It is recommended that this section is read in conjunction with the 2020 Colts Welcome Pack which can also be found on the Club website.

WELFARE

Chairman	Child Welfare Officer	Asst. Child Welfare Officer
Jonathan Bell	Les Wingrove	Ken Hobbs
Amberlie, Hallwood Crescent	7 Tennyson Road	53 Larchwood Gardens
Shenfield	Hutton, Brentwood	Pilgrim's Hatch, Brentwood
Essex CM15 9AA	Essex CM13 2SJ	Essex CM15 9NG
t: 01277 221593	t: 01277 226678	t: 01277 210735
m: 07912 503070	m: 07813 550005	m: 07958 232829
jonathan.bell@liteplan.com	e: lwingrove@btinternet.com	e: bcccolts@aol.com

YOUTH CRICKET: CLUB'S PERSPECTIVE

We believe that our younger members are an essential part of our club and are vital to both our present and future success. We aim to do all we can to encourage and include younger players and make them feel a valued part of the Club, irrespective of their age, gender, creed, level of ability or length of time with the Club. We also expect that youngsters should be able to enjoy their cricket and develop their abilities to their full potential in a safe environment, free from harassment, bullying, prejudice or other risks.

Our priorities for all aspects of youth cricket, including coaching, youth matches and adult matches involving youngsters, centre on the safety and welfare of the individual.  

We therefore aim to:-

• Enable youngsters to enjoy the game
• Coach and encourage younger players to help them develop their cricketing skills
• Help children to establish self-confidence, both on and off the field, and develop enthusiasm for the game of cricket
• Encourage the older players to broaden their horizons by qualifying first as Coaching Young Leaders and then as coaches

EXPECTATIONS

We expect our members and their families to behave in a reasonable and sociable way towards their peers, our coaching staff and other youth and adult members. We also expect all children and parents to train, play and support within the Spirit of Cricket.

When joining Brentwood Cricket Club we expect members to sign up to and behave within the Brentwood Colts Code of Conduct (see below).  Likewise, all who have any responsibility for youth cricket in any way at our club are expected to respect individuals and conduct themselves appropriately.

All coaches work within the ECB Coaches Code of Conduct and is available to view on the web site.  In line with ECB policy, all coaches will hold a valid “Disclosure & Barring Service” (DBS) check (this replaces the CRB’s), First Aid certificate and will be trained in the Safeguarding and Protection of children.  Any member of the club, from aged 16+ who has regular contact with youth members, will also need to hold a valid DBS check..

Parents/guardians are asked to ensure that coaches are made aware before coaching sessions or matches of any medical condition which might affect their child’s performance or which might require specific attention (e.g. asthma), or of any injury which may prevent a child from taking part in elements of coaching (e.g. sprain).

The social aspect to our club is very important to us and we encourage parents to remain at the club during training session and matches.  The bar is open during training sessions and as I mentioned already, we will always look to have a barbecue, weather permitting, so what better way to end a long, hard week?!  Profits from the bar are an important contribution to club funds. There are a range of social activities held throughout the year to raise money for club funds, so please check the website and the posters in the bar for details.

Parents of children under the age of 11 must stay on site with their child during training or matches or nominate a reponsible adult, informing the coach or manager of this arrangement.

When playing in matches Colts are expected to wear cricket whites. It is expected that Colts representing the Club will wear a Brentwood CC match shirt and a Club cap. The club will be working closely with their equipment supplier to ensure that this season’s kit is competitively priced and of the highest possible quality. All our equipment is available all year round from Fenton Sports in Basildon, or on their website - http://www.fentonsportsonline.com/cricket/. Club members receive a discount.

As members of our club, our facilities are available for your use.  This does extend to the nets but these need to be treated with care as they represent a large investment.  Please refer to the Club's Nets Use & Private Coaching Guidelines on the website.

 

COACHING PROGRAMME

Coaching sessions will incorporate a mixture of technique demonstration and practice, skill and fitness games and practice matches based on and following the principles of the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) program.

