revolutionary change in bowling” was being mulled over by the English Baseball Association. The new proposed rule would be “that when the bowler has sent up the third bad ball before he has sent up the second good ball, the batter shall be allowed to go to

10624-728: The game and Everton and Liverpool football clubs were heavily involved. Finally, in May 1929, the rules of the English Baseball Association were copyrighted. The growth of the international fixture had brought increased scrutiny on the game's arbitration and rules, as such the English Baseball Association and the Welsh Baseball Union formed the International Baseball Board to oversee the internationals in 1927. Finally, in May 1929,

10752-409: The game at a later date. In cricket, however, which is generally played to only one or two batting turns per team, a match may not be callable for the simple reason that only one of the teams has had the chance to score so far. However, cricket matches that are interrupted by rain can still be considered completable so long as there is enough time left in the match to allow the second-batting team to face

10880-408: The genuine or regular baseball rules”, with a match each in Liverpool and Derby. By 1894 the Liverpool and District Baseball League was established and the game was flourishing on Merseyside and parts of Lancashire and South Wales. In April 1899, at the annual meeting of the English Baseball Association in Liverpool, it was resolved that the rules of the game would be changed, to speed up play and tackle

11008-451: The ground against Lydney Cricket Club on 17 September 1966. Both Cardiff Cricket Club and Glamorgan then moved to a new ground at Sophia Gardens on the opposite bank of the River Taff to the Arms Park following work on the creation of the national rugby stadium. The first first-class cricket match to be held on the ground was between West of England and East of England, on 20 June 1910. In all more than 240 first-class matches were played on

11136-414: The ground could only be used for "recreational purposes". At that time Cardiff Arms Park had a cricket ground to the north and a rugby union ground to the south. 1881–2 saw the first stands for spectators; they held 300 spectators and cost £50. The architect was Archibald Leitch , who also designed Ibrox Stadium and Old Trafford . In 1890, new standing areas were constructed along the entire length of

11264-463: The ground, all but two involving Glamorgan as the home team. Only one List A cricket match was played on the ground, Glamorgan's Gillette Cup fixture against Somerset on 22 May 1963. Greyhound racing took place at the Arms Park for fifty years from 1927 until 1977. In 1876, the Cardiff RFC was formed and soon after they also used the park. On 12 April 1884, the first international match

11392-560: The ground, with additional stands erected in 1896. By 1912, the Cardiff Football Ground, as it was then known, had a new south stand and temporary stands on the north, east and west ends of the ground. The south stand was covered, while the north terrace was initially without a roof. The improvements were partly funded by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU). The opening ceremony took place on 5 October 1912, with

11520-407: The ground. Points are earned either based on the distance the stick travels, or by the batter running to a designated area while the fielders collect the batted stick and throw it back to the hitting area to try to get the batter out. The game ends after each team has batted once, with each team batting until all of its players are out. Striking the ball with a "bat" or any type of stick, or having

11648-466: The international fixture and some club matches became a feature of Welsh television in the 1970s and 1980s, but the last decades of the century were generally characterised by a continued decline in attendances and participation. In 1989 reserves of the long used worsted made Webber ball were exhausted, following the manufacturer Jaques of London , ceasing production. Various American made balls were tried out but found to be heavier and slightly larger than

11776-494: The landlord of the stadium site ( Cardiff Athletic Club ) and its tenant (Cardiff Blues) to give the club a 150-year lease on the stadium site. This could see the redevelopment of the Arms Park, including a new 15,000 seater stadium at 90 degrees to the existing stadium costing between £20 million and £30 million and surrounded by new offices and apartments. If the final agreement goes ahead, Cardiff Athletic Club would receive an upfront payment of approximately £8 million. As part of

11904-404: The losing team batted than the winning team. In some circumstances (e.g. bad weather), a complete game may not be possible in its originally envisioned timeframe because of weather or other reasons. In baseball-like games, which generally have many innings, it is possible to call the result of a game after both teams have batted only a few of their scheduled turns, or otherwise to finish/replay

12032-481: The match 33–26. The game (between the Barbarians and the New Zealand All Blacks) is one I will never forget and those of us who played in it will never be allowed to forget. It is a match that will live with me forever. People tend only to remember the first four minutes of the game because of the try, but what they forgot is the great deal of good rugby played afterwards, much of which came from

