What’s changed · 2026/27
What’s Changed – Girls Division 4, 2025/26 to 2026/27
Sources:
- 2025/26: CJCA Year 5 Hardball, Year 5/6 Super 8’s and Girls Division 4 rules, “as at 26th September 2025”. See the Girls Division 4 rules (2025/26).
- 2026/27: the same CJCA document, “as at 26th August 2026”. See the Girls Division 4 rules (2026/27).
- Cross-checked against: the CJCA’s 2026/27 announcements and the CJCA Girls Grade Summary (as at 1 August 2026), which calls this grade “Girls Junior Super 8 (Up to Year 6)”.
This compares the two documents clause by clause for Girls Division 4. It is the same joint document as Year 5 Hardball and Super 8s, so most rows match the Year 5 Hardball and Super 8s “what’s changed” pages.
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 and the 2026/27 announcements or grade summary don’t agree, or where the rules don’t name Division 4.
Rules: Christchurch Junior Cricket Association (CJCA). Reformatted as coaching notes; see the source PDF for the official wording.
What’s changed – at a glance
- Fielding restriction (new): a maximum of 3 fielders on the boundary, so at least 3 fielders must be closer to the batter than the boundary. The bowler and wicketkeeper don’t count.
- More than 8 players: coaches may now retire batters after fewer balls (even before a 5-over block finishes) as well as giving each player fewer overs.
- Fewer than 8 players: opposition players are asked to field so there are 8 in the fielding team (previously “6 or 8”).
- Recording: stumpings and the fielders involved in run-outs should now be recorded on the scoresheet or in PlayHQ, as well as catches.
- Ball (if Division 4 uses the Super 8s ball): the Super 8s line now names a Kookaburra Star Softaball, 130–133 g (previously a “Club Junior Club weight” Incrediball). ⚠ The rules don’t name a ball for Division 4; the Girls Grade Summary says “Junior Match Incrediball 130-134 gram”.
- Unchanged: pairs cricket, 16 m pitch, 35 m boundary in the rules, 20 overs a side, 6-ball overs with no re-bowls, 2 overs per bowler, +3 runs per dismissal. Byes and overthrows are still unlimited, and the rules now name “Girls Division 4” there.
- ⚠ Boundary: the rules say 35 m, but the Girls Grade Summary says 30 m for Junior Super 8.
- ⚠ Run-up: the rules and the Girls Grade Summary say 10 m, but the CJCA’s 2026/27 changes announcement says 12 m for Year 5/6 cricket.
- Girls Convenor: now Kelly Hodder (previously Emma Norrish).
Rules table
Format, players and ground
| Rule | 2025/26 | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Pairs cricket (“All grades are pairs-based cricket”) | Same |
| Team size | 8 a side (“Year 5 & 6: 8 a side”) | Same |
| Maximum players on the field | 8; extra players are rotated on and off the field | Same |
| Fewer than 8 players | Ask the opposition to lend players “to ensure there are 6 or 8 players in the fielding team”; bowling limits can be extended to 3 overs each | Ask the opposition to lend players “to ensure there are 8 players in the fielding team”; bowling limits can be extended to 3 overs each |
| More than 8 players | Maximise participation: “batting and bowling for less overs” | Maximise participation: “batting less balls before retiring batters”, which “may mean that players are retired before a 5 over block of overs is completed”, and bowling fewer overs |
| Start time | 9.00 am Saturday, or 4.30 pm for a Friday round | Same |
| Pitch length | 16 m (blue lines); pitches painted with numbers | Same |
| Boundary | 35 m or natural boundaries | Same – ⚠ the Girls Grade Summary says 30 m |
| Ball | ⚠ Not stated for Division 4. The Super 8s line: “Year 5&6 Incrediball: “Club Junior Club weight” Incrediball”; the pitch map is titled “… & Junior Girls Incrediball” | ⚠ Not stated for Division 4. The Super 8s line: “Year 5&6 Incrediball: Kookaburra Star Softaball Cricket Ball (weight range 130-133grams)”. The Girls Grade Summary says “Junior Match Incrediball 130-134 gram” |
| Bats | Wooden bats only from Year 5 upwards | Same |
| Hitting tees | ⚠ Not stated for Division 4 (“SMALL Hitting tees should be used in Super 8 and Year 5 Hardball. TWO tees should be set up.”); the general conditions say teams should have hitting tees “where needed” | Same |