Some coaching will be done using the nets and hard ball (although net sessions may only account for up to 25% of time spent training).  It is important to cover all aspects of cricket such as:

• Fielding – techniques of retrieving, intercept and throwing, and fielding positions;
• Batting – repertoire of defensive and attacking strokes;
• Bowling – bowling action plus introduction to spin and swing bowling;
• General cricket knowledge – umpire signals, laws of the game incorporating the spirit of cricket.

SAFETY

Safety during coaching sessions and matches is paramount. We ask all parents to ensure their children have with them the necessary protective equipment. We use soft balls (e.g. tennis ball, Incrediball, etc.) for coaching the younger Colts.  In the older age groups both soft and hard balls will be used and net sessions involve the use of standard hard balls.  Some matches for the younger Colts (8-9 year olds) will be played with incrediballs but all other league matches are played with a standard cricket ball.

To play in any hard ball match or to take part in training involving hard balls all Colts must have the following:

• Abdominal protector (“box”) plus briefs or jock -strap;
• Batting Gloves;
• Sturdy trainers with a good grip (cricket spikes are useful but not essential);
• Cricket Helmet;
• Batting Pads;
• Leg guards if keeping wicket (wicket or batting pads).

Please note that our nets cannot be used by anyone wearing spikes.  Those Colts who use cricket spikes should therefore bring trainers within them for all matches and training sessions to avoid being barred from the nets.

For matches using incrediballs all Colts will need the following equipment:

• Abdominal protector (“box”) plus briefs or jock-strap;
• Batting Gloves.

The club does have a small number of helmets, pads and gloves available to loan should you need them for a short term loan.  The Club adheres to the safety guidance issued by the ECB as detailed below.

HELMETS

The ECB provides the following safety guidance on the wearing of cricket helmets by young players:

The ECB and PCA strongly encourage all cricket clubs and cricketers to review their existing head protector equipment. In this Guidance Note, references to “head protectors” means helmets with a faceguard or grille.

The design and manufacture of cricket head protectors is now governed by British Standard  BS7928:2013 , which has been adopted by the ICC as the international standard. The standard ECB/PCA playing contract for professional cricketers also specifies that any helmet provided to a player by his employer club must meet this safety standard.

Note that  BS7928:2013  specifies different tests for helmets to be used in senior and junior cricket, reflecting the smaller ball size used in the latter.

The helmets listed below are those for which evidence has been provided to the ECB by the relevant manufacturer that the standard has been met and the appropriate authority to display a “CE quality mark” granted.

That list distinguishes between helmets which are approved for use in senior and junior cricket, and also includes some helmets which have been approved for use at both levels. 

1.  Key Features of the New Safety Specification

The key features of the new specification,  BS7928:2013 , are:

• it now includes a facial contact projectile test that assesses for penetration of the ball through the faceguard, and contact of the faceguard onto the face, using realistic ball impact speeds and conditions.
• head protectors have been tested separately against men’s and junior sized cricket balls (a five-and-a-half ounce ball and a four-and-three-quarter ounce ball, respectively). 

2.  Women’s cricket

There was neither a pre-existing specific women’s head protector nor is there any BSi specification for women’s cricket head protectors.

However, as the size of the standard women’s cricket ball is between the standard men’s and junior’s balls, it is recommended that women use head protectors which have been tested against both the men’s and junior sized ball or at least against the junior size ball (because the smaller ball could potentially get through the gap above the faceguard on a men’s head protector).

3.  Junior cricket

Since 2000, the ECB has published safety guidance regarding the wearing of head protectors by all cricketers under the age of 18. The ECB’s current guidance is that all cricketers under the age of 18 must wear a head protector whilst batting in matches or practice sessions. The ECB also now strongly recommends that junior players use head protectors which have been tested against the junior sized ball.

