What’s changed · 2026/27
What’s Changed – Girls Division 3, 2025/26 to 2026/27
Sources:
- 2025/26: CJCA Girls Division Three (Year 7/8) grade conditions, “as at 26th September 2025” (the date is in the file name; the cover has no date). See the Girls Division 3 rules (2025/26).
- 2026/27: the same CJCA document, “as at 26th August 2026” (the cover says “As at 6th August 2026”). See the Girls Division 3 rules (2026/27).
This compares the two documents clause by clause, and cross-checks the CJCA’s 2026/27 announcements and the CJCA Girls Grade Summary (2026/27).
How to read the table:
- Same means the 2026/27 rule means the same as the 2025/26 rule.
- Rows whose rule name is in bold are the ones coaches and umpires need to apply differently this season.
- ⚠ marks a rule where the 2026/27 rules disagree with themselves, the scoresheet, the announcements or the girls summary.
Rules: Christchurch Junior Cricket Association (CJCA). Reformatted as coaching notes; see the source PDF for the official wording.
What’s changed – at a glance
- Retirement (significant change): batters now retire immediately after 15 legitimate balls – wides and no-balls don’t count. Last season they batted until “the end of the over in which they have faced 25 balls (INCLUDING wides and no balls)”.
- Grace-period bonus (significant change): the bowling side now gets 5 runs for a dismissal within a batter’s first 6 balls (was 3). The Scoring section also changes from 3 to 5 runs.
- Grace period counts legitimate balls only: “Only legitimate balls are counted towards a ‘Grace Period”” is new, so wides and no-balls no longer use up a batter’s first 6 balls.
- Fielding restriction (new): “A minimum of 3 players must be closer to the Batter than the Boundary at all times.”
- POD system (new): a new section says teams in all non-pairs grades “should operate a “POD system”” so every player gets a fair chance to bat and bowl, with a link to more detail.
- Smaller changes: the ball is now “142g Leather ball (PINK or RED)”; 4.30 pm starts apply to a “Thursday/Friday round” (was Friday only); byes and overthrows are unlimited “in this grade” (was “in Year 7 & 8 cricket”); LBW now has its own heading.
- Unchanged: 9 a side, 20 six-ball overs in 5-over blocks from one end, 6-ball grace period, back-foot LBW only, free hits after no-balls on balls 1–5, a maximum of 5 overs per bowler with no 4th over until everyone has bowled 3, 15 m run-up, unlimited byes and overthrows, the same pitch map and scoresheet.
- ⚠ Scoresheet: the Appendix 2 scoresheet still says “3 runs per wicket taken in Grace Period”, but the rules now say 5.
- ⚠ Overs per bowler: the rules say “Max 5 overs per bowler”, but also that with fewer than 9 players “bowling limits can be extended to 4 overs each”. The girls summary says 4.
Rules table
Format, players and ground
| Rule | 2025/26 | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Traditional (non-pairs) cricket for girls up to Year 8; equal opportunity for all players over each half season | Same |
| Who may play | Older (high-school) girls not normally; “girls newer to cricket can be considered”; talented Year 6 girls may be considered | Same (the “newer to cricket” clause is now in bold) |
| Playing up or down | Play in your school year; clubs apply before the season for a player to play down; “We recommend no more than one grade higher” | Same |
| Team size | 9 a side | Same |
| Fewer than 9 players | Ask the opposition to balance the teams; “bowling limits can be extended to 4 overs each”; dismissed players bat again, chosen by fewest balls faced, after any retired batters; opposition players may field | Same |
| More than 9 players | Only 9 field; all may bat and bowl; the innings ends at the 9th wicket if the other team has 9 | Same |
| Grounds | Schools and council grounds, mostly artificial pitches | Same |
| Start time | 9.00 am Saturday, or 4.30 pm “if there is a Friday round” | 9.00 am Saturday, or 4.30 pm “if there is a Thursday/Friday round” |
| Ball | “142g Leather ball” | Same, plus colour: “142g Leather ball (PINK or RED)” |
| Protective equipment | Full protective equipment and helmet for batters (NZC Helmet Policy); “Wicket keepers should ALWAYS wear Helmets” | Same |
| Pitch and exclusion zone | 18 m pitch and 10 m exclusion zone, shown only on the Appendix 1 pitch map (May 2024); slips and gullies allowed inside it | Same (the same map) |
| Boundary | Not stated | Same – ⚠ still not stated (the girls summary says “35m where possible”) |
Match structure
| Rule | 2025/26 | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Innings | One innings each, “20 overs per side (6 ball maximum)”; coin toss for who starts | Same (the line is no longer highlighted) |
| Bowling ends | “5 over blocks from the same end before rotating” | Same |
