TWO TRAILBLAZING TAPEBALL TEAMS FROM BRISTOL REACH SEMI-FINALS IN ECB’S FLAGSHIP NATIONAL TAPEBALL COMPETITION.
This weekend the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) Cricket Cities National Tapeball Competition took place at the Emirates Old Trafford Stadium. 32 teams from across England made their way to Manchester to battle it out to see who be crowned this year’s champions, 15 Women’s Teams played on the Saturday, and 17 Men’s Teams played on the Sunday.
As a Cricket City, Bristol was invited by the ECB to enter teams into the competition, now in its second year. The newly formed Women’s Team, Bristol Bashers, and the Men’s Team, Bristol Badshahs, made the journey to the city to represent Bristol.
What is Tapeball Cricket?
Tapeball is a widely accessible format of cricket. Originating in Karachi, Pakistan, the casual version of the game has expanded across the globe, continuing to gain popularity, particularly within South Asian communities.
The game is centred around a taped-up tennis ball, which creates swing and bounce variations on any surface. This means it can be played anywhere, both indoor or outdoor, with no need for protective equipment like helmets or pads.
Teams are made up of 6 to 8 players, depending on the space, with each team bowling 8 overs of 5 balls. 7 players in each team must bowl. There are no LBWs, and wides and no balls are 3 runs. If playing indoors, runs can be made off the walls and so can catches, but they must be one handed.
Fast-paced competition
Amongst the music and Dhol drums, a fast-paced competition took place at the Old Trafford Indoor Cricket Centre. With only two games to play in the group stages, there was little margin for error. However, despite this being the first time the Bristol Bashers had played together in a competition, they reached the semi-finals.
The Bristol Badshahs, most of whom had played tapeball together as children at the Chance to Shine Street hub in Easton, played some outstanding cricket, winning their two group games, only to be beaten in the semi-finals right on the last ball.
The ECB organised an outstanding event over the weekend that brought over 300 people of different cultural backgrounds together through music, food and of course cricket.
What next?
As part of the ECB’s Cricket Cities initiative, the Gloucestershire Cricket Foundation are now building an indoor Tapeball League for women and men.
If you would like to find out more about Tapeball Cricket, contact Jen Muckle, the Diverse Communities Manager.
Mobile: 07534 541945
You can watch all of the action from the men’s tournament on YouTube from the links below.
The women’s tournament can be found here: