Becoming actively involved with our children in junior sport, in a constructive, fun-focused way will enhance your sense of enjoyment and provide more opportunities for them to practice their skills.

The Mosman Cricket Club Juniors Volunteers Manual is designed to help the various volunteers in the junior grades by providing them with an easy to understand guide to the rules and administrative requirements of Mosman Cricket Club and the North Shore Junior Cricket Association. 

Mosman Cricket Club acknowledges that the sport of cricket is dependent on grass root volunteers. On behalf of Mosman Cricket Club I express my sincere thanks to you for volunteering your services to junior cricket and to the development of our junior players.

Cricket is a game that owes much of its unique appeal to the fact that it should be played not only within its Laws but also within the Spirit of the Game. Any action which is seen to abuse this spirit causes injury to the game itself. The major responsibility for ensuring the spirit of fair play rests with the captains. 

In respect of games involving players in the under 9 to under 13, coaches may assist the captain with these decisions. 

Code of Conduct 

In addition to the provisions of Law 42 “Fair and Unfair Play”, all players and officials shall abide by the NSJCA Code of Conduct and the Spirit of Cricket as set out hereunder. 

NSJCA has adopted the following Codes of Conduct for all its stakeholders. Please make yourself familiar with the Code as it applies to you:

Player

Parents 

Coaches 

Umpires & Officials 

Any player, parent, coach or official who breaches this Code of Conduct may be subject to warning, counselling, suspension or expulsion from NSJCA activities or venues at the discretion of the Management Committee. The above Code of Conduct has been adapted from the NSW Sport & Recreation’s sports rage program.

At the beginning of each cricket season players register to play in a specific age team based on their age as at midnight on 31 August. Girls may play in the age group for which they would qualify if they were one year younger.

The MCC Junior Registrar sorts registration forms into age groups and once payment of fees has been confirmed and the Registration Close Date has passed, the registration forms are passed to the Age Coordinator allocated to that age group.

The underlying philosophy for team allocation is that the MCC is a community based club and is under no obligation to meet requirements or requests based on schools or other organizations.  School based teams should not be encouraged. Team names are not to reflect schools or other organizations other than MCC.

All MCC players (both Seniors and Juniors) are part of  a 100 year old First Grade Club with a proud history (including producing two Australian test Captains).  Players are required to wear MCC playing shirts and MCC white playing hats and should be proud to do so. Training shirts and caps are not compulsory for Juniors. However, they are a recommended purchase as it makes identification of our players at training sessions easier. We share facilities with numerous other sporting groups as well as the general public so keeping track of players is difficult when many other children are around.

Parents cannot demand who plays with or without whom, and MCC Juniors cannot make any promises about team allocations.  All we can do is listen to requests and see if they can be accommodated. If there is no space in a team, clearly, no one can be added to that team.

MCC Juniors are not likely to be able to make everyone happy when it comes to team allocation and if needed, registration fees will be refunded.  Age Coordinators, after attempting to find a reasonable outcome, should not have to continue to deal with the grief of a disgruntled parent.

Critical to team allocation is a parent team coach and a parent team manager.

Draft teams should not be released before the Registration Close Date as expectation management will become very difficult.

Private schools with compulsory Saturday morning sport means players attending these schools are not available to play for MCC in Saturday morning primary school age teams. Players in this situation should be encouraged to play in Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning teams. If players want to play in a Saturday morning team, please ensure that no more than 3 players in a team of 14 are from private schools (i.e. when they are unavailable due to school commitments the team will not be left short of players).

For secondary school age players attending private schools, Saturday morning and afternoon teams are usually not feasible.  Sunday morning competitions are available for these players. Again, if players want to play in a Saturday team, please ensure that no more than 3 players in a team of 14 are from private schools (i.e. when they are unavailable due to school commitments the team will not be left short of players).

Beware of players changing schools after Christmas. In the past, disappointing outcomes have occurred where teams have not been able to continue after Christmas because a number of the team have gone on to a private school, not leaving enough players for the team to continue to participate.

 Team Size

• The maximum number of players to be allocated to a team is 14 for primary school ages. For secondary school ages, experience has demonstrated that teams of up to 20 are sometimes required due to various other activities or sporting commitments.
• The preferred number of players to be allocated to a team is 12/13. 

