Wilson’s School Cricket Manual
Introduction
The following pages will act as a guide to the coming season providing relevant information as to the way cricket should be played at Wilson’s School plus other important details including how you can develop as a cricketer and routes for progression.
Content
· Code of Conduct
· Spirit of Cricket
· One Game Pledge
· ECB Guidance/Directives
· Skills
· Fielding Positions
· Nutritional Guidelines
· Level Descriptors
Our aim is to provide as many cricketing opportunities as we can and for you to play to the best of your ability. Practice is important to work on developing skills and improving your performances. For the season we ask you for three things every time we practice or play matches;
1. Work hard
2. Put in 100% effort
3. Enjoy and Have Fun
“Fail to Prepare Prepare to fail”
Wilson’s School Code of Conduct/Set of Rules for Young Cricketers
As a member of the Wilson’s School Cricket Teams you are expected to abide by the following junior code of conduct;
· All cricketers must play within the rules and respect officials and their decisions
· All cricketers must respect the rights, dignity and worth of all participants regardless of gender, ability, cultural background or religion
· Cricketers should keep to agreed timings for practice and matches or inform their coach or team manager if they are going to late
· Cricketers must wear suitable kit for practice and matches as agreed with the coach/team manager
The MCC Spirit of Cricket
Whether you are playing for your school, club or representative side, every young cricketer needs to understand the Laws of Cricket and respect cricket’s much cherished reputation for ‘Fair Play’.
Cricket is a fun sport and should be played with a competitive edge. All players though should know there are certain boundaries which must not be crossed. The most important result in any match is that everyone enjoys themselves.
The MCC Spirit of Cricket code of conduct has been passed down through the years to make sure every match is played in the right spirit. The Spirit of the Game demands RESPECT and you must remember that the following actions are against that Spirit;
· Over the top appealing
· Using bad language
· Intimidating the opposition or umpires
· Deliberately dangerous bowling
· Damaging the pitch or the ball
· Outright cheating
For more information go to www.lords.org/mcc/mcc-spirit-of-cricket
ECB Directives/Guidance
Fast Bowling Directives
These are designed to raise awareness of the need to nurture and protect young fast bowlers through their formative years. For these purposes a fast bowler is defined as a bowler to whom a wicket keeper in the same age group would in normal circumstances stand back to take the ball. The directives are;
Bowlers Age Max Overs per Spell Max Overs per Day
Up to U13 5 10
U14 & U15 6 12
U16/17/18/19 7 18
For guidance it is recommended that in any 7 day period a fast bowler should not bowl more than 4 days in that period and for a maximum of 2 days in a row.
Fielding Regulations
· No young player in the U15 are 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 U13 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
Safety Guidance on the Wearing of Cricket Helmets by Young Players
· Helmets with a faceguard or grille should be worn when batting against a hard cricket ball in matches and in practice sessions
· Young players should regard a helmet with a faceguard as a normal item of protective equipment when batting, together with pads, gloves and, for boys, an abdominal protector (box)
· Young wicket keepers should wear a helmet with a faceguard, or a wicketkeeper face protector when standing up to the stumps
Helmets are widely available and are covered by a British Standard (BS7928:2013). A face protector represents an alternative head protection system for young wicketkeepers and are also covered by a British Standard. 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 ball.
For more information go to;
www.ecb.co.uk/information/ecb-and-pca-guidance-head-protectorshelmets
Recommendations for Junior Cricket
Age Group Size of Hard Ball Stump Size Pitch
U12 4.75 oz 27” x 8” 21 yards
U13 4.75 oz 27” x 8” 21 yards
U14 5.5 oz 28” x 9” 22 yards
U15-18 5.5 oz 28” x 9” 22 yards
For the full details of all the ECB Directives and Guidelines please go to
http://www.ecb.co.uk/ecb/directives-guidelines
ECB One Game Pledge
The One Game Pledge underpins the ECB’s One Game campaign to ensure that the unique nature of cricket is celebrated and the whole game is accessible to all. The pledge has been produced to prevent/tackle any potential/current discrimination or other unfair treatment, whether intentional or unintentional, direct or indirect, against players, spectators, members and volunteers. This pledge is applicable to the game at all levels and in all roles. The One Game Pledge gives us all the opportunity to commit to a shared set of values that allows the game to develop and embrace the whole community regardless of age, race, ability and gender.
Go to www.ecb.co.uk/onegame and click on the One Game Pledge link.
Player Development Model
There are three stages to developing players;
Early – to ignite a lifelong love of the game by providing fun, simple skill work and game-based learning opportunities.
Basic – the development stage by improving cricket-specific skills, game based learning to develop rules/tactics/strategies and providing competitive opportunities.
Enhanced – the refinement stage building on good foundations and further develop/refine specialist cricket skills by an awareness of individual needs, introducing an individualised and skill specific programme and deliberate practice with a broad range of competitive opportunities.