| Protective equipment | Full protective gear and helmet for batters (NZC Helmet Policy); wicketkeepers always wear helmets | Same |
| Girls Convenor | Emma Norrish, 027 4043093, girls@cjca.org.nz | Kelly Hodder, 021 08821475, girls@cjca.org.nz |
Match structure
| Rule | 2025/26 | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Innings | One innings each; coin toss for who starts; ⚠ 20 overs per side from the “Year 5 & 6” line (Division 4 not named) | Same |
| Expected duration | About 3 hours maximum | Same |
| Bowling end | “All bowling is to be from the same end”, in 5-over blocks | Same |
| Exclusion zone | 10 m zone that does not apply to the wicketkeeper; cones may mark it; fielders don’t enter until after the shot or the hit off the tee | Same |
| Pitch map | Appendix 1 pitch map (May 2024), titled for “Year 5/6 Super 8, Year 5 Hardball & Junior Girls Incrediball”: 10 m exclusion zone, two hitting tees 1 m in front of the popping crease, slips and gullies permitted backward of the wicket | Same (the same map) |
| Scoresheet | Appendix 2 scoresheet, headed in the PDF “Year 5 Hardball, Year 5/6 Super 8’s and Girls Division 4 Grade Scoresheet”, with a Catches column | Same (the same sheet) |
Batting and dismissals
| Rule | 2025/26 | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Batting order and time | Pairs numbered 1–4; each pair bats 5 overs (30 balls); aim for 15 balls each, changing ends mid-over after dot balls if needed | Same |
| Switching ends and run-outs | Dismissed batter doesn’t face the next ball; batters change ends each over; on a run-out the batting side keeps the runs attempted if the batters crossed | Same |
| Ways of being out | Bowled, caught, stumped, hit wicket, run out; no LBW; also out if bails don’t fall after the ball hits the base of the stumps | Same |
| What happens when a batter is out | Batter stays in; X recorded; batters swap ends; bowling side +3 runs | Same |
| Free hits | ⚠ The Free Hits section names only “Super 8 or Year 5 Hardball” (free hit off a tee, batter stays on strike, run-out only, either tee). The No Balls and Wides and Scoring sections, which aren’t limited to a grade, refer to free-hit cones | Same – the Girls Grade Summary confirms free hits “Off Tee – EITHER SIDE”, “Run out only” |
Fielding
| Rule | 2025/26 | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Fielders on the boundary | Not stated | Maximum 3 on the boundary, so at least 3 fielders closer to the batter than the boundary (bowler and wicketkeeper don’t count) – highlighted as new |
| Byes and overthrows | Not limited (“ARE NOT LIMITED”), with encouragement to use relay throws | Unlimited “in Year 5 & older and Girls Division 4 Cricket” (relay-throw sentence removed) – effectively Same, and Division 4 is now named |
| Recording catches | Against the catcher on the scoresheet | Same |
| Recording stumpings and run-outs | Not stated | Stumpings and the fielders involved in run-outs recorded on the scoresheet or in PlayHQ |
Bowling and scoring
| Rule | 2025/26 | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Overs per bowler | Every bowler bowls 2 overs; everyone bowls 1 before anyone bowls a 2nd; no consecutive overs | Same |
| Balls per over | No re-bowls: maximum 6 deliveries | Same |
| Run-up | Maximum 10 m | Same – ⚠ the 2026/27 changes announcement says 12 m for Year 5/6 (see below) |
| Wides and no-balls | Wide outside the off-side cone or halfway to the leg side; four no-ball conditions | Same |
| Throwing | No penalty for a thrown delivery; a batter shouldn’t be given out off an obvious throw | Same (that sentence is now in bold) |
| Runs for dismissals | +3 for each dismissal | Same |
| Runs for wides and no-balls | None, other than runs from hitting off the cone | Same |
Cross-check with the 2026/27 announcements
Announcements and posters
The CJCA’s 2026/27 announcements that touch Girls Division 4: the Grade and Playing Conditions changes document and the Fielding Restrictions, Grace Period, Retirement Level and Retired and Additional Batters posters.