Priority of allocation

 Individual priorities 

1. Recognition of finding a coach is key
2. Returning players’ choice to stay with previous year’s team
3. Returning players’ choice to ask to be moved to another team
4. Earlier registrations have priority over later registrations
5. New players have no choice but we will attempt to place them in a team with one nominated friend.
6. The above applies until Registration Close Date or the team is full, whichever happens later. After that, waiting lists will apply.

Waiting lists

Teams should be allocated 13/14 players then additional players put on waiting lists based on when their request is received.

Please advise the Registrar when additional players are required to fill a team.

Negotiation between Age Coordinators can be a way of balancing teams, if players can play up an age group.

Parents should also be advised when a team is short of players and are to be encouraged to assist in finding additional players.

Inappropriate age nomination 

Players can nominate to play up only one age group if they have played previously. 

Complete Team Nominations

Where a team presents complete with 14 players, check for changes from the previous year. Beware if players from a previous year have been excluded.

Once teams are formed

Once the teams are set they must be set up as a “Custom Person List” in MyCricket, the administration system which maintains all players’ details and playing statistics.

 Entering players and teams into the MyCricket database 

Your MyCricket user name and password will be emailed to you. 

Other resources such as the user manual for use of the MyCricket website are available online at http://mycricket.cricket.com.au/ 

Note:  It is important at no stage to delete the records of existing players in the MyCricket data base even if they have not re-registered, otherwise the system will lose their results from previous seasons and corrupt Team and Club statistics.

 Below is a step by step process to use as a guide to assist you in your role as an MCC Age Coordinator in the use of the MyCricket online database.

Please read the Summary before you look at the MyCricket Instructions as it makes them easier to follow 

• Login to MyCricket
• FOR NEW PLAYERS :  [Add a New Person] - under [People] tab

            The system will check that there is not already a record for them from another Club.

            If there is, see the note on Transfers.

• Role is Player
• Sub-Role is Junior
• Enter details from the Rego Form, being the mandatory fields plus
• Address
• Suburb
• Home Phone (10 digits no space ie  02 area code before number)
• Mobile phone
• [Update]
• Note their ID number on Rego Form and the date you entered their details
• Register the player to North Shore Junior Cricket Association (NSJCA)
• Go back into their record now or later through [Person List] under the [People] tab and enter their parents’ first names under the [Custom Fields] tab.

• If a Player played MILO in2CRICKET in the preceding year, Cricket NSW automatically sets their Role to [No Role] for the new season.
• To find them, do a search of their name from all players with [No Role] whose previous Sub-Role was [Have a Go] or [BFZ Have a Go]  OR [Have a Game] or [BFZ Have a Game]
• This is particularly relevant for entering Under 9s players’ details OR
• If it is a player who didn’t play last year but did play at some time in the past, set the [Role] to [No Role] and the [Sub-Role] to [Player] and search for them again OR
• If they played last year, find them through [Person List] – under [People] tab
  • Right click on their record to bring up the “Edit Record” option
  • [Personal Details] – update as required after checking Rego Form [Update]
  • [Role] – Reconfirm as [Player] Sub Role [Junior] or, if they have [No Role], Add a new Role [Player] Sub Role [Junior]
  • [Custom Fields] –  check or enter parents’ names [Update] . However, if the player was previously Have a Go or Have a Game, the system deletes the parents’ names when the player’s Role is changed. To add the names back in, wait until you have created the Team List (see below) and then edit the Player’s record by right-clicking on their name [Edit] and going to the [Custom Fields] tab and adding in the parents’ first names.
  • [Player] – select [Registration]
    • Select Parent Organisation – [NSJCA]
    • [Register] if current registration does not exist for NSJCA
    • [Update]

If you have a Player who has been registered to another Club, you need to Transfer them to Mosman by following the on-screen instructions. This will take 10 days, during which time their record is locked.  You don’t need to request any sort of clearance for Junior Players, just follow the on-screen instructions. If you are unsure about how to do this please contact the Registrar. 

While their Record is locked, you will still be able to select them in the Team Filter but you won’t be able to update their Personal details. 

You need to keep these Registration Forms to one side and go back into MyCricket after the 10 days and update their personal details and re-confirm their Role.