12160-485: The meeting. This was the third attempt by American backers to establish their influence over bat and ball games in Britain, in the 1870s, baseball teams from the United States, including the Boston Red Stockings and Philadelphia Athletics , toured the United Kingdom but with limited success. In 1889 the wealthy Albert Goodwill Spalding used his position as a former star player of the American code, and as

12288-515: The national culture of several countries that later won their independence from the British. In 1971, the ODI (One Day International) format of cricket was first played internationally; the ODI format shortened cricket from a five-day long game ( Test cricket ) to a one-day long game. In 2003, a new format of cricket called T20 cricket emerged which was designed to last only about three hours. By this time,

12416-539: The need for better officiating of games was recognised and the Umpire’s Association was formed. In an effort to spread the native baseball rules exhibition games were organised by the English Baseball Association, in London, in 1924. Liverpool and Scotland international Donald McKinlay was one of the baseball players on show. The crowd at the 1924 Cardiff Arms Park men's international reached 10,000 spectators for

12544-446: The new steel Millennium Stadium structure built around it. There was doubt about the future of the Arms Park after 2010 following the move of the Cardiff Blues to the Cardiff City Stadium . Cardiff RFC Ltd, the company that runs Cardiff Blues and Cardiff RFC, still has a 15-year lease on the Arms Park, but talks are underway to release the rugby club from the terms of the lease, to enable the Millennium Stadium to be redeveloped with

12672-515: The now codified rules of this new sport were discussed and it was noted that "the National Rounders Association is the authority". It was also noted that the National Physical Recreation society had supplied a copy of the rules of this new game to the author and "the present mode of playing the game is a great improvement on the old style". In South Wales the game fully took hold in 1889, four clubs were created in South Wales who in 1890 then formed

12800-811: The old-fashioned game of rounders". In May 1892, it was reported that the Gloucestershire Rounders Association had become the Gloucester English Baseball Association, with leagues already under way. By June 1892 baseball in Gloucestershire was in full swing, but ultimately this was a short lived enterprise. In June 1892 Newton Crane, the President of the National Baseball Association (the body responsible for

12928-771: The overseeing of the American rules of baseball in Great Britain) wrote an open letter in the Liverpool Mercury, stating that Derby Baseball Club had accepted the challenge of the Chief Executive Officer of the National Rounders Association (by now renamed as the English Baseball Association), that a team of the best British baseball players in the country could defeat a team of the best ‘American rules’ baseball players in Britain. The matches would “be played according to

13056-410: The playing field is large (at the highest levels of each sport, the minimum distance between the two furthest ends of the field is about 400 to 500 feet (120 to 150 m) ), and is divided into an infield and outfield (based on proximity to the batting area). Cricket has the delivery and hitting of the ball done in the same area where the batters can run (the cricket pitch ), while baseball does

13184-535: The possibility of a team's batters getting out rapidly in succession makes it theoretically possible for certain periods of play in most bat-and-ball games to end quicker than usual, with the opposite also being possible in some cases. Both baseball and cricket can theoretically go forever, since baseball games end only after a certain number of outs and innings in cricket can be prolonged by illegal deliveries ; however, in limited overs cricket , fielding teams are penalized if they do not bowl enough legal deliveries at

13312-468: The professional American game ended with the outbreak of war, and would never regain such widespread popularity. Although internationals ceased during wartime, sides would stage successful games with the crews of American warships using either American or Welsh rules. Home victories emboldened the local's belief in the ability of the Welsh players. This pride and belief was evident when the annual internationals resumed in 1948 at Cardiff's Castle Grounds, with

13440-431: The proposals and by June 1964 the scheme was abandoned. At that stage, the cricket ground to the north was still being used by Glamorgan County Cricket Club , and the rugby union ground to the south was used by the national Wales team and Cardiff RFC. By 7 October 1966, the first floodlit game was held at Cardiff Arms Park, a game in which Cardiff RFC beat the Barbarians by 12 points to 8. The National Stadium, which

13568-577: The rugby ground hosted all the games in Pool A of the 2008 IRB Junior World Championship and also the semi-final on 18 June 2008, in which England beat South Africa 26–18. Until February 2012, it had been assumed that the last professional rugby union game to take place at the Arms Park was on 17 May 2009, when Edinburgh beat the Cardiff Blues 36–14 in a Celtic League match during the 2008–09 season. However, on Tuesday, 7 February 2012, it

