Junior Cricket Development

[Jetters]

I know in our junior footy comp the rules have recently undergone heaps of modification in an attempt to make the game more age appropriate for kids and encourage skill development, even contribution and fun.

Cricket doesn't seem to be doing this. If you look at u9 scores from the weekend you seem the vast majority of runs coming from extras, mainly wides and no balls (so half the balls bowled are useless to the batter) and most kids can't score more than 1 or 2 runs.

Should junior cricket be more modified or is the current approach, of playing a quite an unmodified game the right option?

[Tony Clifton]

Definitely need shorter pitches. Kids can't bowl all that way.

Argument comes back that Oh, they need to learn to bowl on a full length pitch

Really? Should they be using adult bats then...

Must be a boring game with all those wides. How many balls can the batters actually reach?

[heater31]

Just on the elite u/13 competition Ray Sutton Shield teams are averaging 20 sundries per innings.

Maybe the age groups below 10 have a case but certainly by age 10 you should be able to land the ball on the spot 4 or 5 times out of 6.

[Corona Man]

Good point. I have not seen any "organised" cricket below the U/12 age bracket. Even at that age a good number of the bowlers struggle to hit the pitch. This is frustrating not only for the bowlers, but the batters as well. I can only imagine its a bigger problems at lower age brackets. Common sense is make the pitch 2/3 the length. Its about the kids enjoyment at this age, and if they are only capable of wide after wide on the full length pitch then no one benefits at all. The kids want to hit the ball, or the stumps.... simple!

[Brumbies]

In NEJCA Under 9's comp, any player who can't bowl the full length is allowed to bowl from a shorter distance.
Last year was our first time with an Under 9's team. At the start of the season most of them struggled to bowl the full length and were bowling mainly wides and no balls. By the end of the season nearly all of the kids could bowl the full length, and more often than not bowl a legal delivery.

Personally, I think Under 9's is too young for hard ball cricket. The T20 Blast stuff that Cricket Australia / SACA are running probably is about right for this age group.

[Jetters]

Just checked, from Round 1 from NEJCA U9:

70% of runs were extras - 65% wides/NBs
40% of kids didnt score a run
Not 1 kid took a catch for the round
1 player scored double figures for the round

I am clearly in favour of the modified format.....

[jo172]

I played my earlier cricket through the schools system (up to age 13 before i started playing both).

From memory when we were 7-9 we played kanga cricket with the plastic bats, balls, stumps etc. where you couldn't get out. From memory that was a pretty good way of learning to play the game. Also two pitches would go on at once which meant you were never sitting around watching your team mates bat. Ideal for that age group.

We then graduated to "average" cricket which had similar rules except the teams would take turns to bat and you graduated to more real equipment.

Only come age 12-13 did we ever approach something like a proper game of cricket and I don't think it did any harm.

[Footy Smart]

I played my earlier cricket through the schools system (up to age 13 before i started playing both).

From memory when we were 7-9 we played kanga cricket with the plastic bats, balls, stumps etc. where you couldn't get out. From memory that was a pretty good way of learning to play the game. Also two pitches would go on at once which meant you were never sitting around watching your team mates bat. Ideal for that age group.

We then graduated to "average" cricket which had similar rules except the teams would take turns to bat and you graduated to more real equipment.

Only come age 12-13 did we ever approach something like a proper game of cricket and I don't think it did any harm.

Yep school cricket was for little fellas, then U13s was the first you could play real matches. My dad who played a reasonable level of cricket himself was even sceptical of me playing at 12 years of age.

[heater31]

I played my earlier cricket through the schools system (up to age 13 before i started playing both).

From memory when we were 7-9 we played kanga cricket with the plastic bats, balls, stumps etc. where you couldn't get out. From memory that was a pretty good way of learning to play the game. Also two pitches would go on at once which meant you were never sitting around watching your team mates bat. Ideal for that age group.

We then graduated to "average" cricket which had similar rules except the teams would take turns to bat and you graduated to more real equipment.

Only come age 12-13 did we ever approach something like a proper game of cricket and I don't think it did any harm.

Yep school cricket was for little fellas, then U13s was the first you could play real matches. My dad who played a reasonable level of cricket himself was even sceptical of me playing at 12 years of age.

Yeah reckon I was almost 10 when I played 'proper' cricket for the first time. Mind you it was a small country association where the big kids were almost 16! Just went to training before that, no kanga or modified garbage for me.

Didn't do much just fielded for my first game and maybe bowled an over or two. Remember our captain bowled the opposition captain first ball of the match.

Full circle when I was 15/16 we had to retire on 25 runs so we would count then try to smash a 4 or 6 when on 24. Almost ran a 5 one day when I played a straight drive a small kid had to chase it. This is how my sister also got started in cricket aged 9 or 10 she offered to fill in for the opposition who were one short after the old boy arking up for a few seconds let her play. She went onto play for the state!

[Tony Clifton]

Is one of the issues that schools offer the modified stuff so clubs feel they need to offer the 'real' stuff?

[Jetters]

For mine it is because old traditionalists types think a modified, small sided game isnt 'real cricket' and that their child is way more advanced than what they actually are.

Same issue as with footy, people are stuck in their old ways and do not take time to educate themselves on how kids sport is progressing.

[The Hound]

Interesting to hear a couple of ATCA clubs want to set up a new junior competition, south of the city

[Tony Clifton]

Don't they already have one?

[The Hound]

Don't they already have one?

Yes they do, South Central Junior Cricket Association which has clubs from Premier Grade, Adelaide Turf and Adelaide & Suburban comps across 3 age groups.

[heater31]

Don't they already have one?

Yes they do, South Central Junior Cricket Association which has clubs from Premier Grade, Adelaide Turf and Adelaide & Suburban comps across 3 age groups.

I'm not across the reasoning behind the break away. Are they just unhappy at how the competition is run? Who is in charge of South Central these days?

[Keefy]

Don't they already have one?

Yes they do, South Central Junior Cricket Association which has clubs from Premier Grade, Adelaide Turf and Adelaide & Suburban comps across 3 age groups.

I'm not across the reasoning behind the break away. Are they just unhappy at how the competition is run? Who is in charge of South Central these days?

I think half the recent committe have 'retired' as their tenure was up. I think the meeting is coming up this week

[Dutchy]

Don't they already have one?

Yes they do, South Central Junior Cricket Association which has clubs from Premier Grade, Adelaide Turf and Adelaide & Suburban comps across 3 age groups.

plus some HCA clubs

[Tony Clifton]

Maybe the clubs want to have all their junior teams play in South Central even in the older age groups?

Some clubs have U/15 and U/17 teams in Adelaide Turf but their younger teams in South Central. Probably makes sense to run them in the same competition plus saves them some travel.

[Keefy]

If those U/15 and U/17 teams come to South Central then they have to enter as U/16.

SCJCA doesnt have an U/18 comp

[Brumbies]

Looks like there are some pretty significant changes to junior cricket on the way.

http://community.cricket.com.au/clubs/junior-formats/format-summary

Have been told that it is been trialed in several associations across the eastern states this year and will likely be introduced here next year.

I don't mind some of the changes in the younger grades, but I can't agree with having Under 15's playing 9 a side cricket.