1. TEAM FILTERS

 The most important tool after the player details have been entered is the [Person Filter] under the [People] tab . This is where we set up the teams for U9 and up, the Milo filters and the managers and coaches. There are also the senior club filters here.

Keep all filters STATIC except for the Junior Player filter which is DYNAMIC and shows all the database of current players. This is the process for each team 

• Go to [Person Filter] under the [People] tab
• Add a new Filter
• Filter Name is Age group, team name, comp year eg U9 Red 11/12
• Click on the player’s name on the left hand side and [Add] them in to the Filter. If you are in the list of names and you enter a letter of the alphabet, it will take you to that letter.
• Once you have added all your team members, [Save] the Filter.

 Please remember to edit the Filter if you need to add or remove players from a team.

 2.  TEAM LISTS

For each team in your Age Group, this is the list that everyone will use to communicate with the players and which you will email to the Team Manager for distribution to their players.

Go to [Custom Person List] under the [People] tab

• Add a New List
• List Title is the same as the Filter Name above
• The Filter you want to use is the one you create for this team above
• The Output Fields you want to [Add] are

• ID
• Full Name
• Address 1
• Suburb
• Email address
• Home Phone
• Mobile Phone

• SAVE the LIST now
• Then tick the Custom Fields box at the top of the list and add the fields

• Father’s Name
• Mother’s Name

• Sorting should be [Custom] using the field Full Name in Ascending order
• Should be [Available to all users]
• SAVE the LIST again

 If you now [View] your Custom List for this team, you should see a schedule with the above data for this team.

The team manager’s role is one of the most important roles we have in the Club. The manager is the communications hub between team players, parents, coaches and the Club itself. 

The following information outlines your role, and is provided merely as a guideline to assist you in organising your team. While this may sound daunting, one of the primary roles of the manager is to delegate various responsibilities to other parents in your group such as umpiring, scoring and entering results into MyCricket. Some other responsibilities could be fruit duty, coffee run (for parents) and team photographer, to name a few.

As a club we cannot function without volunteers, and would like to see as many parents as possible become involved in the season, so that our year runs smoothly without everything being the responsibility of just one or two people. We thank you for taking on this important role, and hope that the following information is helpful.

There are three main areas in the role of Team Manager;

• Help the coach coordinate training sessions and on game day
• Liaise with parents and encourage their support
• Coordinate the distribution of information between your team and the club

Coach Support

• Make sure the team knows when training is on, and where you will be playing that week. Encourage parents to text with any problems or delays in their arrival.
• Notify parents by text or phone of any cancellations. A confirmation text early on Saturday morning reminds everyone of the correct ground, and allows you to plan numbers.
• Coordinate with opposition manager / coach when matches are in doubt or wet weather hotlines have not been updated from earlier in the week.
• Co-ordinate drinks break at game
• Prevent unruly behaviour at games, by encouraging players to focus on the game – the team should watch, and support their batters while off the field, and sit together as a group.
• Enter team scores on ‘MY CRICKET’ website before Sunday each week. These must be done in detail – training will be provided and a qualified team parent can be nominated to do this.
• Enter a summary of how the team went onto our website

Parent Liaison

• Prepare and distribute team list, including team members name, parent contact/s, email address and home and mobile numbers.
• Encourage parents to attend training sessions, to watch and provide assistance where possible (cricket training is not a drop and run).
• On game days, the team should sit with the manager and coach, while parents should be encouraged to sit as a group and assist in scoring and umpiring.
• Encourage parents and team members to return to the club house after the game, or to attend the Senior Grade games when they are played at home (Alan Border, Balmoral or Rawson Ovals).

Club Liaison

• Notify your age coordinator of any players that are rostered off for weekend games as other teams may be short and the child may have an opportunity to participate.
• Promptly distribute all information provided by the club, to your team group.
• Promote all the activities the club has on offer; raffles, information sessions, holiday cricket camps, T20 celebrity matches and home grade games.

Contact

Please feel free to contact the club with any queries, and thank you again for volunteering for this role:

Carolyn Norris

Volunteer Manager

Carolyn.norris@mosmancricket.com.au

Mobile: 0411 288 796

Barrie Norris

Barrie.norris@mosmancricket.com.au

Mobile: 0400 400 150

 Pre-Game Day 

• Confirm to team coach availability of players for next game.
• Confirm with team coach what players will be rostered off (if any)
• Advise age coordinator of any players available to assist other teams that may be short players.  

