Out of curiosity, how much do you Brits know about (to be somewhat equivalent) baseball?
It's a bit like Rounders (which most kids play at school in the UK) but in rounders you score a run for each base you reach, and if you are hit with the ball you are out. The bats and balls are smaller too, though many people play with a softball bat & ball to make it easier (and hurt less!)
Just done a bit of searching and found these pages:
http://www.sabruk.org/examiner/03/madeinbritain.html
http://www.thebaseballpage.com/features/origins_02.htm
Gareth