a Russian folk team game played with a ball and a bat. Lapta is mentioned in old Russian literature. The game is played on a natural field. The purpose of the game is to hit the ball, which is pitched by a player on the opposing team, with the bat as far as possible and in turn to run to the other side and back without being “tagged” by an opponent with the caught ball. For successful runs, a team is awarded points. The team that collects more points in a fixed time period wins. Games resembling lapta, such as baseball and cricket, exist in a number of other countries.