Advise team of: 

• players rostered off,
• parent rostered to score,
• parent rostered to umpire,

Seek from coach the likely batting order for next game.

Enter into MyCricket the playing team in batting order.  

Check draw (on-line) Friday night for any late change to ground allocations. 

Game Day 

• If bad weather, check council wet weather line for ground cancellations. See grounds tab on NSJCA web page.
• Sometimes the council wet weather lines have not been updated from the days prior. If you are playing an away game, call the manager of the opposition to see what the weather is actually like in that suburb.
• Ensure Coach, Manager or other delegated parent has brought a match ball.  

At ground, delegate a parent to:  

• put out boundary markers (normally half of the ground,
• walk the ground to check for broken glass, dog poo and any other hazards.
• Ensure scorer for the game has score book with pencil and eraser.
• Ensure umpire for the game sets up stumps with bails prior to game.
• Ensure coaches/captains conduct toss 15 minutes prior to game start. Note first ball to be bowled no later than designated start time.  

Have a copy of the Blue Book on hand to deal with any disputes. Many disputes that are referred to the NSJCA can be managed on game day if you have the Blue Book handy. 

At end of game collect score book and pass to parent who enters results into MyCricket (if not Team Manager). 

Collect game ball for use at future training sessions. 

Post Game 

• Ensure results entered into MyCricket no later than Sunday evening. Note NSJCA releases results to local media Monday morning.  

During Season 

• Collect digital photos for potential use on MCC Web page, MCC Year Book, and team photo collage to be shown on Presentation Day.

Junior cricket coaches play a vital role in providing players with the skills and knowledge needed to develop, improve and succeed at the game and in life. 

A coach’s role will vary considerably depending upon the level at which he or she is coaching. Generally speaking, however, most coaches would have two common aims in relation to their players: to make the sport more enjoyable and to assist in the development of the skills of their players.

The junior coach should have as an overarching philosophy three key objectives. 

1. ENCOURAGE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL TO PARTICIPATE

2. DEVELOP BASIC SKILLS

3. PROMOTE ENJOYMENT FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS 

To achieve these aims the coach should ensure the following issues are considered when conducting practice sessions: 

• provide a safe environment
• plan the session thoroughly
• provide appropriate equipment
• supervise children closely

 Coaching Philosophy

Coaches should seek to create an environment where children can improve their knowledge and understanding of cricket, develop social skills and their relationships with other children, improve their physical fitness and promote attitudes and values that will encourage participation in and enjoyment of sport and cricket in particular. It is important for every coach to develop their own unique coaching philosophy and to coach in a way that is aligned with this philosophy. A coach’s philosophy should to a large degree reflect their personality and most importantly should be flexible enough to cater for the needs of all players within the team. 

MCC Juniors Philosophy 

At Mosman Cricket Club, the expectation of all members is to play the game within the Laws and Spirit of Cricket at all times.  The aim for is to ensure playing junior cricket is a positive experience for all involved.

Cricket is a competitive game – everyone enjoys winning.  However, it is the experience of the game - having fun- that is the key to participation for players, parents, coaches and indeed all members.  Whilst the basics of fair play are not a complex issue, it is important to remind players and parents of the expectations of behaviour when representing the club.

There are many ways a session can be structured depending on what the coach is trying to achieve, the time available and the ability of the players. When thinking about the structure of a session for an under-age team there is a standard format that is often followed.

 Introduction

Many sessions begin with the coach giving some type of introduction. This may be to introduce other coaches or to outline what is involved in the given session. This ensures players are aware of what is expected of them in that particular session.

Warm-Up

There are a number of approaches to warming up for a training session. A popular way is to play a warm-up or modified game prior to having a stretch. Whatever the approach, it is important that players get into the habit of a complete warm-up. This will help in the prevention of injuries and should also help players to focus on the remainder of the training session. Consider non other sports when warming up – a 10 minute game of rugby or soccer in full batting equipment is a lot of fun, and they might even learn how to run in their pads.