13696-491: The rules of the English Baseball Association were copyrighted, emphasising their role in the birth of the codified sport and their governorship of the rules that controlled the game. The Great Depression saw further increases in the number of clubs and players, and local club matches would attract thousands of spectators as community sports provided a welcome distraction during a turbulent period. The Cardiff & District League boasted 37 teams by 1929, 19 of which were based in

13824-445: The running in a separate area. The distance between the two batsmen's grounds in cricket (the areas that batsmen run between to score runs) is 58 feet (18 m) (though batsmen may run slightly less distance, since they are allowed to use their bats to touch their grounds), while the distance between bases in baseball is 90 feet (27 m) and in softball is 60 feet (18 m). Most bat-and-ball games have playing area in front of

13952-586: The site. Construction involved the demolition of a number of buildings, primarily the existing National Stadium, Wales Empire Pool in Wood Street, Cardiff Empire Telephone Exchange building and the newly built Territorial Auxiliary and Volunteer Reserve building both in Park Street, and the Social Security offices in Westgate Street. The Millennium Stadium is now on roughly two-thirds of

14080-416: The stadium was demolished to make way for the new Millennium Stadium . Thirteen years after the National Stadium had opened in 1984, it was considered too small and did not have the facilities required of the time and it was demolished and a new stadium, the Millennium Stadium, was built in its place (completed to a north–south alignment and opened in June 1999). This would become the fourth redevelopment on

14208-402: The third-place play-off. The National Stadium was also host to the inaugural Heineken Cup final of 1995–96 when Toulouse beat Cardiff RFC by 21–18 after extra time, in front of 21,800 spectators. The following final in 1996–97 was also held at the National Stadium, this time it was between Brive and Leicester Tigers . Brive won the match 28–9, in front of a crowd of 41,664. In 2008,

14336-564: The time not a first-class county, played their first match at the ground in June 1869 against Monmouthshire Cricket Club . The county club played their first County Championship match on the ground in 1921, competing there every season (except while first-class cricket was suspended during the Second World War) until their final match on the ground against Somerset in August 1966. Cardiff Cricket Club played their final game at

14464-578: The track and field events, on what had been the greyhound track. It would turn out to be the last time that South Africa would participate in the Games until 1994. South Africa withdrew from the Commonwealth Games in 1961. Baseball was established early on in Cardiff, and one of the earliest of games to be held at the Arms Park was on 18 May 1918. It was a charity match in aid of the Prisoner of War Fund between Welsh and American teams of

14592-531: The traditional ball. The international fixture continued to draw interest with BBC Cymru Wales broadcast highlights of the international game until the 1990s; by then the match was seen as a curiosity with radio and TV features the limit of its national exposure. The prospect of watching Wales' star rugby players play the game also ended in 1995 with the introduction of professional contracts , ceasing their unsanctioned participation in other sports. By 2006 participation levels in England had slumped considerably to

14720-426: The vast difference in the duration of the two sports and for other reasons, such as the rising American desire to have some type of national game distinct from England's games, baseball began to grow in America, especially among some of the non-English demographics. Some attempts were made to nativize cricket in a way that would reduce its length and other perceived disadvantages relative to baseball; one example of this

14848-515: The working class areas of Splott and Grangetown alone. In the inter-war years British baseball had a short lived foothold in on the island of Ireland, leading to the formation of an Irish Baseball Union, who organised for a team to travel to Liverpool to play in their first ever international game against England, in June 1933. The team included players from St. Mary's, St. Oswald's, British and Irish, Hibernians, Independent and Connaught ball clubs. England won by an innings and 42 runs. In October 1934

14976-564: The working classes". The National Rounders Association duly created a new game, drawing on the much older game of rounders but with new rules that they hoped would appeal to adults. With plans to spread this new game across the entire United Kingdom, Gloucester adopted the sport in 1887, with the Gloucester Rounders Association formed in 1888. In a June 1888 edition of the South Wales Daily News,

15104-403: The “waiting tactics adopted by batsmen”. The change would see batters face two “good balls” instead of three, and that on the third “good ball” the batter would get an “extra” ball. In 1905 the South Wales Baseball Association had just fifteen member clubs, by 1921 the game had become ubiquitous in its heartland cities, with the newly renamed Welsh Baseball Union comprising sixty clubs, all within

