Moving up · 2026/27

Year 6 Hardball – Rules Comparison Summary (Pre- vs Post-Christmas)

Source: CJCA Year 6 Hardball Grade rules, pre-Christmas and post-Christmas editions (“as at 26th August 2026”). The general CJCA conditions say: “In Year 6 – PRE Christmas only the Grade Conditions shall change to those of Year 6 – POST Christmas at the restart of Cricket after the Christmas break.” The post-Christmas rules therefore replace the pre-Christmas rules rather than adding to them.

How to read the table:

Same means the post-Christmas rule means the same as the pre-Christmas rule.
Not stated means the rule isn’t mentioned in that half’s document. Because the post-Christmas conditions replace the pre-Christmas ones, and the MCC Laws apply “unless otherwise stated”, a rule that is not stated post-Christmas may fall back to the standard Laws. Rows like this are marked ⚠.
Rows whose rule name is in bold are the ones umpires and coaches need to apply differently after Christmas.

Rules: Christchurch Junior Cricket Association (CJCA). Reformatted as coaching notes; see the source PDF for the official wording.

Differences only

What changes at Christmas – at a glance

Format: pairs cricket → individual batting with a grace period.
Pitch: 16 m (blue lines) → 18 m (yellow lines).
Boundary: 35 m → 40 m.
Dismissals: batters never out, +3 runs to the bowling side → out from the 7th ball faced. Dismissals in the first 6 balls cost the batter 5 runs, but the batter stays in.
Batting time: each pair bats 5 overs → each batter retires at 20 balls faced (excluding wides and no-balls).
Bowling ends: all from one end → 5-over sets from each end.
Exclusion zone: a 10 m zone around the batter with only the wicketkeeper exempt → a 10 m zone from point round to leg side, with slips, gully and wicketkeeper allowed inside 10 m.
Wides: off-side cone → umpire judgement (“reasonable opportunity”, test-match wides on the off side). Not a wide if it hits the batter.
New no-ball: the ball lands outside the width of the pitch.
New post-Christmas rules: last batter standing, early finish, POD system, wicketkeepers bowl 2 overs, extra batters when short of players.

Rules table

Format, players and ground

Rule	Pre-Christmas	Post-Christmas
Format	Pairs cricket (“All grades are pairs-based cricket”).	Not pairs cricket: individual batting with a grace period. Described as a “transitional half season”.
Team size	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; bowling limits “can be extended to 3 overs each”	Same, plus already-dismissed players may bat a second time to make up 8 batters (fewest balls faced first; retired batters return before them)
More than 8 players	Maximise participation: bat fewer balls before retiring batters (possibly before a 5-over block finishes) and bowl fewer overs	Maximise participation by batting and bowling fewer overs. Only 8 field. All may bat and bowl, but the innings ends at the 8th wicket against a team of 8. If both teams have extras (e.g. 9 each), all may bat by agreement and the innings stops at the 8th wicket. Coaches may not retire batters early unless they have more than 9 players
POD system	Not stated (pairs grade)	CJCA directive (August 2026): non-pairs grades should run a POD system; recommended for the batting order
Start time	9.00 am Saturday, or 4.30 pm for a Friday round	Same
Pitch length	16 m (blue lines on artificial wickets). “Move to 18 m after Christmas, not before”	18 m (yellow lines on artificial wickets)
Boundary	35 m or natural boundaries	40 m or natural boundaries
Boundary marking and shortening	Cones or natural features; may be shortened by agreement if the outfield is slow	Same
Ball	Kookaburra 142 g leather	142 g leather (brand not named) – effectively Same
Bats	Wooden bats only from Year 5 upwards	⚠ Not stated
Protective equipment	Full protective gear and helmet for batters (NZC Helmet Policy); wicketkeepers always wear helmets	Same

Match structure

Rule	Pre-Christmas	Post-Christmas
Innings	One innings each, 20 overs per side; coin toss for who starts	Same
Expected duration	About 3 hours maximum	⚠ Not stated
Bowling end	“All bowling is to be from the same end” (Time of Innings), but also “5 overs are bowled from the same end” (Bowling list) – see issue 3 below	Sets of 5 overs from each end (and “5 overs bowled at the same end”)
Next batter in	Next pair ready as soon as the previous pair’s partnership ends	Next batter ready as soon as a wicket falls
When an innings ends	After 20 overs (batters are never fully out)	When the overs are bowled or all 8 batters are out
Early finish	Not applicable	CJCA strongly encourages bowling the remaining overs. Batters who faced the fewest balls bat again. Extra runs don’t change the result (circle the original score)