Skills Practice

Perhaps the most important part of the session is the development of skills such as fielding, batting and bowling. This may take the form of wicket keeping, batting, fielding and bowling drills as well as modified games. This is where skills are either learned or practised and so takes on particular importance for younger age groups. Remember – skills can be learned effectively in an appropriate competitive environment, that is, in a game situation.

Modified Games

Practising skills in an appropriate competitive situation will help players become accustomed to performing these skills under appropriate levels of pressure ensuring that in a match they will be able to play to their ability.

Players also generally enjoy playing games more than practising per se and as such using this approach should achieve both outcomes, that is, skill development and fun.

Obviously the exact format that a session takes is up to the coach. However provided he or she is organised and enthusiastic, an enjoyable and rewarding practice is almost guaranteed.

Principals of Teaching

Growth & Development

As a coach it is important to be aware of the significant differences in the rate of growth between individuals and in particular between young children and adolescents.

The Cricket Australia Junior Cricket Policy exists to clearly define the most appropriate equipment, game formats and environments in which young children should learn their cricket.

Young Children

During this period of their life growth in young children is generally relatively slow and stable. The basic movement patterns, such as running, walking and jumping, should be well established by this stage but poor coordination can impact upon the child’s ability to learn complex motor skills.

Adolescents

Growth amongst adolescents is both rapid and variable. It is common for girls to enter this period of rapid growth sooner and also cease growing earlier. Often early maturers will possess a temporary height, weight and strength advantage over late maturers, however, these children will eventually enter a perfectly normal growth spurt, resulting in them catching or even surpassing the physical size of early developers. It is important that coaches spend time developing the skills of all players regardless of their stage of growth.

Growth, Training and Sport

At this stage of their development the emphasis should be on activities involving lots of movement such as running, jumping, hitting, throwing, catching and bowling. Every effort should be made to match players based on physical maturity during practice to reduce the risk of injury to less physically mature players.

Where a movement is potentially stressful on the body, such as fast bowling, the number of repetitions (deliveries) performed by the athlete should be restricted. At all times a coach should be mindful of the fact that children of the same age can vary markedly in their size and sports ability.

Nevertheless, correct techniques should be encouraged in the performance of all cricket skills.

Director of Junior Coaching

As part of the Mosman Cricket Club’s commitment to its juniors, the club has engaged a Director of Junior Coaching in order to assist junior coaches in all aspects of their role.

Jason Lawless (Level 2 / MCC Centre of Excellence Coach / U14 Emerging Breakers Head Coach) will be available to support and mentor junior coaches (U9 – U16) in the following areas: 

• Help set-up training plans (age specific)
• Provide drills and games
• Skill assessment / correction
• Provide qualified coaches to visit training, provide feedback
• Provide Q&A over phone / email
• Assist to identify talent, provide assistance on player pathway
• Refer talented juniors to the Mosman Centre of Excellence (COE)
• Distribute monthly e-newsletter, providing info on training courses, Cricket Australia and Cricket NSW updates, club coaching highlights, etc.

Whether you are a first-time coach or an experienced old-hand, the DoJC provides an excellent opportunity for coaches to gain valuable knowledge and learn the latest techniques being used to coach young cricketers.

For any enquiries regarding this resource, or to book a coach in for a training visit, please feel free to contact Jason on the details below.

Jason Lawless

MCC Director of Junior Coaching

0421 238 925

jason.lawless@mosmancricket.com.au

Coaching Courses

Level 0 Coaching Course On-line

Learn on-line the fundamentals of coaching cricket

http://www.cricketnsw.com/introduction-to-cricket 

Introduction to Cricket

Introduction to Cricket in an online course launched by Cricket Australia in October 2008 for volunteers, parents and those who are beginning life as coaches.

This online Program is the perfect place to get to grips with the basics of coaching, so you can help your child, school or club team. In the interactive lessons you will learn key coaching techniques and principles and be given a survival guide that is essential for MILO in2CRICKET coordinators, junior team coaches, school teachers or volunteers managing sides.

The course covers technical points, games and activities, tips for match days, and general information on the role of the coach.

As the course is online, it can be completed at your own pace in the comfort of your own home. For a cricketing beginner, the course should take approximately two hours to complete. Cricket savy people will be able to complete it in a shorter time frame.

You can log in and out as often as you please, so the course can be completed in a number of sittings to suit your personal timetable.