Wicketkeepers under the age of 18 should wear a head protector with a faceguard, or a wicketkeeper face protector, at all times when standing up to the stumps.

Any individual taking responsibility for any player(s) under the age of 18 should take reasonable steps to ensure this guidance is followed at all times. No parental consent to the non-wearing of a head protector should be accepted. 

4.  Risk of injury

Whilst the ECB and PCA consider that head protectors are an essential part of a cricketer’s kit to mitigate the risk of death, injury or disability, it must be remembered that wearing a head protector cannot entirely eliminate that risk. The new specification makes head protectors safer than before, but cannot eliminate the risk of injury. 

5.  Things to look out for in purchasing a new head protector

The ECB and PCA has issued this guidance in order to heighten understanding, so that informed decisions as to which head protectors to purchase and use can be made by all cricketers.

Head protectors that have been tested against and comply with the new specification will be clearly labelled “BS7928:2013” and will contain clear labelling setting out whether the head protector has been tested against 

(i) a men’s standard ball size of 5 ½ ounces, 

(ii) a junior standard ball size of 4 ¾ ounces, or 

(iii) both men’s and junior size balls.

The list of known head protectors that have met BS7928:13 as of 31 March 2016 

Tested against men's balls:

Ayrtek   
Premier Tek with Steel faceguard

Gray-Nicolls  
Atomic Helmet 
Test Opener Helmet 
Omega XRD

Gunn & Moore 
Icon Geo Senior Large 
Icon Geo Senior 
Icon Geo Senior Small
Purist Geo Senior
Zona Geo Senior Large
Zona Geo Senior
Zona Geo Senior Small

Kookaburra 
Pro 400 Senior 
Viper Senior 
Pro 800 Senior  

Masuri 
Vison Series Elite Titanium 
Vision Series Elite Steel 
Vision Series Test Titanium 
Vision Series Test Steel 
Vision Series Club Senior  

Reader 
Sovereign Senior  

Shrey  
Master Class AIR Titanium 
Pro Guard AIR Titanium 
Master Class AIR Stainless Steel 
Pro Guard AIR Stainless Steel 
Armor Senior Steel 
Performance Senior Steel

Slazenger 
International 

Tested against both men’s and junior balls: 

Gray-Nicolls 
Atomic Helmet 
Test Opener Helmet 
Omega XRD Helmet  

Gunn & Moore 
Icon Geo Senior
Icon Geo Senior Small
Purist Geo Senior
Zona Geo Senior
Zona Geo Senior Small

Masuri  
Vision Series Elite Titanium
Vision Series Elite Steel
Vision Series Test Titanium
Vision Series Test Steel

Shrey  
Armor Senior Steel
Armor Junior/Youth Steel
Performance Senior Steel
Performance Junior/Youth Steel

Tested against junior balls: 

Gray-Nicolls 
Atomic Helmet 
Test Opener Helmet 
Omega XRD Helmet  

Gunn &  Moore 
Icon Geo Senior 
Icon Geo Senior Small
Icon Geo Junior
Purist Geo Senior 
Purist Geo Junior 
Zona Geo Senior
Zona Geo Senior Small
Zona Geo Junior 

Kookaburra 
Pro 400 Junior 
Pro 400 Mini 
Pro 800 Junior 
Viper Junior  

Masuri 
Vision Series Elite Titanium
Vision Series Elite Steel
Vision Series Test Titanium
Vision Series Test Steel
Vision Series Club Boys
Vision Series Club Youths  

Reader 
Sovereign Junior 
Sovereign Mini

Shrey
Armor Senior Steel
Armor Junior/Youth Steel
Performance Senior Steel
Performance Junior/Youth Steel

When a new helmet meets the BS7928:2013 standard, and are certified (CE) to be in conformity with Council Directive 89/686/EEC and associated amendments relating to personal protective equipment, manufacturers are asked to provide documentary evidence of this compliance to helmets@ecb.co.uk , so that the helmet can be added to the list. 