Batting

Rule	Pre-Christmas	Post-Christmas
Batting order	8 batters in pairs, numbered 1–4 by the coach or captain	Rotated from game to game so everyone gets the same opportunity across the season; POD system recommended
How long a batter bats	Each pair bats 5 overs (maximum 40 balls). Aim for each batter to face at least 15 legitimate balls; the umpire may tell batters to change ends to balance the strike	Until fully out, or retire immediately after 20 balls faced (excluding wides and no-balls)
Retired batters	Not applicable	Return in the order they retired, once all others are out or retired. Batters dismissed in their grace period may not return
Last batter standing	Not applicable	The last batter keeps batting and takes all the strike. The last batter out stays on as non-striker; either may be run out to end the innings
Extra batters when short of players	Not applicable	Dismissed batters with the fewest balls faced bat again; their runs count

Dismissals and penalties

Rule	Pre-Christmas	Post-Christmas
Ways of being out	Bowled, caught, stumped, hit wicket, run out. No LBW	Same, plus out if bails are used but don’t fall when the ball hits the base of the stumps or passes between them
What happens when a batter is out	The batter stays in. Recorded as an X; the bowler is credited with the wicket; the batters swap ends (not for a run-out)	Within the batter’s first 6 balls faced (grace period): stays in and changes ends with the non-striker. From the 7th ball: fully out
Bonus runs to the bowling side	+3 runs for every dismissal (added as extras)	+5 runs only for dismissals within the grace period. No bonus runs from the 7th ball
Batters after a dismissal (ends)	The dismissed batter doesn’t face the next ball; batters always change ends at the end of each over	Grace-period dismissal: the batter changes ends with the non-striker. ⚠ End-of-over change of ends not stated
Runs on a run-out	The batting side keeps all runs being attempted if the batters crossed on the final run; the fielding side still gets 3 runs	⚠ Not stated (standard Laws: the run in progress doesn’t count). ⚠ Not stated whether the grace period covers run-outs

Extras, free hits and wides

Rule	Pre-Christmas	Post-Christmas
Runs for a wide or no-ball	1 run plus any runs scored; ball re-bowled	Same
Balls per over	Minimum 6, maximum 8 (extras re-bowled up to 8); the final over must have 6 legitimate balls	Same
Free hit after a no-ball	The ball after a no-ball (balls 1–7) is a free hit; run-out is the only dismissal; the field can’t change (except for a left/right-hander change)	Same
No-ball on the 8th ball	2 runs, no free hit	Same
Wide on the 8th (last) ball	2 runs	⚠ Not stated (only the no-ball case is covered)
Wide definition	Passes outside the off-side cone and not hit; or passes halfway towards the leg side and not hit	Umpire judgement: so wide the batter has no reasonable chance to hit it; the guide is test-match wides on the off side and halfway on the leg side. Not a wide if it hits the batter. The ball stays live (batters can run)
No-ball conditions	Bounces twice or rolls; full toss above the waist; above the shoulder after bouncing; fielders (not the bowler) encroach into the exclusion zone before the ball is hit	Same, plus the ball lands outside the width of the pitch

Fielding

Rule	Pre-Christmas	Post-Christmas
Exclusion zone	10 m zone, which “does not apply to the wicketkeeper”. Cones may mark a 10 m circle; no fielder enters until after the shot. Fielders don’t have to stand on the markers	10 m from point, forward of the wicket, round to down leg side. Slips, gully and wicketkeeper may be inside 10 m. No leg slip, silly point, or close mid-off/mid-on
Fielders on the boundary	Maximum 3 (bowler and wicketkeeper don’t count)	Same (labelled “new 2026”)
Byes and overthrows	Unlimited	Same (adds encouragement to use relay throws)
Recording catches	Against the catcher on the scoresheet	Same
Recording stumpings and run-outs	Stumpings and run-out fielders recorded on the scoresheet or PlayHQ	⚠ Not stated

Bowling

Rule	Pre-Christmas	Post-Christmas
Overs per bowler	Maximum 3; nobody bowls a 3rd over until everyone has bowled 2; no consecutive overs	Same
Season share	All players bowl the same number of overs across the season	Same
Wicketkeepers	Not stated	If wicketkeepers share the gloves, each should bowl 2 overs when not keeping
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	Pre-Christmas	Post-Christmas
Scorers	A parent or supporter from each team; take care announcing winners (non-competitive)	Same
Results on PlayHQ	Enter the net score (runs plus runs gained from wickets)	Same
Score starts at	Zero	Same
Runs for dismissals	+3 for each dismissal	+5 for each dismissal during the grace period only

Possible errors or inconsistencies

These are reproduced word for word in the as-published extractions, so the quotes below are left exactly as the CJCA wrote them. They may be worth raising with the CJCA (gm@cjca.org.nz).

