Junior Section Support Material

The NHCDA Committee would like all coaches and managers to pay particular attention to the following paragraph in the Rules, as it is key to maximising participation which is the cornerstone of the NHYCL.

The NHCDA Committee encourages all team managers and coaches to do their best to enable every player in any match to either bat or bowl, if not both. At any level of NHYCL cricket, picking players to bat at the bottom of the order while not being asked to bowl or keep wicket is not consistent with the NHCDA aim of maximising participation. The NHCDA Committee recognises that it may not always be possible to enable every player to either bat or bowl (if not both) in a match (such as, for example, if a team bowls out the opposition cheaply and then chases the target without losing any wickets), but it is hoped that team managers and coaches will always do their best to give every player an opportunity to bat or bowl (or keep wicket) in all matches.

It has been noted that some teams, particularly in division one of various age groups, have not followed this directive in recent seasons, but it is hoped that all teams will do so in 2019.

Finally, please can all managers and coaches note the following:

The following pitch lengths apply to all NHYCL league and cup matches, regardless of ball or gender:

• Under 9 – 15 yards
• Under 11 – 17 yards
• Under 13 – 19 yards
• Under 15 & above – 22 yards

The home team must provide a pitch of the correct length for the match as stated in these rules. There is no margin of variance and the NHCDA Committee may take disciplinary action against any club which fails to provide pitches of the correct length.

• The NHYCL Match Guidelines state that all mid-week evening matches in April, May should start no later than 6pm, but 5.30– 5.45 is recommended for matches in April and early May because light is poor after 8pm. Late starts are subject to a mandatory reduction in overs: for every six minutes, or part thereof, that the game is delayed past the latest start time, the overs for both teams will be reduced by one.
• The NHYCL Codes of Conduct apply to all member clubs in all NHYCL games. All coaches must reinforce guidelines to all their players and parents that wrong /poor behaviour is not acceptable in any form.
• Umpires should ensure that in all games (for any age group) there are no comments or instructions from parents or coaches to on-field players from the boundary, nor any coaching of an on-field player from the boundary.
• For all U15, U18 and girls’ U16 matches, plus U13 Division 1 League and Under 13 NHCDA Cup matches, there should NOT be any advice provided during an innings to a fielding team on field placement, nor any on-field tactical advice to batsmen or bowlers. This applies to umpires, coaches and team managers – indeed nobody other than the players themselves should offer tactical advice to on-field players.
• The NHCDA Committee do not expect to see any player used as a top order batsman in the A team playing as a top order batsman in any B or C team match. Any such players should bat at the bottom of the order. Similarly, if that player is used as a regular bowler for the A team, the NHCDA Committee do not expect to see that player used as a bowler in any B or C team match.
• In all Pairs Cricket league matches (i.e. U9s (Open & Girls), U11 Softball (Open & Girls), U11 Open Division 3 and U11 Girls’ Hardball) teams must bowl the first half of an innings (eg the first 8 overs in a 16 overs innings) at the same end, switching to the other end for the remaining overs of the innings. The choice of ends shall be the fielding teams’ unless low sunlight at one end is a factor in which case the umpires can overrule the choice and determine the ends according to which half of the innings at the sunlit end which will be least affected by the low sunlight. Umpires must switch ends between every over as normal. NB This rule only applies in Pairs Cricket league matches and thus does not apply in Pairs Cricket Cup matches in any age group.
• In all Under 9 matches (Open and Girls), coaches/managers are expected to rotate their team’s fielders one position clockwise at the end of each over, with the last bowler taking the position into which the new bowler would have rotated into. This guideline does not apply to wicketkeepers as wicketkeeper rotation is optional.

Are stumps, bails, boundary rope/markers, scoreboard etc all provided and easy to locate? – Yes.  We use a combination of the existing marked out boundary, the centre square rope and flags – just about long enough if flags are judiciously spaced every 15 paces or so.  The stumps, umpire coats, scoreboard and boundary markers are usually in the wooden seat store cupboards in the changing room nearest the kitchen/car park.  The bails and bowling marks are usually in the top drawer in the kitchen cabinet nearest the door.  The sightscreens need to be rolled into position & be careful with the one nearest the pavilion as it is quite close to the overhead power cables!  The sightscreens are a bit like oversized kitchen blinds that you wind down using a detachable hooked arm – the arms are also stored in the same changing room as the stumps etc.

Does the groundsman tend to be there – particularly if it is wet and there is a decision to be made whether to play? – Yes.  The groundsman is Ron Neil who is quite rightly very protective of his pitch (he won an award the season before last for the most improved pitch in the Hampshire league) but is open to reasonable discussion.  Ultimately however it is his call.  I try to email him a few days before the match on ronneil@hotmail.com  just to remind him about the game & seek his advice on the playing conditions.  He is usually (but not always!) there around an hour before the start of the game mowing etc & he opens up the pavilion for us.  Unfortunately I don’t have a mobile number for him but I think his home phone is 01420 520980 in case of problems.

Is the pavilion open & toilets available for men and women (inc. spectators)? – Yes Toilets & changing rooms available in the pavilion;

Are there facilities to boil water to provide Tea/Coffee at the innings break?  Yes  there is a small kitchen, but you will need to bring your own tea, coffee, milk, sugar, squash etc as the supplies there are for the Parish Council who use the pavilion as their meeting rooms.  We can of course use the crockery etc, but as ever it needs to be cleaned up at the end & put away.

Typically matches are to commence at 9.30am to be clear by 12.15 in time for 3rds

VERY IMPORTANT – Binsted Parish Council are very protective about the state of the pavilion after a match & have set out a number of rules about the use of the pavilion – mainly that it must be left exactly the same as you found it – there is a photo on the way for teams to ensure the seats are properly arranged etc!!!!  They have set aside a separate table & a couple of old plastic chairs for the scorers and get quite upset if the meeting chairs are taken out.  Also you need to hoover the meeting room after the game to pick up any mud, grass etc.  When you leave, lock the main pavilion doors from the inside, then flip the latch on the exit door by the kitchen & check its locked before you leave.  If there is a seniors game on afterwards, they tend to get there around the same time you are packing up & I generally hand over the pavilion to them!