Moving up · 2026/27
Moving Up – Year 5 Hardball (2025/26) to Year 6 Hardball Pre-Christmas (2026/27)
Sources:
- Year 5 Hardball: CJCA Year 5 Hardball, Year 5/6 Super 8’s and Girls Division 4 rules, “as at 26th September 2025”. Only the Year 5 Hardball rules are compared; see the Year 5 Hardball rules (2025/26).
- Year 6 Pre-Christmas: CJCA Year 6 Hardball Grade – Pre-Christmas rules, “as at 26th August 2026”. See the Year 6 Pre-Christmas rules (2026/27).
Comparing the two shows what changes for a player moving from Year 5 Hardball up to Year 6 Hardball before Christmas.
⚠ The Year 5 rules compared here are the 2025/26 rules (the CJCA document dated 26 September 2025). Players moving up in 2026/27 played under these rules last season. Changes the CJCA made to Year 5 Hardball for 2026/27 are covered separately in “What’s changed”.
The general CJCA conditions (pages 1–2) are the same in both documents apart from the contact list (the Year 5 document also lists the CJCA Girls Convenor) and some bold type. The 2025/26 Year 5 document already contained the sentence about Year 6 pre-Christmas conditions changing to post-Christmas ones. Year 5 Hardball keeps the same conditions all season.
How to read the table:
- Same means the Year 6 pre-Christmas rule means the same as the Year 5 Hardball rule.
- Not stated means the rule isn't mentioned in that document; the MCC Laws apply “unless otherwise stated”. Rows like this are marked ⚠.
- Rows whose rule name is in bold are the ones umpires and coaches need to apply differently in Year 6.
Rules: Christchurch Junior Cricket Association (CJCA). Reformatted as coaching notes; see the source PDF for the official wording.
What changes from Year 5 to Year 6 – at a glance
- Wides and no balls: the batter takes a free hit off a tee. There is no extra run, no re-bowl and a maximum of 6 balls per over. In Year 6 a wide or no ball is 1 run plus a re-bowl (up to 8 balls per over), and the ball after a no ball is a bowled free hit.
- Hitting tees: two small tees are set up → no tees.
- Balls per pair: 5 overs = 30 balls → 5 overs of up to 40 balls. Each batter faces at least 15 legitimate balls.
- Bowling limits: every bowler bowls 2 overs, and everyone bowls 1 before anyone bowls a 2nd → max 3 overs. Nobody bowls a 3rd until everyone has bowled 2, and overs are shared equally across the season.
- Run-up: max 10 m → ⚠ not stated.
- Boundary fielders: not limited → max 3 on the boundary.
- More than 8 players: bat and bowl fewer overs → bat fewer balls before retiring (even mid-block) and bowl fewer overs.
- Unchanged: 16 m pitch, 35 m boundary, 142 g leather ball, pairs cricket, 8 a side, 20 overs, no LBW, the 10 m exclusion zone, and dismissals (batter stays in, +3 runs).
Rules table
Format, players and ground
| Rule | Year 5 Hardball (2025/26) | Year 6 Pre-Christmas (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Pairs cricket (“All grades are pairs-based cricket”) | Same |
| Grade description | “for players from School Years 5-6, split into two grades…” | Same |
| Team size | 8 a side | Same |
| Maximum players on field | 8; extra players are rotated on and off the field | Same |
| Fewer than 8 players | Ask opposition to lend players; bowling limits “can be extended to 3 overs each” | Same |
| More than 8 players | Maximise participation: “batting and bowling for less overs” | Maximise participation: bat fewer balls before retiring batters (may be before a 5-over block finishes) and bowl fewer overs (highlighted as new) |
| Start time | 9.00am Saturday, or 4.30pm for a Friday round | Same |
| Pitch length | 16 m (blue lines on artificial wickets); pitches painted with numbers | Same 16 m. Adds “Move to 18m after Christmas NOT BEFORE” |
| Boundary | 35 m or natural boundaries | Same |
| Boundary marking and shortening | Cones or natural features; may be shortened by agreement if the outfield is slow | Same |
| Ball | 142 g leather | Same (names Kookaburra) |
| Bats | Wooden bats only from Year 5 upwards | Same |
| Hitting tees | Two small hitting tees set up, used for free hits | ⚠ Not stated – no tees |
| Protective equipment | Full protective gear and helmet for batters (NZC Helmet Policy); keepers always wear helmets | Same |
Match structure
| Rule | Year 5 Hardball (2025/26) | Year 6 Pre-Christmas (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Innings | One innings each, 20 overs per side; coin toss for who starts | Same (adds “8 ball max”) |
| Expected duration | About 3 hours maximum | Same |
| Bowling end | “All bowling is to be from the same end”, and bowling in 5-over blocks | Same wording: “All bowling is to be from the same end”, plus “5 overs bowled at the same end” |
| Next pair in | Next pair ready immediately after the previous pair’s partnership | Same |
| Exclusion zone | 10 m zone, “this excludes the wicket keeper”. Cones may mark a 10 m circle; fielders don't enter until after the shot. Fielders don't have to stand on the markers | Same |
Batting
| Rule | Year 5 Hardball (2025/26) | Year 6 Pre-Christmas (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Batting order | 8 batters in pairs numbered 1–4 by coach/captain | Same |
| Balls per pair | Each pair bats 5 overs: 30 balls | Each pair bats 5 overs: up to 40 balls (because of re-bowls) |
| Balls per batter | Aim for 15 balls each. Batters may be told to change ends, including mid-over after dot balls | Aim for at least 15 legitimate balls each. Batters may be told to change ends (mid-over not mentioned) |
| Switching ends | Dismissed batter doesn't face the next ball; batters always change ends at the end of each over | Same |
| Runs on a run out | Batting side keeps all runs being attempted if the batters crossed; the fielding side still gets 3 runs | Same |
Dismissals and penalties