Upon successful completion of the course, you will be able to print out a personalised Certificate. 

Once you’ve completed the course satisfactorily, you will be accredited by the Australian Sports Commission in both introductory coaching and umpiring. You will also become a member of Cricket Coaches Australia for your two-year accreditation period, gaining you discounts on resources and access to the Members Only website.

As well as meeting the basic requirements for the beginner coach, Introduction To Cricket also covers the theoretical components of the Level One (Development) Coaching Course (see link below).

Following completion of introduction to Cricket, coaches can sign up to a one day face to face practical day to upgrade their accreditation to Level One status.

Level 1 Coaching Course 

2011-12 Season information posted at the link below:

files/257/files/2011-12 files/NSJCA Level One Course Flyer 2011.pdf 

The Equipment Managers role it to maintain sufficient cricket kits to meet the requirements of the juniors. On average we have 20+ teams per year ranging in age groups from under 9’s to under 16/17’s. Equipment is by far the greatest expense that the juniors incur each year and we must manage this accordingly. 

With the older groups (under 13’s and up) we are finding that most players have their own cricket kit with only a small amount of items being required for the team bag, namely stumps / bag, balls, keepers gloves / pads / inners, first aid kit, umpire counter and cones. Occasionally you will be required to provide batting equipment (gloves / bat / pads / helmet). 

The younger age groups (under 9’s – under 12’s) require a full kit of stumps, balls, keeper’s gloves / pads / inners, first aid kit, umpire counter, cones, bats, batting gloves, batting pads, thigh pads and helmets. 

Equipment sizes 

Generally the playing apparel is purchased from Olympus Sports however you may get the odd request for size information. We will also be selling some items of clothing direct from our website.

Under 9’s / 10’s Kit Bag

Stumps (metal)

Easton IncrediBalls          Amount depends on number of games

Wicket Keeper gloves      SB

Wicket Keeper inners       SB

Wicket Keeper Pads         SB

Umpire Counter                1

Cones                                 15

Bats                                     3 size 2/3

Batting gloves                    SB/B

Batting pads                       SB/B

Thigh pads                         SB

Helmets                              2 sizes SB/B

First Aid Kit                         1

Under 11’s-12’s Kit Bag

Stumps Wooden

Stump Bag

Bails                                    3 or 4 as they do break

142gm leather 2 piece     Amount depends on number of games    

Wicket Keeper gloves      B/Y

Wicket Keeper inners       B/Y

Wicket Keeper Pads         B/Y

Umpire Counter                1

Cones                                 15

Bats                                     3 size 3/4/5

Batting gloves                    B/Y

Batting pads                       B/Y

Thigh pads                         B/Y

Helmets                              2 sizes B/Y

First Aid Kit                         1

Under 13’s - 16/17’s

Stumps Wooden

Stump Bag

Bails                                    4 or 5 as they do break

156gm leather 2 piece     Amount depends on number of games    

Wicket Keeper gloves      Y/M

Wicket Keeper inners       Y/M

Wicket Keeper Pads         Y/M

Umpire Counter                1

Cones                                 15

First Aid Kit

For additional items you may need to discuss individual team requirements with their coach / manager.

Ordering Equipment

At the end of the 2010-2011 season a full audit of equipment was conducted of all cricket kits. A spreadsheet was then compiled and an order generated from this spreadsheet to fully equip all kits for the 2011-2012 season.

It is envisaged for future seasons that we will order small numbers of complete kits for the U9’s to U12’s and utilise existing stock to top up lost or damaged equipment.

Other Requirements

To be at the Scoreboard for the kit return and note any gear that needs replacing as each kit is returned (see spreadsheet).  Make sure they are stacked away neatly and can be easily accessed.

• Estimate any necessary replacement items and create complete kits if we have more than 20 teams next season. (provide budget estimate for Treasurer)
• Negotiate with equipment suppliers, collect new gear, name it, clean and repack kits, re-grip bats, make repairs
• Tailor kit and quantity of equipment for age group/specific team needs
• Issue kits on a designated day (ideally immediately after the AFL presentation day)
• Liaise with managers/coaches re care of kit + equipment, suitability of size and quantity of equipment supplied. Take special note of manager and coach contact details
• Manage the ball issue for the second half of the season and the finals.