| Announcement says | 2026/27 Girls Division 4 rules |
|---|---|
| “In all CJCA grades at least 3 players must be closer to the Batter than to the Boundary.” The Fielding Restrictions poster lists Girls Division 4. | Matches the new fielding restriction (the rules word it as “A maximum of 3 players can be on the boundary”; see note 6). |
| Fielding Restrictions poster: no fielders closer than 10 m to the batter; slips and gullies (off side) may be closer than 10 m; keepers in hardball, Super 8 and Division 4 Girls must wear helmets at all times. | Matches the exclusion zone, pitch map and helmet rule. |
| Bonus runs for wickets in all pairs cricket remain at 3; the Grace Period poster gives pairs cricket “3 runs to bowling team”. | Matches (+3 per dismissal). |
| ⚠ Grace Period poster: a 6-ball grace period in all grades except Premier, and it lists “Girls Division 3 & 4”. | Not in the rules: Division 4 is pairs cricket, where a batter who is out stays in and swaps ends. There is no grace period. |
| Retirement Level poster, panel 4 (“Pairs cricket – no change”): Year 5 & 6, Super 8 and Division 4 Girls bat in “5-over blocks per pair”, with “Legitimate balls shared”. | Matches the 5-over blocks. ⚠ The rules don’t say whether wides and no-balls count towards each batter’s 15 balls, and the appended scoresheet heads its grid “BALLS FACED (include extras)”. |
| Retired and Additional Batters poster, panel 3: in pairs cricket, teams with odd numbers should rotate batters into the vacant position throughout the season. | Consistent with the rules’ “equal opportunity to bat twice … throughout the season”. |
| ⚠ Changes document and Retired and Additional Batters poster (“All grades”): coaches are not allowed to retire batters earlier than the retirement limits for competitive advantage “unless they are playing with more than 9 players”. | The new More than 8 players rule allows “batting less balls before retiring batters” for any team with more than 8 players. A team of 9 is covered by the rules but not by the announcement’s exception. |
| Full byes and overthrows in all grades other than Kiwi, Years 3 and 4 and Mini Mags. | Matches. |
| “Byes should not be run when a Free Hit has been signalled so the same Batter remains on-strike to take the Free Hot off the Tee.” | Not stated in the rules for Division 4 (the batter-stays-on-strike rule is in the Free Hits section, which names only Super 8 and Year 5 Hardball). |
| In grades with hits off tees after wides and no-balls, run-outs remain the only dismissal; catches do not count. | Consistent, though the rules’ “Free hits in these grades can only result in RUN OUTS” sits in the section that doesn’t name Division 4. |
| ⚠ Run-ups should be no longer than 12 m in Year 5/6 cricket, marked by a cone if necessary. | Not updated: the 2026/27 rules still say “a maximum of a 10-metre run up”. The announcement doesn’t say whether “Year 5/6 cricket” includes Girls Division 4. |
| Should wicketkeeping be shared, each keeper should bowl 2 overs when not keeping (in the bowling changes for 27/30-over grades). | Not stated for Division 4. Every bowler already bowls 2 overs, so this makes no practical difference. |
CJCA Girls Grade Summary (as at 1 August 2026)
The summary’s Girls Junior Super 8 (Up to Year 6) column agrees with the rules on team size (8), 20 overs of pairs cricket, all bowling from one end, 16 m pitch, 5 overs per pair, 15 deliveries each, no LBW, ×3 per wicket, no runs for wides and no-balls other than the free hit, a 10 m run-up, a 10 m exclusion zone, the new 3-fielder restriction and unlimited byes and overthrows. It fills some gaps where the rules don’t name Division 4, and disagrees on others:
| Girls Grade Summary says | 2026/27 Girls Division 4 rules |
|---|---|
| ⚠ Boundary Size: “30 m or Natural boundaries” (highlighted) | “35 metres or natural boundaries” |
| Ball: “Junior Match Incrediball 130-134 gram” | ⚠ No ball named for Division 4. The Super 8s line says “Kookaburra Star Softaball Cricket Ball (weight range 130-133grams)”. |
| Equipment: “Small Tees.” | ⚠ Tees named only for “Super 8 and Year 5 Hardball”. The summary supports tees for Division 4. |
| Free Hit: “Off Tee – EITHER SIDE”, “No Balls and Wides – Run out only” | ⚠ The Free Hits section names only “Super 8 or Year 5 Hardball”. The summary supports free hits off tees for Division 4. |
| ⚠ Max overs per bowler “3”; max overs per spell “2” | “All bowlers should bowl 2 overs, unless you are playing with less than 8 players” (then up to 3); “A bowler may not bowl two overs in a row” |
| ⚠ Equipment: “Minimum front pad and all other safety equipment.” | “Full Protective equipment should be warn by batter including a Helmet” |
| Max Run up: “10m” | Matches the rules (“a maximum of a 10-metre run up”), but not the changes announcement’s 12 m. |
| Start time “9am” | 9.00 am Saturday, “or if there is a Friday round, then it will be a 4.30pm start”. |
| ⚠ Field Configurations note: “Players may start in the middle of the crease and move towards and hit EITHER BALL” | The rules say nothing on this; the summary’s own map key says “Batter must start from crease and may hit either ball forward”. |
Possible errors or inconsistencies
Affecting how the game is played
- Division 4 not named: the ball, hitting tees, overs (“Super 8 Year 5/6: 20 overs per side” / “Year 5 & 6: 20 overs per side”) and the whole Free Hits section (“In Super 8 or Year 5 Hardball …”) never mention Girls Division 4, in either season. Only the cover, the grade-format heading, the scoresheet heading and (new in 2026/27) the byes sentence name it. The Girls Grade Summary fills the gaps for ball, tees and free hits.