| Results | Non-competitive: no points or ladder, but results entered on PlayHQ for grading | Same |
| POD system | Not stated | New “POD system (directive)” section: teams in all non-pairs grades “should operate a “POD system”” so players can contribute “in a range of cricket disciplines”, with a “MORE DETAIL – CLICK HERE” link |
Batting and dismissals
| Rule | 2025/26 | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Grace period | A batter dismissed within the first 6 balls they face stays in; batters change ends | Same |
| Grace-period bonus | “a bonus 3 runs” to the bowling side | “a bonus 5 runs” to the bowling side |
| Balls that count for the grace period | Not stated | “Only legitimate balls are counted towards a ‘Grace Period”” |
| Batters dismissed in their grace period | “(New) Players dismissed with the “Grace Period” may not return as a retired batter if they reach the retirement limit.” | Same (still labelled “(New)”) |
| Retirement limit | “until the end of the over in which they have faced 25 balls (INCLUDING wides and no balls)” | “until they have faced 15 balls (NOT INCLUDING wides and no balls)”, under a new “Retirements” heading |
| When to retire | “Batter may bat until the end of the over in which they reach 25 balls.” | “Batter must retire immediately when they have faced 15 legitimate balls.” |
| Retired batters returning | In the order they retired, once all other batters are out or retired | Same |
| Retiring batters early | Not allowed “unless they are playing with more than 9 players and spreading the innings equally” | Same |
| Last batter standing | The last not-out batter keeps batting; the last batter out stays as non-striker; either may be run out | Same |
| Ways of being out | Bowled, caught, stumped, hit wicket, run out, and LBW | Same |
| LBW | Only on appeal, pitched in line, hit in front before the bat, going on to hit, and the batter on the back foot; “ANY doubt – not out” | Same (now under its own heading, “LBW in this grade”) |
Extras, free hits and wides
| Rule | 2025/26 | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Free hits | After a no-ball on balls 1–5 of an over; the field can’t change; run-out is the only dismissal | Same |
| No-ball on the 6th ball | 2 runs, no free hit | Same |
| Wides | Full wides on the off side and halfway to that on the leg side; coaches or umpires agree the standard before the game; not a wide if it hits the batter | Same |
| Runs for wides and no-balls | 1 run each, plus any runs scored; the ball stays live | Same |
| No-ball conditions | Bounces twice or rolls (bowlers may bowl from a shorter distance); above the waist on the full; above the shoulder after bouncing; fielders encroaching into the exclusion zone | Same (the bracket now ends “for development purposes)”) |
| Extra balls | None, except that the last over must have 6 legitimate deliveries | Same |
Fielding
| Rule | 2025/26 | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Fielders closer than the boundary | Not stated | “A minimum of 3 players must be closer to the Batter than the Boundary at all times.” – highlighted “new in 2026” |
| Byes and overthrows | “unlimited in Year 7 & 8 cricket” | “unlimited in this grade.” – effectively Same |
| Recording catches and run-outs | Catches against the catcher; those involved in run-outs noted on the scoresheet or in PlayHQ | Same |
Bowling and scoring
| Rule | 2025/26 | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Overs per bowler | “Max 5 overs per bowler”; all team members bowl the same number of overs over the season; “No bowler may bowl a 4th over until ALL others have bowled 3”; no successive overs | Same – ⚠ the girls summary says 4 |
| Balls per over | Maximum 6; the last over must have 6 legitimate deliveries | Same |
| Run-up | Maximum 15 m | Same |
| Throwing | Coach a straight arm; no penalty for a thrown delivery, but a batter shouldn’t be given out off an obvious throw | Same |
| Runs for dismissals (Scoring) | “3 runs are added to the bowling side for each dismissal obtained.” | “5 runs are added to the bowling side for each dismissal obtained.” |
| Scoresheet (Appendix 2) | CJCA Year 7 & 8 sheet: “3 runs per wicket taken in Grace Period” – agrees with the rules | The identical sheet (also shown at a higher resolution) – ⚠ its “3 runs per wicket” now disagrees with the rules’ 5 runs |
| Scoring on PlayHQ | Ideally on PlayHQ; access through Club or School Convenors | Same |
Cross-check with the 2026/27 announcements
The CJCA’s 2026/27 announcements that touch Girls Division 3: the Grade and Playing Conditions changes document, the POD system directive and poster, and the posters on fielding restrictions, grace period settings, wides and no-balls, retirement levels and retired and additional batters. The Girls Grade Summary is checked too.