Affecting how the game is played

Post-Christmas pitch map says “16m pitch”. Appendix 1 in the post-Christmas file (not extracted) is the same image as pre-Christmas and is labelled 16 m, but the post-Christmas rule is 18 m.
The pre-Christmas exclusion-zone text and map disagree. The text describes a 10 m zone/circle that exempts only the wicketkeeper. The pre-Christmas pitch map shows slips and gullies allowed backward of the wicket, which matches the post-Christmas text.
Pre-Christmas bowling end conflicts with itself. Time of Innings says “All bowling is to be from the same end”, but the Bowling list says “5 overs bowled at the same end to speed up the innings” (implying the end changes every 5 overs).
“Bowling limits can be extended to 3 overs each” (both files) when the normal limit is already “Max 3 overs per bowler”. Post-Christmas page 4 just says “can be extended”.
Post-Christmas early-retirement threshold: “unless they are playing with more than 9 players” conflicts with every other team-size rule, which uses 8 as the threshold.
Post-Christmas grace period wording is garbled: “within the first 6 balls morning grades they face”. Also “Players dismissed with the ‘Grace Period’” should probably be “within”.
Post-Christmas: the grace period and run-outs. It isn’t stated whether a run-out in the first 6 balls is covered by the grace period. The pre-Christmas run-out run-allocation rule is not carried over.
Post-Christmas bails rule: “…or has passed between two wickets” probably means “between the stumps”.
Pre-Christmas: a wide on the 8th ball gets 2 runs (Batting section), but the Free Hits bullet only mentions a no ball on the 8th ball. The post-Christmas file has only the no-ball version.

Document and wording issues

The post-Christmas file has two “Team Size” sections (pages 4 and 5) with slightly different text, and two matching TOC entries.
The post-Christmas cover says “As at 6th August 2026”; the file name says 26th August 2026.
“Draws will be confirmed until Christmas following grading” appears in the post-Christmas file too (copied from pre-Christmas).
Post-Christmas Location says “Year 5-8 cricket”; pre-Christmas says “Year 5 & 6”.
“Fielding restrictions (new 2026)” is labelled new in the post-Christmas file, but the same rule is already in the pre-Christmas file.
Pre-Christmas Wides says “(See graphics below)”, but there are no graphics.
Pre-Christmas TOC has two empty entries (after “Bowling Not Throwing” and after “Appendix One – Pitch Map”).
Typos in both files: “should be warn by batter” (worn); “Wicker Keeper” (Wicket); “so it important” (it's important); “no 'Free Hit' is given can be given”; a missing closing bracket after “(Bowlers can bowl from a shorter distance if needed”. The general conditions also repeat the Exclusion Zones sentence twice (“…facing batter…” / “…facing batsmen…”).

Changes from the original

This copy is tidied for reading. No rules, numbers or comparisons were changed. To see the summary as originally written, switch Wording to As published in Settings.

Terms made consistent with the tidied rules pages: “no ball” → “no-ball”, “run out” (the dismissal) → “run-out”, “keeper” → “wicketkeeper”, “Byes / overthrows” → “Byes and overthrows”, “Max” → “Maximum”.
Times and slashes: “9.00am” / “4.30pm” → “9.00 am” / “4.30 pm”; “coach/captain” and “parent/supporter” → “coach or captain”, “parent or supporter”.
Quotes of the pre-Christmas rules now match the tidied pre-Christmas page (for example “Move to 18 m after Christmas, not before” and “does not apply to the wicketkeeper”). Quotes of the post-Christmas rules are unchanged for now.
Articles and apostrophes added where they were missing (“the batter stays in”, “isn’t”, “don’t”).
Not changed: the notes on possible errors in the source still quote the CJCA text exactly as published, because the errors are the point of those notes.