Please read our helmets FAQs (PDF 29kb) if you have further questions, and download the poster (PDF 106kb) for use at your club. 

FIELDING

The ECB has also extended the existing regulations covering the minimum fielding distances for young players in all matches where a hard ball is used.

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. Players should wear appropriate protective equipment whenever they are fielding in a position where they feel at risk;

These fielding regulations are applicable to all cricket in England and Wales.

 

FAST BOWLING REGULATIONS

The Fast Bowling Directives are designed to raise awareness of the need to nurture and protect our young fast bowlers through their formative years, and have been welcomed by a significant number of coaches and managers.

Statistics clearly show that fast bowlers regularly win International matches, and if England is to achieve the vision of becoming the most successful and respected cricket nation, every effort must be taken to produce bowlers to reach the goal.

The regulations for the number of overs to be bowled by a pace bowler in a spell and in a day (regardless of how many matches are played) are as follows:

• Up to Age 13.  Maximum of 5 overs per spell, maximum of 10 overs per day (regardless of how many matches played);
• Ages U14 and U15. Maximum of 6 overs per spell, maximum of 12 overs per day (regardless of how many matches played);
• Ages U16, U17. U18 and U19.  Maximum of 7 overs per spell, maximum of 18 overs per day (regardless of how many matches played).

For the purposes of these Directives 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.

Having completed a spell the bowler cannot bowl again, from either end, until the equivalent number of overs, to the length of his spell, have been bowled from the same end.

A bowler can change ends without ending his current spell provided that he bowls the next over that he legally can from the other end. If this does not happen his spell is deemed to be concluded

If play is interrupted, for any reason, for less than 40 minutes any spell in progress at the time of the interruption can be continued after the interruption up to the maximum number of overs per spell for the appropriate age group. If the spell is not continued after the interruption the bowler cannot bowl again, from either end, until the equivalent number of overs to the length of his spell before the interruption have been bowled from the same end. If the interruption is of 40 minutes or more, whether scheduled or not, the bowler can commence a new spell immediately.

Once a bowler covered by these Directives has bowled in a match he cannot exceed the maximum number of overs per day for his age group even if he subsequently bowls spin. He can exceed the maximum overs per spell if bowling spin, but cannot then revert to bowling fast until an equivalent number of overs to the length of his spell have been bowled from the same end. If he bowls spin without exceeding the maximum number of overs in a spell the maximum will apply as soon as he reverts to bowling fast.

It is incumbent on players or parents to ensure that the manager, captain and umpire of the match is aware of any overs you/your child have already bowled on that day. Players who exceed these Directives will be exposed to higher risk of injury.

 

JUNIOR CRICKETERS PLAYING IN ADULT MATCHES

All clubs have a duty of care towards all young players who are representing the club. This duty of care also extends to Leagues that allow the participation of young players in adult teams in their League. The duty of care should be interpreted in two 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 the 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.

The umpires and the opposing captain must be notified of the age group of all players participating in an adult match who are 18 or under even if the player is not a fast bowler. This requirement also covers any young player taking the field as a substitute fielder. The ECB Team Sheet cards are freely available to facilitate this.

Children under the age of 11 are not able to play in senior games.  Any player in the Under 13 (or U12 County squad player) age group  must have explicit written consent from a parent or guardian before participating in adult matches. The guidance related to changing and showering (see ‘Safe Hands’ – Cricket’s Policy for Safeguarding Children) must be adhered to.

Clubs and Leagues can apply more strict restrictions on the participation of young players in adult matches at their discretion. It is strongly recommended that a parent, guardian or other identified responsible adult is present whenever a player in the Under 13 age group or younger plays in an adult match. This could include the captain or other identified adult player taking responsibility for the young player.

Brentwood Cricket Club abides by ECB rules regarding Colts playing adult cricket and it is generally unlikely that any Colt under the age of 13 will play adult cricket, unless an U12 County squad player.