Backyard and Beach Cricket for Kids

Information on beach and backyard cricket in South Africa

Will your kids enjoy backyard or beach cricket?

Do your kids crave a less-structured sporting environment? Then they might enjoy backyard or beach cricket. Kids who are into structured rules may prefer more organized kids’ activities, like standard cricket.

As well as being fun, backyard and beach cricket are:

• Cheap, or even free depending what equipment you already have
• A great form of exercise
• Great family sports for mums, dads, and kids of all ages
• A good way to improve hand eye co-ordination
• A great entertainment activity for family gatherings, barbecues, and parties
• A great bonding activity for family and friends
• An excellent way to teach kids teamwork skills

Are your kids the non-competitive types?

You don’t have to implement scoring or even form teams to play a riveting game of backyard or beach cricket. Very small children can have fun simply hitting a ball with a bat. Competitive kids might enjoy taking on their parents, brothers, or sisters. You might even like to organise a family tournament to take place on weekends or at large family gatherings. Don't forget that one person will have to be appointed referee, in case any disagreements come about. It is also a good idea to make sure you have enough space and are away from roads or other hazards.

How can you organise backyard ricket lessons and matches for your kids?

Want to teach your kids how to play backyard cricket?.

The basic principle is similar to standard cricket. There are usually two teams who take turns batting, bowling, and fielding. The aim is to hit the ball as far as possible to score as many ‘runs' as you can between wickets before the ball is returned. With backyard and beach cricket there is no standard pitch sizet. You can purchase a cricket set fairly inexpensively from a sports shop or just use hats or jumpers to mark out the pitch. Backyard cricket and beach cricket usually take place during the summer months.