- Boundary: the rules say “35 metres or natural boundaries”; the Girls Grade Summary says “30 m or Natural boundaries” (highlighted, which usually marks a change). Worth asking the CJCA which applies.
- Which ball: the rules give no ball for Division 4. The Super 8s line, which the pitch map’s “Junior Girls Incrediball” title links to Division 4, changed from “Club Junior Club weight” Incrediball to “Kookaburra Star Softaball Cricket Ball (weight range 130-133grams)”. The Girls Grade Summary says “Junior Match Incrediball 130-134 gram”.
- Run-up length: the rules and the Girls Grade Summary say 10 m, but the 2026/27 changes announcement says “no longer than 12m in Year 5/6 cricket”. (The CJCA Mixed Grade Summary gives Super 8 “12m”.)
- Fielding on the boundary: the Match Setup note still says “Fielders can therefore be encouraged to field on the boundary giving them the ability to stop the ball”, which now sits uneasily with the new “maximum of 3 players can be on the boundary”.
- Fielding restriction worded two ways: the rules say “A maximum of 3 players can be on the boundary which means that AT LEAST 3 remaining Fielders must be closer to the Batter than the Boundary”; the changes announcement says “at least 3 players must be closer to the Batter than to the Boundary”. The two halves of the rules sentence only say the same thing when there are exactly 6 fielders. With 8 on the field the practical meaning is the same: at least 3 fielders in close.
- Retiring batters early: the rules now allow teams with “more than 8 players” to retire batters “before a 5 over block of overs is completed”, but the announcement and poster say coaches may not retire batters early “unless they are playing with more than 9 players”.
- Overs per bowler: innings are 20 overs, but “All bowlers should bowl 2 overs” covers only 16 overs with 8 players, and no maximum per bowler is given. The Girls Grade Summary gives “3” per bowler and “2” per spell; the rules forbid consecutive overs.
- Balls faced: the Retirement Level poster says pairs cricket uses “Legitimate balls shared”, while the scoresheet’s grid is headed “BALLS FACED (include extras)”.
- Grace period poster: it lists “Girls Division 3 & 4” for a 6-ball grace period, but Division 4 is pairs cricket with no grace period.
Document and wording issues
- Girls Convenor contact: the name and number changed (“Emma Norrish 027 4043093” → “Kelly Hodder 021 08821475”), but the email address still links to a file path on someone’s OneDrive (
d.docs.live.net/…/Grade%20conditions/2025/girls@cjca.org.nz) rather than an email link. The new number has an unusual extra 0 after “021” and may be mistyped. - Stumpings column: the new rule says catches and stumpings should be recorded “in a column of the new scoresheets or on PlayHQ”, but the appended scoresheet is unchanged from 2025/26 and has only a “Catches” column. Its printed title is “Year 5 Hardball & Super 8 (First innings)”, without Girls Division 4.
- The 2026/27 table of contents contains a Word error: “Byes / Overthrows ……… Error! Bookmark not defined. Bowling”. The three new sections (Catches and Stumpings, Run Outs, Fielding restrictions) are not in the contents.
- The grade-format paragraph says the grades are “split into two grades”, but the document covers three (Year 5 Hardball, Super 8s and Girls Division 4).
- The Free Hits section still carries the box “Change in 2024/25 Season. All players may hit of either tee”. It is no longer a change, and “of” should be “off”.
- Typos carried over: “should be warn by batter” (worn); “so it important”; the missing closing bracket after “(Bowlers can bowl from a shorter distance if needed”. New in 2026/27: “The Bowler and Wicker Keeper do not count as Fielders” (Wicket), and the run-on sentence “batting less balls before retiring batters this may mean that players are retired …” (fewer balls; a full stop is missing after “batters”).