Coaches / Managers / Parents Meeting

At the Coaches / Manages / Parents meeting provide a quick presentation to attendees advising them:-

Please look after the kits and their contents – they are a Mosman Cricket Club asset, purchased with your registration fees.  Encourage your players to return all equipment to the kit and care for it as much as they do their own gear.  Often it strays into personal kits by mistake!!

• Do not leave the box of match balls in the kit – take a new one for each competition round, then return the used ball to the kit so it is available in the event of a lost ball during a match or for training purposes.
• If you have too many, too few or the wrong size of helmets, gloves, pads or bats, email me on JPZwinkels@hotmail.com and I may be able to make some adjustments.
• Please use the stump bag for all wooden stumps. Stumps go sharp end down – there is a plastic bottom to stop them going through.
• Please clean out your kit at the end of the season, removing all rubbish, sunscreen, water bottles etc and return on the required day to the Alan Border Oval scoreboard.
• Please complete and return the equipment form so we can view what items need to be replaced.

Basic Laws

The Laws of Cricket date back as far as 1744 in their earliest form and were most recently updated in May 2000 (with further revisions in 2003).The new Code of Laws contains 42 separate Laws and also includes a Preamble defining the Spirit of Cricket. Although desirable, it is not compulsory for a coach at this level to have an intimate knowledge of all 42 Laws. However, a summary of some of the most common and important Laws is provided for reference.

Law 1 – The Players

A cricket match is normally played between two teams of 11 players with each team nominating a captain before the start of the match.

Law 3 – The Umpires

As a coach you will often be required to umpire in a match. You should have a good understanding of the signals to be used by umpires. These signals are represented below.

Law 18

A run is generally scored when either a boundary is scored or when both

batter’s have crossed and made good their ground from end to end. As umpire, you should be aware of the various ways the batting team can score runs and know how to signal them.

Law 22 – The Over

An over consists of 6 legal deliveries. In most forms of cricket, if either a wide or a No Ball is bowled the delivery needs to be re-bowled. After 6 balls are bowled the umpire shall call and signal over.

Law 24 – No Ball

There are a number of ways a bowler can bowl a No Ball but the two most common are the front foot No Ball and a delivery that reaches the batter above the waist without hitting the pitch. A bowler’s front foot must land with some part of the foot, whether grounded or raised, behind the popping crease. If it does not, the umpire should call and signal No Ball.

Law 25 – Wide Ball

The umpire will call and signal a Wide Ball if the ball is not sufficiently within reach of the batter so that he or she is able to hit the ball with a normal cricket stroke.

NB. For both a No Ball and a Wide Ball the bowler must (generally) re-bowl the ball.

Law 26 – Bye and Leg Bye

If the ball passes the batter without either hitting him/her or the bat and the batters have crossed for run/s the runs shall be credited to the batting side as Byes.

If the ball strikes the batter on any part of his/her body (and he is trying to hit it) and the batters cross for a run/s, the runs shall be credited to the batting side as Leg byes.

Methods of Dismissal

There are 10 different ways a batter can be dismissed in a cricket match, albeit that some are rarely experienced. The most common methods of dismissal are bowled, caught, Leg Before Wicket and Run Out.

The others are as follows:

Timed Out

Handled the Ball

Hit the Ball Twice

Hit the Wicket

Obstructing the Field

Stumped

Definitions of the four most common ways of getting out are:

Run out – a batter shall be out run-out unless his/her bat or some part of his/her person is grounded behind the popping crease at the end where the bails are dislodged.

Bowled – the striker is out bowled if his/her wicket is put down by a ball delivered by the bowler (not a No Ball) even if it first touches his/her bat or person.

Caught – the striker is out caught if a ball delivered by the bowler, not being a No Ball, touches his/her bat and is subsequently held by a fielder as a fair catch before it touches the ground.

Leg Before Wicket (LBW) – a batter shall be out LBW if in the opinion of the umpire the ball first hits the batter on the pads or person and is going on to hit the stumps. There are exceptions to this such as the ball first pitching outside leg stump, or the batter playing a shot when the ball pitches outside off stump and being hit on the pads or person whilst still outside off stump. In both these

situations the batter cannot be given out – even if the ball is going on to hit the stumps.

