crease

sports

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June 25, 2026

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In sports like hockey and lacrosse, "the crease" refers to a specially marked area around or in front of the goal. Players from the opposing team are generally not allowed to enter this area. The term "crease" can also refer to a line or mark made by folding something pliable, or a line at the end of a bowling crease in cricket.123

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cricket
Field of play, equipment, and dress
Lines of whitewash demarcate the creases at each wicket: the bowling crease is a line drawn through the base of the stumps and extending 4.33 feet (1.32 metres) on either side of the centre stump; the return crease is a line at each end of and at right angles to…
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Lines of whitewash demarcate the creases at each wicket: the bowling crease is a line drawn through the base of the stumps and extending 4.33 feet (1.32 metres) on either side of the centre stump; the return crease is a line at each end of and at right angles to…
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ice hockey
Rink and equipment
…of the goal is the crease, a semicircular area that corresponds to a circle with a 6-foot radius, demarcated by a red line. When the goalie is in the crease, no attacking player may enter unless the puck is there as well; if the goalie is not in the crease,…
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…of the goal is the crease, a semicircular area that corresponds to a circle with a 6-foot radius, demarcated by a red line. When the goalie is in the crease, no attacking player may enter unless the puck is there as well; if the goalie is not in the crease,…
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