GETTING STARTED

Cricket is a fantastic summer sport for boys and girls. It is a team sport where players have the opportunity to play in a team and execute other skills as an individual whether as a batsman, bowler, wicketkeeper or fielder. When they first start playing we hope they will try all of the game skills.

The CJCA’s strategic objective is “to provide the children of Christchurch with the foundation for lifelong participation, enjoyment and success in cricket”. There are a number of starting levels based on the age of the child. We provide a number of in-school awareness programs for the younger kids as well as Club days for the older kids looking to see what the game is like.

Many clubs offer a Pre-competition “Have A Go” programmes which aim to introduced children to the skills involved in playing the game in a fun friendly club environment.

The new SMASH PLAY programme provides lots of resources in the form of games that can be incorporated into Clubs led programmes or just used at home by parents.

For the Smash Play home page – CLICK HERE

As children gain skills they can be incorporated into teams or complete teams may be created out of these programmes. Teams are often formed after the first half of the season (pre-Christmas – and entered into grades from February).

Ideally, the younger players go through these programs before playing in higher grades the more fun they will have, but this will depend on the age of the player, and when they come to investigate the wonders cricket has to offer.

Where to play?

Deciding where to play is a big part of a child’s enjoyment of the game. In the first instance, we recommend you look to a Club where their friends are playing. A list of local clubs can be found here

A number of schools operate cricket programs at a Primary School level.

What time is involved?

This is always a question we are asked as the perception is that cricket takes a long time to play. It is correct if the kids play in High School, Senior Cricket, Provincial Cricket or International Cricket but Junior Cricket takes only a small amount of time.

Some clubs offer the SMASH PLAY HUBS during the week at local parks.

Most Junior grades are played on Saturday mornings from 9 am to 12:30 pm though younger age groups (Years 1-4) may also be scheduled on Friday evenings as these game generally take only up to 2-3 hours and allow for the rest of the weekend to be freed up for other family activities or to follow siblings involved in their Saturday cricket grades or other sports or pastimes.  Grades are advised at the start of the season when they are allocated to playing on a Friday night instead of Saturday mornings.

Do parents have to help?

Clubs would certainly appreciate all the help you can provide. You don’t need a great knowledge of cricket to help as the first skills the kids learn are simple catching, throwing and hitting a ball and having fun. At a young age these are the first steps, and as a parent, you can join in. It’s also a great way to spend some time with your child and his/her friends and has a great time doing so.

Still not sure?

If you have questions please feel free to contact us via email