Law 42 – Fair and Unfair Play

The umpires are the sole judges of fair and unfair play and so should be aware of the content of Law 42.

NOTE: The Laws of Cricket are the official Laws as they apply to the games of cricket played by adults. The NSJCA Blue Book defines the rules for playing modified cricket for Mosman Juniors.

As well as umpiring the beginner coach or parent helper may at times be required to score during the course of a match. While at first glance a cricket scorebook may look a little confusing, once you understand the basics it is a relatively simple and enjoyable task allowing you to be closely involved in the match. Obviously the most important aspect of scoring is to ensure that an

accurate record is kept of the total scores of both teams so that at the end of the match we know who has won! Secondary to this but still important is the recording of the individual performances of batters and bowlers throughout the match. 

According to the Laws of Cricket a scorer has four main duties: 

1. Accept: The scorer must accept the signal that has been given by the umpire even if you may disagree with the decision.

2. Acknowledge: Acknowledge the umpires signals quickly and clearly and if you are unsure about a signal ask the umpire at an interval.

3. Record: Write all information neatly and clearly.

4. Check: Check with the other scorer regularly as well as the umpires (at intervals). 

What you will need 

• Copy of local rules and Laws of cricket
• Scorebook
• Pens, pencils, ruler, rubber, calculator
• Chair

How to score

The scorer needs to record information in three places: 

1. Batting – who scored the runs (batter or extras), and dismissals.

2. Total score – how many runs the team has scored

3. Bowling – who were the runs scored off and who dismissed the batsman 

As a scorer it is necessary to simply record the signals that the umpires give throughout the match. It is important therefore, that as a scorer you are familiar with the signals that are illustrated earlier in this manual.

It is then a matter of knowing how to write these in the scorebook.

For more information on how to score please see the link below to the NSJCA courses:

 http://www.nsjca.asn.au/pageitem.aspx?id=45651&id2=&eID=8599&entityID=8599

Maiden Over – if a bowler is able to bowl an over (six consecutive legal deliveries) without having any runs scored from it, either off the bat or as wides or no balls, it is referred to as a ‘maiden over’.

How is that? – when a bowler and/or fielding team appeal to the umpire for a decision such as LBW or caught behind, they would normally ask the umpire ‘How is that?’, or more commonly ‘Howzat?’.

The umpire would then consider their decision and answer with either Out or Not Out.

Duck – if a batter is dismissed without scoring it is commonly referred to as scoring a ‘duck’.

A golden duck is when the batter is dismissed on the first ball he or she faces.

Century – when a batter reaches an individual score of 100 it is said that he or she has scored a century or a ton.

Pad up – a captain will often instruct one or more of their players to ‘pad up’ or get the pads on in preparation for batting or wicket keeping in the match.

Opening batter/bowler – the two players from each team who either bowl the initial overs in an innings or face these overs are referred to as the opening bowlers/batter.

All Rounder – a player is considered an all rounder when they are specialists in more than one skill, for example, batting and bowling, and contribute to the team consistently in both disciplines.

Nightwatchman – when a batting team commence their innings late in the day and begin to lose early wickets a captain may decide to send in a ‘nightwatchman’ as the next batter in order to protect the top/middle order batter. This person is generally not a recognised batter and is often a specialist bowler. 

Twelfth Player – when nominating his team a captain will generally nominate a twelfth player who is not entitled to bat or bowl but can act as a substitute fielder if required and can also assist with drinks and other associated duties. This player is normally referred to as the ‘twelfth man’.

Hat-Trick – if a bowler is able to dismiss three batters in three consecutive deliveries in the same match it is referred to as a hat-trick. These three deliveries do not have to be in the same over or indeed the same innings. 

All Out – when a team has had all ten batters dismissed they are said to be All Out and the other team then bats. 

Overthrows – when a fielder throws the ball at the stumps at either end and the ball is not gathered resulting in additional runs, the extra runs are described as overthrows. 

Take Guard – when a batter first arrives at the crease the first thing they would normally do is mark either centre stump or some variation of this on the pitch in order to align themselves with the angle the ball is coming from. This is called taking guard. 

The Order – the coach of an under-age team would normally have to decide on the order in which his or her team will be batting from 1 to 11. This is often referred to as the batting order.