| Announcement or summary says | 2026/27 Girls Division 3 rules |
|---|---|
| Changes document and retirement poster: “GIRLS DIVISION 3 … Batter will now retire after 15 LEGITMATE BALLS”, retired “IMMEDIATELY – NOT THE END OF THE OVER”. | Matches (“Batter must retire immediately when they have faced 15 legitimate balls”). |
| Wides and no-balls “will not be counted” towards a retirement limit or grace period; the wides and no-balls poster lists “Division 3 girls”. | Matches (“NOT INCLUDING wides and no balls”; “Only legitimate balls are counted towards a ‘Grace Period””). |
| Grace period poster: 5 bonus runs in all non-pairs cricket; a 6-ball grace period in all grades except Premier; lists “Girls Division 3 & 4”. | Matches the rules (5 runs, 6 balls). ⚠ The Appendix 2 scoresheet still says 3 runs. |
| Wides and no-balls poster: a wide is “Full wides on the offside and halfway to that on the legside”; no-ball examples include “overstepping” and “landing off the pitch”. | Wide guide matches. The rules’ no-ball list doesn’t mention overstepping or landing off the pitch (the general conditions say MCC Laws apply unless otherwise stated). |
| Retired and additional batters poster: retired batters return “in order in which they retired”; extra batters in short teams return in order of “least balls faced”. | Matches. |
| Coaches may not retire batters early “FOR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE” unless they have more than 9 players and spread the innings equally. | Same rule, without the words “for competitive advantage”. |
| “In all CJCA grades at least 3 players must be closer to the Batter than to the Boundary.” | Matches the new fielding restriction. The rules don’t say whether the bowler and wicketkeeper count; the girls summary says they don’t. |
| Fielding restrictions poster: no fielders within 10 m of the batter; slips and gullies may be closer; hardball keepers wear helmets at all times. Its “This applies to” list names “All hardball grades”, “Super 8” and “Girls Division 4”. | Matches the pitch map and “Wicket keepers should ALWAYS wear Helmets”. Division 3 is covered only as a hardball grade. |
| POD directive: applies to “Division 3 Girls”; clubs are “strongly encouraged” to adopt PODs; the top POD doesn’t bowl until 50% of overs (after 10 overs in a 20/20 game); keepers share the gloves (“10 … overs each” in a 20-over game). | The rules say teams “should operate a “POD system””, and link to the POD poster rather than the directive. The bowling and keeping details are only in the announcements. |
| Run-ups “no longer than 15m in Year 7 & 8 Cricket”. | Matches (15 m). |
| Bowling changes: “Max 5 overs per bowler”; “No bowler may bowl a 4th over until ALL others have bowled 3”; “No bowler may bowl more than 4 overs total in a 27 or 30-over game”; shared keepers “should bowl 2 overs when not wicket keeping”. | The first two match. The 4-over cap is for 27- and 30-over games, not Division 3’s 20 overs. The keeper sentence isn’t in the Division 3 rules. |
| ⚠ Girls summary: “Max Overs per bowler – 4”. | The rules say “Max 5 overs per bowler.” |
| ⚠ Girls summary: “Max overs per spell – 3 - No one can bowl 4th until all have bowled 3”. | The rules set no spell length and say “No bowler can bowl successive overs.” |
| ⚠ Girls summary: extras are worth “2 plus any extras on last ball of Over”, for “a wide or a no ball”. | The rules give 2 runs only for a no-ball on the 6th ball. |
| ⚠ Girls summary: “Rotate Positions – No”. | The general conditions say “Coaches and Managers should rotate fielders through positions”. |
| Girls summary: 142 g ball “PINK or RED”, “Red to be phased out by 2027/28”; “35m where possible”; start time “9am”. | Ball colour matches, but the rules don’t mention phasing out red or a boundary size. The rules also allow 4.30 pm Thursday/Friday starts. |
| Girls summary: 9 a side, 20 overs, 5 overs each end, back-foot LBW, free hits after no-balls (run-outs only), last batter standing, ×5 per wicket in the grace period, 15 legitimate balls, 15 m run-up, 10 m exclusion zone, no limit on byes and overthrows. | Matches. |
Possible errors or inconsistencies
Affecting how the game is played
- Scoresheet bonus runs: the Appendix 2 scoresheet says “3 runs per wicket taken in Grace Period”, but the 2026/27 rules say “a bonus 5 runs” and “5 runs are added to the bowling side for each dismissal obtained.” In 2025/26 the sheet and the rules agreed (3 runs). The sheet’s runs-per-over column is also numbered for 30 overs, but Division 3 plays “20 overs per side” (both seasons).
