Moving up · 2026/27
Moving Up – Kiwi (2025/26) to Year 3 & 4 (2026/27)
Sources:
- Kiwi: CJCA Kiwi, Year 3-4 & Mini Mags “Outfield Cricket” grade conditions, “as at 26th September 2025”. This was one document for Kiwi, Year 3 & 4 and Mini Mags; only the Kiwi rules are compared. See the Kiwi rules (2025/26).
- Year 3 & 4: CJCA Year 3-4 & Mini Mags “Outfield Cricket” grade conditions, “as at 26th August 2026”. See the Year 3 & 4 rules (2026/27).
Comparing the two shows what changes for a player moving from Kiwi up to Year 3 (Year 3 and Year 4 play the same rules).
⚠ The Kiwi rules compared here are the 2025/26 rules (the CJCA document dated 26 September 2025), which players moving up in 2026/27 played under last season. The Year 3 & 4 rules are the 2026/27 rules. What the CJCA changed in Year 3 & 4 for 2026/27 is on the Year 3 & 4 “What’s changed” page; the Kiwi changes for 2026/27 (which no longer affect these players) are on the Kiwi “What’s changed” page.
The general CJCA conditions (pages 1–2) are almost the same in both documents. The 2026/27 Year 3 & 4 document drops Kiwi from its title, no longer lists the CJCA Girls Convenor, removes the out-of-date paragraph about Year 6 changing to Year 7 rules after Christmas, and makes bails optional: “3 stumps, 2 bails (optional in Outfield Cricket)”.
How to read the table:
- Same means the Year 3 & 4 rule means the same as the Kiwi 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 players, coaches and umpires need to do differently in Year 3 & 4.
Rules: Christchurch Junior Cricket Association (CJCA). Reformatted as coaching notes; see the source PDF for the official wording.
What changes from Kiwi to Year 3 & 4 – at a glance
- Ball: a soft yellow ball (or a red Kookaburra Kiwi PVC ball) → a seamed Incrediball, 88–92 g (“Incrediball – softer ball between 88-92gram”), with a Kookaburra Super Softaball also listed.
- Bats: “only plastic bats” → wooden bats. Plastic gear is still allowed for players new to cricket or with different abilities, but not for competent batters.
- Team size: 6 a side (three batting pairs) → 8 a side (four batting pairs).
- Pitch and boundary: 12 m pitch → 14 m; 25 m boundary → 30 m.
- Innings: 12 overs a side (about 40–45 minutes) → 16 overs (about an hour). Each pair still bats 4 overs (24 balls, about 12 each), and every bowler still bowls 2 overs.
- Byes and overthrows: none → a maximum of one per ball.
- Saturday start: 9.30 am → 9 am (Friday is still 5.30 pm).
- Unchanged: pairs cricket; batters stay in when out (+3 runs to the bowling side); no LBW; a free hit off one of two small tees after every wide or no-ball (run-out only); 6-ball overs with no re-bowls; bowling from one end; 5 m run-up; the 10 m exclusion zone marked with cones; the same scoresheet.
- ⚠ Not in the Year 3 & 4 rules: the CJCA’s 2026/27 changes say “In all CJCA grades at least 3 players must be closer to the Batter than to the Boundary” and “Byes should not be run when a Free Hit has been signalled”. Neither is in the Year 3 & 4 rules (see the Year 3 & 4 “What’s changed” page).
Rules table
Format, players and ground
| Rule | Kiwi (2025/26) | Year 3 & 4 (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Pairs cricket (“All grades are pairs-based cricket”) | Same |
| Grade description | Kiwi (Years 0-2), one of “three grades, Kiwi (Years 0-2) Year 3 and Year 4” | Year 3, Year 4 and Mini Mags; “a progression on from Kiwi cricket with the introduction of wooden bats and a seamed Incrediball” |
| Team size | 6 a side | 8 a side |
| Maximum players on field | 6 (“MAXIMUM OF 6 OR 8 PLAYERS ON THE FIELD”); extra players are rotated on and off | 8; extra players are rotated on and off |
| Fewer players than the team size | Ask the opposition to lend players; bowling limits “can be extended to 3 overs each” | Same (fewer than 8; “up to 3 overs each”) |
| More players than the team size | Bat and bowl fewer overs, or by agreement extend the game by up to one partnership; scoring stops at 12 overs | Same (scoring stops at 16 overs) |
| Location and draw | North and South divisions; club and hub grounds (Bradford, Beckenham, Lancaster Park); occasional Friday nights at Hagley Oval | Same (hub grounds now listed as Bradford, Beckenham, Walter) |
| Grading and results | Non-competitive; enter the net score on PlayHQ | Same |
| Start time | 5.30 pm Friday or 9.30 am Saturday | 5.30 pm Friday or 9 am Saturday |
| Pitch length | 12 m (prepared outfield pitch) | 14 m (prepared outfield pitch). School artificial pitches have “RED indications of a 14m pitch length marked” |
| Boundary | 25 m or natural boundaries | 30 m or natural boundaries |
| Boundary marking and shortening | Cones or natural features; may be shortened by agreement if the outfield is slow | Same |
| Ball | “Soft (Yellow) Ball” or “Kookaburra Kiwi Ball” (a red PVC ball) | “Incrediball – softer ball between 88-92gram” and “Kookaburra – Super Softaball” |
| Bats | “In Kiwi Cricket, only plastic bats should be used” | Wooden bats “along with the soft 'Incrediball'”. Plastic gear may be used by those new to cricket or with different abilities, but not by competent batters to gain an advantage |
| Bails | Teams provide “3 stumps, 2 bails and an appropriate ball” | “2 bails (optional in Outfield Cricket)” |
| Hitting tees | Two small hitting tees | Same |
| Exclusion-zone cones | Cones “should be used” in grades up to Year 4 | Same |
| Protective equipment | ⚠ Not stated | Same (not stated) |
Match structure
| Rule | Kiwi (2025/26) | Year 3 & 4 (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Innings | One innings each; coin toss for who starts | Same |