15232-565: Was wicket , an American variation of cricket which could be played in an afternoon. But by the time of the 1860s Civil War , baseball had begun to overtake cricket in popularity; one reason for this was that troops during the Civil War preferred to play baseball, as it did not require a specialized playing surface like the cricket pitch . After the Civil War, baseball became a much more organized sport than cricket in America, with more money and competition available to baseball players across

15360-435: Was Wales' 61st victory; England had won 20 and two games were declared draws due to inclement weather (1957 and 1998). Spectator numbers were reported to be between 1,000 and 2,000. The annual England versus Wales fixture continued until 2015 when England withdrew, unable to field enough players. The end of the international fixture (and the exposure it brought the game) had a dramatic effect on player numbers in Wales. By 2017,

15488-421: Was a win for the Barbarians. The score, 23–11, which translates to 27–13 in today's scoring system. The scorers were: Barbarians: Tries : Gareth Edwards , Fergus Slattery , John Bevan , J P R Williams ; Conversions : Phil Bennett (2); Penalty : Phil Bennett. All Blacks: Tries: Grant Batty (2); Penalty: Joseph Karam . The National Stadium hosted four games in the 1991 Rugby World Cup , including

15616-716: Was announced that Cardiff Blues would be returning to the Arms Park on a permanent basis after just three years at the Cardiff City Stadium . On 23 May 2014, the rugby ground hosted the final of the 2013–14 Amlin Challenge Cup in which Northampton Saints beat Bath 30–16. Cardiff Arms Park hosted matches of the 1991 Rugby World Cup . South Wales Scorpions played a Rugby League Championship 1 match against London Skolars at Cardiff Arms Park on Sunday, 27 July 2014 and on Sunday 10 May 2015 at Cardiff Arms Park, South Wales Scorpions took on North Wales Crusaders . The 2015 European Cup match between France and Wales

15744-488: Was awarded an MBE and died in 1988. The club has produced two Welsh international bowlers; Mr. C Standfast in 1937 and Mr. B Hawkins who represented Wales in the 1982 World Pairs and captained Wales in 1982 and 1984. The Riverside Football Club, founded in 1899, played some matches at the Arms Park until 1910, when they moved to Ninian Park , and later became Cardiff City Football Club . On 31 May 1989, Wales played its first international game against West Germany at

15872-434: Was confirmed that Cardiff Blues would face Connacht at the Arms Park on Friday, 10 February 2012. The Pro12 League game result was a win for the Cardiff Blues 22–15 and attendance of 8,000. The following Tuesday, it was announced that the match against Ulster on Friday, 17 February, would also be at the Arms Park, resulting in a Blues win, 21–14 and attendance of 8,600. The agreement signed during 2009 tied Cardiff Blues to

16000-515: Was held at Cardiff Arms Park on Friday on 30 October 2015. On 11 April it was announced Cardiff Arms Park would be the new home ground of the Women's Betfred Super League South team Cardiff Demons. The inaugural league champions will play all home games at the stadium during the 2022 season. The highest attendance for a rugby league game at the Arms Park was recorded on 8 June 1996 during the first Super League season when 6,708 saw St. Helens defeat

16128-508: Was not suitable. The Heerenveen game - the first ever soccer match to be played there - kicked off at 6pm on Saturday 1 July 1995 and resulted in the Dutch side winning 7–0. The Wales U-21 team have also played a home game there in the late 1990s. On 5 April 2017, the ground was used to host the men's and women's football matches as part of the 2017 Welsh Varsity , between Cardiff University and Swansea University . The women's game finished in

16256-630: Was played at the ground between Wales and Ireland , when 5,000 people watched Wales beat Ireland by two tries and a drop goal to nil. The Arms Park rugby ground became the permanent home of the Wales national rugby union team in 1964. Later, the National Stadium was also home to the WRU Challenge Cup from 1972 until the match held at the Stadium on 26 April 1997, at a much reduced capacity, between Cardiff RFC and Swansea RFC . Cardiff RFC won

16384-525: Was previously known as the Welsh National Rugby Ground, was designed by Osborne V Webb & Partners and built by G A Williamson & Associates of Porthcawl and Andrew Scott & Company of Port Talbot . In 1969 construction began on the stadium which replaced the existing rugby ground built in 1881. The stadium was home to the Wales national rugby union team since 1964 and the Wales national football team since 1989. In 1997

#741258