Hardball Safety Guidance

Helmets with a faceguard or grill must be worn when batting against a hard cricket ball in matches and in practice sessions. Young wicket keepers must wear a helmet with a faceguard when standing up to the stumps. Young players should regard a helmet with a faceguard as a normal item of protective equipment when batting, together with pads, gloves and an abdominal protector (box). This guidance applies to all players up to the age of 18, both in adult cricket and in all junior cricket played with a hard cricket ball.

The ECB recently changed it's guidelines for helmets and the relevant British standard to a newly updated specification which reduces the risk of the ball passing between the protective grill and peak. Too often we see children with poorly fitting or unsafe helmets. Your child only has one head, it's worth protecting properly. If in doubt about what kind of helmet to buy, please speak to one of the coaches for advice, we are here to help. 

Unlike many sports, cricket requires an array of protective equipment to play safely against a hardball. Below is a guide to the type of equipment required to play hardball cricket. All parents should read this before purchasing equipment.

In all cricket involving junior players, the ECB stipulates minimum fielding distances from the batsman. This is to ensure the safety of young players.

• No young player in the Under 15 age group or younger shall be allowed to field closer than 8 yards (7.3 metres) from the middle stump, except behind the wicket on the off side, until the batsman has played at the ball.
• For players in the Under 13 age group and below the distance is 11 yards (10 metres).
• These minimum distances apply even if the player is wearing a helmet.
• Should a young player in these age groups come within the restricted distance the umpire must stop the game immediately and instruct the fielder to move back.
• In addition any young player in the Under 16 to Under 18 age groups, who has not reached the age of 18, must wear a helmet and, for boys an abdominal protector (box) when fielding within 6 yards (5.5 metres) of the bat, except behind the wicket on the off side.

All clubs must recognise that they have a duty of care towards all young players who are representing their club. This duty of care also extends to leagues that allow participation of young players in adult teams in their league. The duty of care should be interpreted in the following ways:

• Not to place a young player in a position that involves an unreasonable risk to that young player, taking account of the circumstances of the match and the relative skills of that player.
• Not to create a situation that places members of the opposing side in a position whereby they cannot play cricket as they would normally do against adult players.
• U12s are not allowed to play senior cricket / U13s can only play with written parental consent and coaches permission.
• Adults must not change or shower at the same time as juniors when sharing a facility. Juniors should be given the chance to change first and shower in privacy if they desire. Once they have finished and left the building senior players may then enter the rooms.
• The use of any form of photo or video recording equipment is strictly prohibited.