| Rule | Year 5 Hardball (2025/26) | Year 6 Pre-Christmas (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Ways of being out | Bowled, caught, stumped, hit wicket, run out. No LBW | Same |
| Bails rule | Also out if bails are used but don't fall when the ball hits the base of the stumps or passes between them | ⚠ Not stated (returns in Year 6 post-Christmas) |
| What happens when a batter is out | Batter stays in. Recorded as X; bowler credited; batters swap ends (not for a run out) | Same |
| Bonus runs to bowling side | +3 runs for every dismissal (added as extras) | Same |
Extras, free hits and wides
| Rule | Year 5 Hardball (2025/26) | Year 6 Pre-Christmas (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Runs for a wide / no ball | No extra runs. The batter only gets runs from hitting the free hit off the cone/tee | 1 run plus any runs scored |
| Re-bowls / balls per over | No re-bowls: maximum 6 deliveries per over | Re-bowled: minimum 6, maximum 8 per over; final over must have 6 legitimate balls |
| Free hit – when | After every wide or no ball | After a no ball only (balls 1–7). No ball on the 8th ball: 2 runs, no free hit. Wide or no ball on the last (8th) ball: 2 runs |
| Free hit – how | Off a hitting tee beside the batter (either side of the wicket). The batter stays on strike. One swing (coach's discretion for another). Must be hit forward of the wicket; if hit behind, retake. New 2024/25: may hit off either tee | The next bowled delivery is the free hit; normal batting |
| Free hit – dismissal | Run out only | Same |
| Free hit – fielders | Stay in original positions and out of the exclusion zone until the ball is hit off the tee | Stay in their positions (minor changes allowed for a left/right-hander change) |
| Batter hits a would-be wide | Scores the runs from that shot and forfeits the free hit. If no run is scored off the free hit, the batter must return to the popping crease | Becomes a normal delivery: runs from the shot only, and can be out in all the normal ways |
| No ball hit for a boundary | The boundary stands and no free hit is taken | ⚠ Not stated (the no ball is 1 run plus runs scored, then a free hit) |
| Wide definition | Passes outside the off-side cone and not hit; or passes halfway towards the leg side and not hit (“See graphics below”) | Same |
| No ball conditions | Bounces twice or rolls; full toss above waist; above shoulder after bouncing; fielders (not the bowler) encroach into the exclusion zone before the ball is hit | Same |
Fielding
| Rule | Year 5 Hardball (2025/26) | Year 6 Pre-Christmas (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Fielders on boundary | ⚠ Not stated | Max 3 (bowler and keeper don't count) |
| Byes / overthrows | Not limited; coaches should encourage good throws and relay throwing | Unlimited (the relay-throw advice isn't repeated) |
| Recording catches | Against the catcher on the scoresheet | Same |
| Recording stumpings and run outs | ⚠ Not stated | Stumpings and run-out fielders recorded on the scoresheet or PlayHQ |
Bowling
| Rule | Year 5 Hardball (2025/26) | Year 6 Pre-Christmas (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Overs per bowler | All bowlers should bowl 2 overs (can change with fewer than 8 players). No maximum stated | Max 3 overs per bowler |
| Bowling order | No two overs in a row; all bowlers bowl 1 over before anyone bowls a 2nd | No successive overs; nobody bowls a 3rd over until all have bowled 2 |
| Season share | ⚠ Not stated | All players bowl the same number of overs across the season |
| Run-up | Maximum 10 m run-up | ⚠ Not stated |
| Bowling blocks | All bowling in 5-over blocks | Same (“5 overs bowled at the same end”) |
| Throwing | Coach a straight-arm action; no penalty for a thrown delivery, but a batter shouldn't be given out off an obvious throw (no ball in the extreme) | Same |
Scoring and results
| Rule | Year 5 Hardball (2025/26) | Year 6 Pre-Christmas (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Scorers | A parent/supporter from each team; be careful announcing winners (non-competitive) | Same |
| Results on PlayHQ | Enter net score (runs plus runs gained from wickets) | Same |
| Score starts at | Zero | Same |
| Runs for dismissals | +3 for each dismissal | Same |
| Runs for wides / no balls | None, except runs from hitting off the cone | 1 run each, plus runs scored |
Possible errors or inconsistencies
Issues already listed for the Year 6 pre-Christmas file are not repeated here (see the Year 6 pre- vs post-Christmas comparison). The same typos, the empty “(See graphics below)” and the exclusion-zone text/map mismatch all appear in the Year 5 document too.
Affecting how the game is played
- The overs don't add up. Each innings is 20 overs, but the rule is that “All bowlers should bowl 2 overs”: 8 bowlers × 2 = 16 overs, and no maximum per bowler is given. Year 6 pre-Christmas solves this with “Max 3 overs per bowler … no 3rd over until ALL others have bowled 2”.
- “If no run is scored off the free hit, they must return to the popping crease” comes straight after the would-be-wide sentence, so it's unclear which situation it covers.
- Free hits name only “Super 8 or Year 5 Hardball”, so it's unclear whether they apply in Girls Division 4. This matters for the Girls Division 4 file, not this comparison.
- Girls Division 4 ball type isn't stated. The pitch map title says “Junior Girls Incrediball”, while the cover says “Division 4 Girls”.
Document and wording issues
- The grade description says “split into two grades” but the document covers three (Year 5 Hardball, Year 5/6 Super 8s, Girls Division 4).
- “All players may hit of either tee” (off). “Should a ball be hit behind the batter should be allowed to retake the hit” is missing a word.
- The table-of-contents page has no “Table of Contents” title in the source; the extraction adds one.
- “Mobile 027 6644999;” on page 2 has a stray semicolon.