PreAmble - The laws of cricket start with a preamble about “The Spirit of Cricket”. In the Youth Competitions of the District Board, it is recognised that the major responsibility for ensuring the spirit of fair play rests with the team managers of the clubs involved. Whilst captains are solely responsible for the actions of their teams on the field of play, managers must ensure all players within their team(s) understand what is expected behaviour within the Spirit of the Game and take action whenever inappropriate conduct occurs.

Law 1 – The Players – there is no need for captains to nominate players in writing before the toss. 

Law 3 – The Umpires – they do not have to be at the ground at least 45 minutes before the scheduled start of each day’s play. 

Law 40.2 – The Wicket-Keeper - Gloves – will not be applied 

Law 42.6b – Bowling of High Full-Pitched Balls – irrespective of pace of delivery, all balls which pass or would have passed on the full above waist height of the striker standing upright at the popping crease are to be deemed dangerous and unfair, whether or not it is likely to inflict physical injury on the striker. As such they are to be considered as no-balls. 

Law 42.17 - Penalty Runs – no penalty runs will be awarded at any stage unless the game is under the control of officially appointed independent umpires. The only exception to this rule will be as described under law 41.3 - Protective helmets belonging to the fielding side. 

Additional rules pertaining to specific age groups are specified on the age group pages

Player Eligibility

All players must be bona-fide members of any club they represent. In the event that a player moves between clubs, he will not be allowed to represent his new club until formal confirmation of release by his old club, which will not be unreasonably withheld. In any event, he will not be allowed to represent his new club in the District Board competitions for the season in question, if the move occurs after June 30th of that season.

Rules concerning the age of players eligible to play at the various age group levels are contained in the relevant match rules. It should be noted that where reference is made to players with learning difficulties (as indicated with an *), the following applies: 

The rationale is that a player can drop down to a lower age group to allow them a fair chance to play cricket. However, If the individual can play well enough and are happy at their current age level then they are best to stay there. 

If a player does need to drop down an age group through their disability, they would normally have a Statement of Educational Needs. The statement does not always mean they have a disability, a lot of people with a statement just have a small learning difficulty or a behavioural issue. It is hoped that clubs will be able to identify the right players and only drop them down a group if it is in the best interests of all involved and following consultation with parents.