Core Principles of Cricket
Before looking at batting core principles consideration must be given to the following;
1. A player’s existing natural and individual technique (people do things for a reason)
2. A player’s individual skill may differ from a conventional technique
3. Players have very different needs (a one-size-fits-all approach to skill development doesn’t work)
4. What technical input should be offered to players plus when and how
Batting Core Principles
· Balanced and comfortable set-up enabling a ‘ready-to-move-quickly’ position
· Head in optimal position allowing you to see the ball at release and throughout
· Decisive body movements to establish a stable and balanced base
· Co-ordinated body movements (hips/shoulders/arms/hands) to enable clean contact with the ball
· Presenting the full face of the bat to promote clean contact
Bowling Core Principles
· Rhythmical, balanced and aligned approach to the crease
· Head in optimal position for you (player) to enable focus on target area throughout action
· Jump and gather towards target
· Strong, tall and aligned (hips and shoulders) at back foot contact (throughout action to release)
· Increase energy towards target throughout delivery
· Maximum energy from the action transferred to the ball at the point of release (to enhance pace, seam, swing or spin)
· Energy continues towards target through to full completion of action and follow through
Fielding Core Principles
· Establish ready position (position specific) which allows you (player) to see the ball and move dynamically in any direction required
· Decisive, balanced and controlled movement towards the line of the ball
· Catching – establish a strong and balanced position to receive the ball – present a comfortable and maximal catching area with head and hands in line with the ball
· Fielding – establish grip that enables a controlled throw – select and then focus on an appropriate target – establish a strong and balanced base to throw the ball – maximum energy transferred to the ball and towards the target
Wicket Keeping Core Principles
· Head in optimal position for you (player), allowing you to see the ball (maintained throughout)
· Strong body posture to enable quick and decisive movements
· Establish a strong and balanced position to receive the ball
· Present a comfortable and maximal catching area with head and hands in line with the ball
Nutritional Guidelines
Sports nutrition is very important as it gives the correct fuel to be able to maximise performance, is essential for the players health now and in the future, helps to maximise growth potential and protects the immune system. It is vital that you consider overall nutrition on a daily basis to give the best preparation for playing.
You need to…
· Know what you need to eat and drink
· When to eat and drink
· How much to eat and drink
· How often to eat and drink
Hydration
Dehydration impairs mental and physical performance. Young athletes are much more susceptible to dehydration and overheating than adults.
Signs - Thirst – if you are thirsty then you are already dehydrated, exercise feels much harder, you feel too hot, concentration is reduced, ability to perform skill drops and you are unusually short of breath.
What you need to do – drink plenty of fluid regularly before, during and after exercise
What should you drink – for less than 90 mins of exercise still mineral/filtered water, fruit juice diluted 2 parts water to 1 part juice or a sports drink alternated with water. For more than 90 mins sports drink, fruit juice diluted 1-2 parts water to 1 part juice of squash diluted 6 parts water to 1 part squash
What should you not drink – fizzy drinks, ready-to-drink soft drink, drinks containing caffeine (fizzy drinks, colas & tea/coffee)
How much energy does a young athlete require?
Exactly how much active children should eat is difficult to predict, but for children who are not overweight or underweight, it is possible to use their appetite and energy levels as a guide to portion sizes. If children are not eating enough their energy levels will be persistently low, they will feel lethargic and they will underperform. If they have lots of energy, they are probably eating enough.
Most of the energy needed for exercise is provided by whatever has been eaten several hours or even the day before. If the right amount of carbohydrate has been eaten there will be sufficient fuel for the activity. If there is insufficient carbohydrate eaten, the risk of early fatigue will be present.
Examples of good pre exercise snacks to be eaten approximately one hour before exercise with a glass of water are cereal/dried fruit bar, pot of fruit yoghurt with apple or banana, breakfast cereal with milk or small wholemeal sandwich filled with honey, peanut butter or hummus.
Examples of good pre exercise meals to be eaten 2-3 hours before exercise with a drink of water are sandwich/roll/wrap filled with tuna, cheese, chicken or peanut butter, jacket potato with cheese, tuna or baked beans, pasta with tomato-bases sauce and cheese or a lean Bolognese sauce or rice/noodles with chicken or lentils.
Rules to follow on the day of a match/event are stick to familiar foods and not eat/drink anything new, take your own food/drink where possible, drink plenty of water, have high carbohydrate pre exercise snacks, avoid eating sweets/chocolates and avoid soft drinks.
After exercise the priority is to replenish fluid losses, so a drink of water or diluted fruit juice straight away is essential. A post exercise snack or meal is the most important meal as it replenishes the energy that has just been used and determines how fast recovery is. Unless a meal is to be eaten within half an hour of finishing, a snack to stave off hunger and promote recovery is necessary.
If you would like to know more about Nutritional Guidelines you can ask for a full version from Mr Parkinson
Surrey County Cricket Club Player Pathway and Level Descriptors
Surrey CCC is committed to identifying and developing home-grown cricketers to play for Surrey and England. To aid this process, Surrey CCC has developed a Player Pathway Profile document to communicate the skills and attributes it is felt that County Age Group (CAG) players between the ages of 9 and 17 should demonstrate. These basics will underpin the ability of the player, allowing the very best and those with the highest potential to progress into the elite programmes that Surrey CCC run e.g. Emerging Player Programme, Academy.
Surrey CCC defines talented CAG cricketers as “Children and young cricketers with skills and attributes developed, or have the potential to develop, to a level significantly ahead of their age group within the County”.
To add some detail to this definition, a generic profile of a talented CAG cricketer includes and is not exhausted by:
· Plays a number of sports
· Has good foundations of athletic abilities
· Has good core cricket skills
· Relishes competition
· Works hard
· Enjoys learning new skills and wants to develop and improve
· Is tactically astute
· Finds a way to get the job done
The Player Pathway Profiles for County Age Group document has been designed to help players, parents and coaches/school teachers better understand the various criteria and elements of young cricketers that are taken into account when players are being assessed and selected into CAG programmes. This can be used in conjunction with the Surrey CCC Player Pathway Level Descriptors document, which highlights further specific information around each of the various disciplines that make up a young cricketer. Not all of the following will be found in one player (some areas will be higher than others) and anyone displaying a high amount of the outlined attributes will be an outstanding player and individual. It is not expected that an U9 would display all of the stated characteristics and some are more pertinent to an U17 cricketer as they mature and develop.