Brännboll (), known as rundbold in Denmark, Brennball in Germany, and sharing the names slåball and brentball with longball in Norway, is a bat-and-ball game similar to longball, played at amateur level throughout Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark and Germany. The game is mostly played on fields, sports grounds, and in public parks, but it is also part of the PE curriculum in some areas. The name is derived from the act of catching a player between two bases at the end of a batting round, referred to as "burning" them (bränna), roughly equivalent to being run out in cricket or out in baseball. The world championship, called Brännbollscupen, is an annual event in the Swedish city of Umeå. Rules The rules of brännboll differ between different areas and there is no governing body. Nevertheless, this section outlines some rules and traditions which are commonly upheld. In contrast to baseball and cricket, there is no dedicated pitcher or bowler: but the batters themselves throw or bounce the ball (usually a tennis ball) before hitting it with their bat. A selection of bats is sometimes available, with a regular wooden or metallic baseball bat usually present, and a paddle-like bat (known as klappträ, washing paddle) resembling a cricket bat available for less experienced batters. On some occasions, there is also a stiff racket. The valid area for a successful batting is usually delimited by natural features such as trees, or simply an agreed upon imaginary border, this rule only restricts how widely the batter can hit, but not how far. The proportions of the field and positioning of the players are arbitrary, albeit usually adjusted according to the throwing and catching ability of the players, as well as team size. When the batter successfully hits the ball, they drop the bat and make their way around the four bases (usually counter-clockwise), while the players in the catching team catch and throw the ball back to the designated catcher positioned by the outing base (brännplatta), who announces the end of the batting round with "out" (bränd, "burned") when the catcher has made contact with the outing base whilst holding the ball. Some local rules require the catcher to throw the ball at the ground while saying "out"(bränd, "burned"). If a player from the batting team is caught between two bases at the end of the batting round, they move back to either the