
Bete-ombro, also known as bets, tacobol, pau na lata, or taco (all of these names having a word meaning "bat" in them), is a Brazilian
bat-and-ball game closely related to
cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
. Two teams of two players each take turns batting and fielding. The batting team runs between two
wickets
In the sport of cricket, the term wicket has several meanings:
* It is either of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at each end of the pitch. The fielding team's players can hit the wicket with the ball in a number of ways to get a ...
, which are generally plastic bottles (or more reminiscent of cricket, three small wooden sticks propped up so that they all lean on each other), while the fielding team can
run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in cricket, in which the fielding team put down the wicket of a batter who is outside their ground, usually because they are trying to score a run.
Run out is governed by Law 38 of the laws of cricket. If ...
batters by hitting a wicket with the ball before the closest batter reaches it. (As there are only two players on the batting team, teams swap as soon as a batter is out.)
Bowled
In cricket, the term bowled has several meanings. First, it is the act of propelling the ball towards the wicket defended by a batter.
Second, it is a method of dismissing a batter, by hitting the wicket with a ball delivered by the bowler. ...
,
stumped
Stumped is a method of Dismissal (cricket), dismissing a batter (cricket), batter in cricket, in which the wicket-keeper put down the wicket, puts down the wicket of the Glossary_of_cricket_terms#S, striker while the striker is out of their Bat ...
, and
caught
Caught is a method of dismissing a batsman in cricket. A batsman is out caught if the batsman hits the ball, from a legitimate delivery, with the bat, and the ball is caught by the bowler or a fielder before it hits the ground.
If the catch ...
are other forms of
dismissal.
Prince Harry
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. As the younger son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, he is fifth in the line of succession to ...
played it on a trip to Brazil. Taco has been credited with helping to grow and influence
women's cricket in Brazil.
Overview
There has been a "World Cup of Bets" held in Brazil, with teams from four cities, in 2016.
When introducing cricket to Brazilian audiences, Brazilian media sometimes compare it to bete-ombro. Bete-ombro may have been more popular in the 1990s than it is now.
Rules
Each of the two fielding players stands behind one of the wickets (called "alvos" (targets) or "casinha" (small house) in Portuguese), and each of the batters in front of one of the wickets. Whichever fielder has the ball throws it to the batter at the opposing wicket, with the other fielder being a de facto
wicketkeeper. The batter may try to hit the ball; if he misses, he must place his bat in his
crease to avoid being
stumped
Stumped is a method of Dismissal (cricket), dismissing a batter (cricket), batter in cricket, in which the wicket-keeper put down the wicket, puts down the wicket of the Glossary_of_cricket_terms#S, striker while the striker is out of their Bat ...
(unlike cricket, the batter's body can't be used for this purpose), which is generally a circle drawn on the ground in front of the wicket. If the batters decide to run, they must cross bats with each other every time they pass each other, with the batters scoring a point every time both of them run from their crease to the opposing crease.
Similar to the
bat flip in cricket, there is the "wet or dry" method of deciding which team bats first in bete-ombro: first, one side of the bat is wetted, and then the bat is thrown up in the air. The team that correctly calls whether the wet or dry side of the bat will fall face-up chooses whether to bat or bowl first. (Unlike a cricket bat, both sides of the bete-ombro bat are flat, so it wouldn't be possible to call "Hills or Flats").
There is a rule reminiscent of
strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...
s in
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
: if the ball goes behind the batter 3 times, then they are out. The game ends when one team gets 12 or 25 points, though there may be additional conditions.
In culture
In some parts of Brazil, the expression "largar os betes" (to drop the bats) is used to mean "to give up".
See also
*
Plaquita - a very similar version of cricket played in the Dominican Republic
References
External links
(video) Educando - Largandos os Bets
{{Forms of cricket
Street cricket
Sports originating in Brazil