Junior Cricket FAQ
Junior Cricket - Frequently Asked Questions
Our philosophy is to provide a fun, safe environment where all boys and girls can focus on developing their cricket skills and love for the game, while making sure everyone gets a fair go no matter what level they are.
What ages can play: Weekend morning real games of cricket for junior boys and girls is suitable for kids in school years 3-11. Years 3s and 4s play together in the youngest age group. After that, each school year group plays in their own age group comp (ie Year, 5, Year 6, Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9) until the combined Year 10-11 comp to finish before the transition to senior cricket.
Year 2s are not eligible to play in the Y3/4 comp unless they get a dispensation from the association (MJCC). Ability or desire are not valid reasons for a dispensation. We are working with other local clubs on a Y2 pilot program to bridge the gap between Cricket Blast and Y3/4 cricket. Contact us to register your interest.
Please Note – AGE GROUP CUT OFF – New from Season 2022/23
Your child will play in the age group based on their current school year at the start of the season (ie school year in October).
When is training: Each team (see below re teams allocation) will agree on its training day, time and venue to suit the majority (and the parent volunteers who are coaching). The club has multiple training venues at our home Allen Park and local schools in our area, ie Swanbourne Primary and John XXIII College.
Where are the games played: Subject to fixturing by the association, we typically play home and away on alternate weekends. Our home grounds are located at Allen Park, Swanbourne Reserve (behind the Shorehouse), Swanbourne Primary, Harvey Field (Cottesloe) and City Beach Primary. We play locally against clubs predominantly Wembley Districts, Claremont-Nedlands, Scarborough and Subiaco-Marist. We typically don't travel further than North Fremantle-Scarborough-Wembley but may have the odd fixture against inner East clubs like Leederville, Bassendean, Tuart Hill etc.
When are the games played: Games are played in the morning on Saturday or Sunday (Sunday only available in the Y3/4 or Y5 comps). Start time is 8am and game times are 2 hours (Y3/4 and Y5 comp), 2.5 hrs (Y6 comps), 2.5-3.5 hrs (Y7+ comps). Note, subject to association fixturing, once or twice a season there may be a later 10.30am start time if we are short on available grounds for a weekend. The younger age groups play games of 20 overs each side and the older age groups start playing some games of 30/40 overs each side as they progress. For the younger kids, this means you'll generally be done by around 10.15am and ready for the rest of your weekend.
2024/25 Season Dates: R1 12 October, Last round b4 Xmas 7/8 Dec, Xmas break 9 Dec - 31 Jan, First round after Xmas 1/2 Feb, March Long Weekend (1-3 March) bye, R14 8 March, Finals 15/22 March
Finals will be for Y7 comp upwards only. That means, Y3/4, 5 and 6 comps last game is weekend of 8/9 March.
When are fixtures published: The association we play in (run by WA Cricket) is responsible for generating and publishing the fixtures. Typically the fixtures are finalised and published in late September/early October just before the season commences. There are >1000 games in our competitions to fixture so it takes time and is often delayed by late team entries/withdrawals. Please do not ask when fixtures will be released as we are informed at the same time you are, when they appear live on the PlayCricket app.
What are the game formats/rules: Our association has adopted the Cricket Australia junior modified playing rules to maximise participation and enjoyment of our young cricketers. For the entry level ages groups (Year 3/4/5), games are short (~2 hours); teams, pitches and fields are smaller; and every player gets an equal opportunity to bat (facing an equal number of balls, other team gains runs for wickets instead of being out), bowl (rotating bowlers each over and positions during the season) and keep wicket (sharing during games and rotating during the season). For more information, complete rule formats can be found here.
When are teams allocated: Teams are allocated by the club in late September before the season commences. Please do not ask to be allocated a team with your friends as refusal may offend. We are a community sporting club and allocate teams based on a fair spread of abilities and parent volunteer support (which is critical). If you would like input into team allocation, please volunteer to coach and/or manage a team. We are conscious of which schools kids come from and where possible try to make sure your child will have be in a team with at least some people from the same school. Rest assured, your child will make new friends and enjoy the season. Mixing in new groups is an important life skill and one of the reasons we play community sport.