Bats Hit Crazy For Rounders . . . The Sport That Is Sweeping Wales

They play every week and bid to outdo each other as much with their names as on the scoreboard. Base Invaders v Son Of A Pitch. Drum and Bases v Saved By The Balls. Bats Hit Crazy v The Merry Go Rounders.

By Graham Thomas

They play every week and bid to outdo each other as much with their names as on the scoreboard.

Base Invaders v Son Of A Pitch. Drum and Bases v Saved By The Balls. Bats Hit Crazy v The Merry Go Rounders.

Or maybe you would prefer to be part of Base City Rollers? Or Positive Battitudes? Perhaps, Bat To The Future?

This is rounders, the sport that most people probably played – and enjoyed – somewhere along their schooldays, now being resurrected, organised, polished, and given a new lease of life across South Wales.

Some play in all-female teams. Some are mixed. Most have an age-range that allows mothers to play with sons and daughters, fathers to play with nieces, or even some whose schooldays are long behind them, to smash it up with their grandkids.

It’s generally outdoors in the summer and indoors when the days get shorter and the weather turns.

It started out as a vague idea mentioned down on Aberavon beach by a former football coach, Julie Clayden.

That was last November – just 10 months ago.

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Since then, My Rounders has mushroomed into 73 registered teams playing in eight separate leagues with over 1,200 players.

“There was a demand out there for a social sport that would be fun to play, but which would also help your fitness,” says Julie.

“I put a post on social media and within three weeks I had 152 people who wanted to play. Most people remember rounders from their younger days and the fun it gave them.”

That was the spark for the Port Talbot League, played at Aberavon Leisure Centre. Next came Gowerton near Swansea, Pontardawe, Neath and there are leagues on the way for Bridgend, Cardiff and Barry.

For those who have long forgotten, rounders is a sport that involves nine players in a team, a bat, a ball, four bases in a diamond-shape, a pitcher or bowler, and an umpire.

Each batter tries to get around the four bases to earn a point or rounder and the team with the most rounders after an agreed number of innings is the winner.

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Teams can be same-sex or mixed. My Rounders allows each team to include a maximum of three male players, but they also run separate women-only teams and leagues.

“Rounders is just a really accessible, social sport that everyone seems to enjoy,” says Julie.

“People love the fact that it is for all ages, and all levels of fitness. We have attracted some people who are quite fit and active and play others sports, but we also have many more players who wanted the friendship aspect and the fun element – particularly among their friends and families, or workmates.

“When we started at Aberavon Leisure Centre, we had a viewing gallery and it was great that a single mum could come along, play rounders, and have her kids cheer her on from the viewing gallery where they were safe and sound.

“You don’t get many sports as social as rounders, the rules are simple and people just seem to love it.”

Like every organised sport, My Rounders needs officials and umpires to help it run smoothly, which is why they offer training for umpires to officiate.

My Rounders book the venues, supply the umpires, and even help form teams if an individual wants to play but doesn’t have other ready-made teammates.

Costs are around £50 per week per team, which works out between £4 and £5 for each player.
So, what about the players. Who are they and why do they play rounders?