- Overs per bowler: “Max 5 overs per bowler” and, under Team Size, “Should teams have less than 9 players bowling limits can be extended to 4 overs each” (both seasons). The girls summary gives 4. With “No bowler may bowl a 4th over until ALL others have bowled 3”, a team with 7 or more bowlers never needs a 4th over in 20 overs, so the 5-over maximum only matters with 4 bowlers.
- Bonus for “each dismissal”: the Scoring section says “5 runs are added to the bowling side for each dismissal obtained”, but the Grace Period section gives the bonus only when a batter is dismissed within their first 6 balls (and stays in). The same wording, with 3 runs, was in 2025/26.
- Fielding restriction: the rules don’t say whether the bowler and wicketkeeper count among the 3 players; the girls summary says “Does not include Wicket Keeper or Bowler”.
- POD system: the rules say teams “should operate a “POD system”” (a directive), but the directive itself says clubs and schools are “strongly encouraged” to adopt PODs. The rules’ “MORE DETAIL – CLICK HERE” link goes to the POD poster (
POD-system-explained-Grace-Period-Cricket-August-2026.pdf), not to the directive. - Ground sizes: neither season’s rules give a boundary size, and the 18 m pitch and 10 m exclusion zone appear only on the pitch map. The girls summary adds “35m where possible”.
Document and wording issues
- Cover date: the 2026/27 cover says “As at 6th August 2026”, but the file name says “as at 26th August 2026”. The 2025/26 cover has no date.
- Girls Convenor: the 2025/26 document lists “CJCA Girls Convenor Emma Norrish 027 4043093 girls@cjca.org.nz”, but the email address links to a file path on someone’s OneDrive (
https://d.docs.live.net/200ea81b3f7a2ec4/Documents/CJCA%20COMPETITIONS/Grade%20conditions/2025/girls@cjca.org.nz) rather than an email link. The 2026/27 Division 3 document drops the Girls Convenor altogether, so it gives no girls contact (the 2026/27 Year 5 / Girls Division 4 document lists one). - Old Year 6 wording in the general conditions (both seasons): “In Year 6 only the Grade Conditions shall change to those of Year 7 AFTER CHRISTMAS – player numbers remain the same and should a team not have 9 players available for a match under Year 7 rules…”. The Year 6 documents now say the conditions change to Year 6 post-Christmas rules.
- “(New)” carried over: “(New) Players dismissed with the “Grace Period” may not return as a retired batter” was already in 2025/26.
- Quotes and words: “Only legitimate balls are counted towards a ‘Grace Period”” (mismatched quotation marks); “dismissed with the “Grace Period”” (within); “LBW to be applied in this grade LBWs may only be given…” (garbled); “the intention for it only to be awarded” (missing “is”); “agree on a stand” (standard); “i.e. batsmen can run)” (stray closing bracket); “Retired batsman”; “from practicing”; “9 aside”; “Draws will be confirmed until Christmas”.
- “(See graphics below)” after the last wide condition, but neither document has wide graphics.
- “(see next bullet)” under Team Size, but the paragraphs aren’t bullets.
- Fixed in 2026/27: the 2025/26 bracket “(Bowlers can bowl from a shorter distance if needed” was never closed; byes were “unlimited in Year 7 & 8 cricket” in a Girls Division 3 document; and the 2025/26 table of contents listed “Scoring” under Bowling and left out the appendices.