The TAPE-BALL phenomenon

[marc71178]

you think it's swings like crazy with a fully taped up ball?

Tape exactly one half of it. So one half is white, and the other half is still tennis ball. It will swing towards the tape side like crazy

The thing is it'd be a bit easy to pick which way it's going to swing then.

 

[marc71178]

But does the half taped ball come as fast as the fully taped one? Im assuming it doesn't cuz of the whole friction thing as opposed to a shiny fully taped one.

The friction would to an extent bring about the swing more than a major loss of speed I would think (looking at people's description of such violent swing)

 

[deeps]

The thing is it'd be a bit easy to pick which way it's going to swing then.

ah but thats why the bowlers hide it. And the swing is so much that even if u know which way it's gonna swing, it's hard to play

 

[Matteh]

I tried it after reading about it in the backyard cricket section on here.....

I used a bit of shoe lace on as a seam on a half taped ball....and it was a bowler's dream...especially when bowling to someone that can't play swing at all...only time i've ever had a tennis ball go past the edge nearly every ball

 

[nightprowler10]

My figures in mohalla tape ball matches were awesome. I miss it so much. Here in the US, its hard to find any cricket at all, much less tapeball cricket.

 

[honestbharani]

Indeed, I enjoy playing with the fully taped balls. They come on faster, and the swing is something I manage to cover because of being amongst the taller lot in my group. Plus, I bat at 4 or 6 (generally 6) and the tape is reasonably worn off by that time.

 

[jamesicus]

My figures in mohalla tape ball matches were awesome. I miss it so much. Here in the US, its hard to find any cricket at all, much less tapeball cricket.

Some Taped Tennis Ball Cricket clubs/leagues in the USA:

Virginia (George Mason University):
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/GMUCricket/

New York:
http://www.thevillager.com/villager_111/theyuseatapedball.html

Mississippi (State University):
http://www.msstate.edu/org/mcc/activities/championship2004.php

California (San Francisco):
http://www.jdsport.com/index.html?dir=/dir/index-2-222-0-0-0-.html

California (Los Angeles):
http://www.usc.edu/dept/cricket/tcc.html

North Dakota (State University):
http://www.acm.ndsu.nodak.edu/cricket/events.shtml

California (Los Angeles - Mar Vista CC):
http://www.isi.edu/~thakkar/cricket/cricket.html

Iowa (State University):
http://www.stuorg.iastate.edu/cricket/fall05tourney/rules.htm

Pennsylvania (Pittsburg, Carnegie-Mellon University):
http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/org/cricket/

 

[nightprowler10]

Some Taped Tennis Ball Cricket clubs/leagues in the USA:

Virginia (George Mason University):
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/GMUCricket/

New York:
http://www.thevillager.com/villager_111/theyuseatapedball.html

Mississippi (State University):
http://www.msstate.edu/org/mcc/activities/championship2004.php

California (San Francisco):
http://www.jdsport.com/index.html?dir=/dir/index-2-222-0-0-0-.html

California (Los Angeles):
http://www.usc.edu/dept/cricket/tcc.html

North Dakota (State University):
http://www.acm.ndsu.nodak.edu/cricket/events.shtml

California (Los Angeles - Mar Vista CC):
http://www.isi.edu/~thakkar/cricket/cricket.html

Iowa (State University):
http://www.stuorg.iastate.edu/cricket/fall05tourney/rules.htm

Pennsylvania (Pittsburg, Carnegie-Mellon University):
http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/org/cricket/

Thanx for that. Damn, none in Chicago?

 

[Xuhaib]

I am most probably the best tape ball cricketer on this forum though some Indian or Pakistani members may challenge me. From age 6-18 i played tape-ball cricket everyday(barring exam times) on my street and i can tell u our muhalla(area) cricket was considered sone of the most competitive cricket in Karachi.Every weekend we use to invite teams from other muhallas and there was a big tri or quad tournament and Beleg is right its a ***** to play straight to those big swingers since you are afraid that if you hit across the ball may go into that pagal buddah's (grumpy old man) house or laraka aunty's house.All good fun really.

 

[Fusion]

You know, what surprised me initially was discovering that the tape ball movement was restricted mostly to the subcontinent. Growing up in Karachi, I thought ALL the cricket-loving kids and adults in the world were doing the same thing as we were: playing tape ball until we had no strenght left in us! It was after I moved to the United States that I discovered that most other nations (not just the U.S) were unfamiliar with this phenomenon.

 

[no1_gangsta_786]

Tape balls are good but me and my friends play with a wind-ball...

 

[Matteh]

You can get an absolute beast of an outswinger with a Windball....
I once bowled in the nets with a swingball...i was bowling offspin (which i don't normally) and i kept getting people out by bowling around the wicket, swinging it and then it span in....if i do it with a cricket ball i just get driven all the time =/

 

[jack_sparrow]

You know, what surprised me initially was discovering that the tape ball movement was restricted mostly to the subcontinent. Growing up in Karachi, I thought ALL the cricket-loving kids and adults in the world were doing the same thing as we were: playing tape ball until we had no strenght left in us! It was after I moved to the United States that I discovered that most other nations (not just the U.S) were unfamiliar with this phenomenon.

Thats what a friend of mine said.

On a side note: Apparently, according to Dr. Google Ph.d, tape ball cricket started in Pak.

 

[Right arm fast]

Tape balls are good but me and my friends play with a wind-ball...

whats a windball?

 

[andyc]

You know, what surprised me initially was discovering that the tape ball movement was restricted mostly to the subcontinent. Growing up in Karachi, I thought ALL the cricket-loving kids and adults in the world were doing the same thing as we were: playing tape ball until we had no strenght left in us! It was after I moved to the United States that I discovered that most other nations (not just the U.S) were unfamiliar with this phenomenon.

Playing with a half-taped ball is pretty common in Australia, but I've not really heard of a fully taped ball

 

[Nate]

I`d really like to share this...

Today we were playing at lunch. My mate was set, and was on 45. I started my over. First ball, inswinging attempted yorker, dug out well. Second ball, outswinger half-volley, brilliantly straight driven for four. On the third ball, he stepped forward expecting another full one. I bowled short of a length, it pitched on middle and cut in, inside edge and caught behind.

The joys of a taped ball!

 

[Robertinho]

I've played a fair bit with a half-taped ball - insane swing. Play with my cousins a fair bit.. (aged 9 & 11.. ) and even these midgets can get swing. It's pretty easy against them though.. haha, 45* from 2.0 overs, I am looking forward to playing against actual cricket players sometime soon, however.

Never seen a fully taped one. What's the point?

 

[Josh]

Thumbs up to taped balls of any kind. Just gotta buy A LOT of tape and have it handy.

 

[Burpey]

Never played much with a tape ball. We usually play in my backyard, and the pitch is so short that the batsman already finds it so difficult that when we have played with a swing ball it is virtually impossible to bat.

 

[shankar]

The friction would to an extent bring about the swing more than a major loss of speed I would think (looking at people's description of such violent swing)

Actually, the friction doesn't have much to do with the swing or the loss of speed. The roughness of the ball on just one side is the reason behind the swing, but the mechanism isn't friction and is altogether different. Also the friction between the air and ball contributes very little to the loss of speed in air (i.e. the drag). So smoothening the ball won't help much.