Cricket is the most quintessentially English of all sports. The earliest known reference to a game believed to be cricket is in the household accounts of Edward I in 1300. One of the most popular theories about the origins of cricket has the game played in pastures, with the ‘wicket gate’ as target and a shepherd’s crooked staff serving as a bat. Cricket has evolved ever since and in 1835 was given its first set of formal rules, or ‘Code of Laws’, by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). The laws of cricket – which can be found on the MCC website, under ‘Laws’ - have remained largely unchanged over the centuries. 

The game is governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). You can find cricket clubs throughout the UK. However, of the home nations, only England is one of the ten cricketing Test nations in the world. 

EQUIPMENT

Schools and clubs may well provide most of the equipment required for the game but provision will vary from school to school and club to club. Equipment you may have or wish to provide for your child includes cricketing trousers, shirts, jumpers, pads, a helmet, gloves, a box, and a cricket bat and balls. Cricket shoes are also available but to begin with a child could get away with white trainers. For practicing at home you might also want stumps and bails.

A new ECB safety guidance promotes the wearing of cricket helmets by young cricketers while batting and keeping wicket. To promote this, the ECB and the BBC are providing every club and school that wishes to participate in the scheme with three junior helmets for £10. Kwik Cricket and Inter Cricket require different types of equipment to the standard game.

COUNTY DEVELOPMENT OFFICERS

Each county has an ECB County Development Officer (CDO) attached to it. They can provide information about any upcoming activities and events being organised by the club and how your child can get more involved in cricket.

LOCAL CLUBS

If your child is interested in playing cricket outside school you may want to get in touch with a local cricket club. Most of these have a junior section. Your local club will be able to provide further details about their own particular set-up. A list of local cricket clubs in the UK, with links to their websites, is available from the thefixturelist.org. They list English clubs by county, whilst clubs for Scotland, Wales and Ireland are listed by country. The UK Cricket Club Directory includes a list of local and county clubs throughout the UK.

COUNTY CLUBS

Play Cricket has a list of clubs, information on how to join and the coaching on offer. 

Many counties run coursesto the public to broaden the appeal of the sport. Most clubs also offer cricket coaching. County clubs have junior teams from under-9s to under-19s and run selection trials for those who wish to participate. The ECB provides information and contact details on all the County Cricket clubs. Further information about your local County Cricket Club can be found at its website, below:

Cricket Europe has information about the cricket unions in Scotland and Ireland. 

GROUNDS

A comprehensive guide to all the cricket grounds in the UK is available from CricInfo. A list of Scottish International grounds is provided by the Scottish Cricket Union, whilst a list of Irish International grounds is provided by the Irish Cricket Union.

CRICKET SCHEMES

In an attempt to encourage more youngsters to take up cricket, the ECB, the sport’s governing body, has developed variations of the game to suit younger players, develop their skills and promote interest in the traditional game.

KWIK CRICKET

Kwik Cricket was introduced in 1988 and is played in over half of all primary schools. It is an adapted version of the game aimed at introducing cricket to boys and girls aged five and upwards.

INTER CRICKET

Inter Cricket bridges the gap between Kwik Cricket and the traditional game. It is aimed at increasing the amount of participation in the game, particularly amongst 12 to14 year old children. It can be played in the playground, on grass, indoors or outdoors. It is part of the ECB’s commitment to promote the game to children from ethnic minorities and to those in inner city areas, who may not have access to full cricket facilities.

THE INDOOR SCHOOL

The Indoor School at Lord’s Cricket ground is considered to be one of the best cricket coaching establishments in the world. Cricket legends, such as Ian Botham and Angus Fraser stared their careers at the Indoor School. Coaching courses are offered throughout the year, with courses run during school holiday periods at Easter, Christmas and in the summer. 

The ECB also provide further coaching information and contacts.

CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE

The ECB started the University Centres of Cricket Excellence Scheme (UCCE Scheme) so that the best young cricketers could go into further education with excellent opportunities to develop their cricket at university. There are six UCCE’s incorporating 13 academic institutions. Talented young cricketers, both male and female, can take advantage of the excellent education on offer and further improve their cricket.

CRICKET SCHOLARSHIPS

The Cricket Society awards scholarships annually for promising children between 14 and 17 years of age. It also helps provide cricketing opportunities for disadvantaged children and those who may otherwise never have an opportunity to play the game. For further details their e-mail address is csoc.

FREE ENTRY TO TEST MATCHES

Free entry to the last day (Day Five) of all England’s home Test Matches is available to all children aged 16 or under. Whatever your age there is free entry to all England’s Women’s home Test Matches.

To order your free tickets or buy tickets for other days at an International Test Match contact the relevant cricket grounds. The ECB have details of when and where these matches take place. 

CRICKET FOR DISABLED CHILDREN

The Cricket Society helps provide cricket for disabled people.

You can play Blind Cricket in the UK. Blind and partially sighted people can participate. Blind Cricket is played with a larger ball with ball bearings inside so that you can hear the ball as well as see it. Blind players can catch the ball after one bounce when fielding, and the ball has to bounce twice before a blind batsman can hit it. Aside from that the rules are the same as standard cricket. 

At the moment there are 10 clubs throughout England and Wales. Blind Cricket clubs do not have junior teams, but from about 14 years upwards children can start to compete with adults. In fact they can play at an earlier age, except that the large, heavy ball used makes it hard for young players. 

Blind Cricket is currently trying to find more young players to get involved so if you think your child would be interested please contact David Ellingham – the development officer for Blind Cricket across the country – by e-mail: D.Ellingham.

The ECB has a National Disability Development Officer who will be able to you about any upcoming events and provide you with advice specific to your child’s impairment. Contact the ECB on .

The British Association for Cricketers with Disabilities will also be able to lend advice. Contact them on .

The contact details for the charities and organisations dedicated to sport for disabled children throughout the UK can be found in our section on Leisure for Disabled Children.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

The latest Scottish cricketing news from the Scottish Cricket Union and CricInfo. 

Wisden is the ultimate guide to cricket and is published annually. 

Cricketrecords.com provides the latest County Cricket Club records.

Test Match Cricketers ratings are complied by PriceWaterhouseCoopers. 

ORGANISATIONS

International Cricket Council
Cricket Europe
ECB
Play-Cricket
CricInfo

For more information about what’s going on in your area, visit your Local Authority’s website. It can provide details on activities, attractions and services available to you and your family.