| Overs per side | 12 overs (“should be around 40-45 minutes”) | 16 overs (“should be around an hour”) |
| Bowling end | “All bowling is to be from the same end” | Same |
| 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 around a 10 m circle, extended so no fielder is within 10 m of the bowler’s-end stumps; fielders don’t enter until after the shot and don’t have to stand on the markers | Same |
| Pitch map | Kiwi map: 12 m pitch, tees 1.2 m either side of the batter, exclusion zone round the whole pitch | Year 3 & 4 map: 14 m pitch, tees 1.2 m either side of the batter, exclusion zone round the whole pitch (adds two yellow markers 2 m in from the bowler’s end, with no key) |
Batting
| Rule | Kiwi (2025/26) | Year 3 & 4 (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Batting pairs | Six batters in pairs (the source says “Six or Eight batters are placed into pairs numbered 1-4”; Kiwi has three pairs) | Eight batters in pairs numbered 1–4 |
| Balls per pair | Each pair bats 4 overs: 24 balls; aim for 12 balls each, changing ends mid-over after dot balls if needed | Same |
| 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 | Kiwi (2025/26) | Year 3 & 4 (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 | Same |
| 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 |
| Recording catches | Against the catcher on the scoresheet | Same |
Extras, free hits and wides
| Rule | Kiwi (2025/26) | Year 3 & 4 (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Runs for a wide / no-ball | No extra runs; the batter only gets runs from hitting the free hit | Same |
| Re-bowls / balls per over | No re-bowls: maximum 6 deliveries per over | Same |
| Free hit – when and how | After every wide or no-ball, off a tee beside the batter; batter stays on strike; one swing (coach’s discretion for another); hit forward of the wicket off either tee, otherwise retake | Same |
| Free hit – dismissal | Run out only | Same (a new highlighted line adds that catches off the tee “DO NOT COUNT”) |
| Free hit – fielders | Stay in original positions and out of the exclusion zone until the ball is hit off the tee | Same |
| Batter hits a would-be wide | Scores the runs from that shot and forfeits the free hit | Same |
| No-ball hit for a boundary | The boundary stands and no free hit is taken | Same |
| Wide definition | Passes outside the off-side cone and not hit; or passes halfway towards the leg side and not hit | 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 |
| Agreeing wides | Coaches/umpires agree a consistent understanding before the match | Same |
Fielding
| Rule | Kiwi (2025/26) | Year 3 & 4 (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Byes and overthrows | “THERE SHOULD BE NO BYES OR OVERTHROWS IN KIWI GRADE” | “limited to ONE only”; coaches should encourage good throws and relay throwing |
| Fielders on boundary | ⚠ Not stated | Same (not stated; ⚠ the 2026/27 changes say “all CJCA grades”) |
Bowling
| Rule | Kiwi (2025/26) | Year 3 & 4 (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Overs per bowler | All bowlers bowl 2 overs (6 × 2 = 12 overs) | Same (8 × 2 = 16 overs) |
| Bowling order | No two overs in a row; all bowlers bowl 1 over before anyone bowls a 2nd | Same |
| Run-up | Maximum 5 m | Same |
| 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 | Kiwi (2025/26) | Year 3 & 4 (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Scorers | A parent/supporter from each team; be careful announcing winners (non-competitive) | 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 | Same |
| Scoresheet | Kiwi or Year 3/4 scoresheet (Appendix 2) | Same |
Possible errors or inconsistencies
Issues already listed on the Kiwi and Year 3 & 4 “What’s changed” pages are not repeated in full here.
Affecting how the game is played
- Which ball: the Year 3 & 4 equipment lists “Incrediball – softer ball between 88-92gram” and then “Kookaburra – Super Softaball” on its own line, but the next sentence says “Wooden bats should be used along with the soft 'Incrediball'”. It doesn’t say whether the Super Softaball is an alternative to the Incrediball or the make of it.
- Fielding restriction and byes on a free hit: the 2026/27 changes say “In all CJCA grades at least 3 players must be closer to the Batter than to the Boundary” and “Byes should not be run when a Free Hit has been signalled”. Neither is in the Year 3 & 4 rules.
Document and wording issues
- Kiwi batting pairs (2025/26): “Six or Eight batters are placed into pairs numbered 1-4” – Kiwi is 6 a side, so it has three pairs (corrected in the 2026/27 Kiwi document).
- Out-of-date Year 6 paragraph (2025/26 general conditions): “In Year 6 only the Grade Conditions shall change to those of Year 7 AFTER CHRISTMAS”. By 2025/26 Year 6 changed to its own post-Christmas conditions; the 2025/26 Year 5 document already said so. The 2026/27 Year 3 & 4 document removes the sentence but keeps “All other grades will play the same Playing Conditions for the complete season”, which now follows nothing.
- Kiwi wording left in the Year 3 & 4 document: “In Kiwi, Year 3 & 4 should wides or no-balls be bowled players should receive a FREE HIT” and “to ensure there are 6 or 8 players in the fielding team”.
- Typos in both documents: “Hagley Oval” spelt “Haglgey”; “hit of either tee” (off); “so it important”; the missing closing bracket after “(Bowlers can bowl from a shorter distance if needed”. New in 2026/27: “THE ONLY DISMISSALS … IS A RUN OUT” (are) and the missing bracket in “MAXIMUM OF 8 PLAYERS (Year 3, 4 or Mini Mags ON THE FIELD”.