Moving up · 2026/27
Moving Up – Year 4 (2025/26) to Year 5 Hardball (2026/27)
Sources:
- Year 3 & 4: 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 Year 3 & 4 rules (which Year 4 played) are compared. See the Year 3 & 4 rules (2025/26).
- Year 5 Hardball: CJCA Year 5 Hardball, Year 5/6 Super 8’s and Girls Division 4 rules, “as at 26th August 2026”. Only the Year 5 Hardball rules are compared. See the Year 5 Hardball rules (2026/27).
Comparing the two shows what changes for a player moving from Year 4 up to Year 5 Hardball. Year 4 players can also move up to Year 5 & 6 Super 8s, which plays the same rules with a softer ball: see Year 4 to Super 8s.
⚠ The Year 3 & 4 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 5 Hardball rules are the 2026/27 rules. What the CJCA changed in Year 5 Hardball for 2026/27 is on the Year 5 Hardball “What’s changed” page; the Year 3 & 4 changes for 2026/27 (which no longer affect these players) are on the Year 3 & 4 “What’s changed” page.
The general CJCA conditions (pages 1–2) are the same in both documents apart from the title, the CJCA Girls Convenor (“Emma Norrish” → “Kelly Hodder”) and the paragraph about Year 6. The 2025/26 Year 3 & 4 document still said Year 6 changes to Year 7 rules after Christmas; the 2026/27 Year 5 document says Year 6 pre-Christmas changes to Year 6 post-Christmas, and “All other grades retain the grade conditions for the entire season”. Both ask each team for “3 stumps, 2 bails”.
How to read the table:
- Same means the Year 5 Hardball rule means the same as the Year 3 & 4 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 5 Hardball.
Rules: Christchurch Junior Cricket Association (CJCA). Reformatted as coaching notes; see the source PDF for the official wording.
What changes from Year 4 to Year 5 Hardball – at a glance
- Ball: a soft “Club Junior Safety” Incrediball → a Kookaburra 142 g leather ball (a hard ball).
- Protective gear: not mentioned in Year 3 & 4 → full protective equipment and a helmet for batters (NZC Helmet Policy), and wicketkeepers always wear helmets. Only wooden bats; the Year 3 & 4 allowance for plastic gear isn’t repeated.
- Pitch and boundary: 14 m outfield pitch → 16 m (blue lines on artificial wickets, at schools and council grounds); 30 m boundary → 35 m.
- Innings: 16 overs a side (about an hour) → 20 overs (up to about 3 hours). Each pair bats 5 overs (30 balls, about 15 each) instead of 4 overs (24 balls, about 12 each).
- Fielding: byes and overthrows limited to one → unlimited; a maximum of 3 fielders on the boundary (new); the pitch map lets slips and gullies field inside 10 m backward of the wicket; exclusion-zone cones become optional.
- Bowling: run-up 5 m → 10 m; bowling in 5-over blocks, still from one end. Every bowler still bowls 2 overs.
- Free-hit tees: still two small tees, but the pitch map moves them from beside the batter to 1 m in front of the popping crease.
- Other changes: with more than 8 players, coaches retire batters after fewer balls (the extra-partnership option goes); stumpings and run-out fielders are recorded too; Friday games start at 4.30 pm (not 5.30 pm).
- Unchanged: pairs cricket, 8 a side, batters stay in when out (+3 runs to the bowling side), no LBW, a free hit off a tee after every wide or no-ball (run-out only, batter stays on strike), 6-ball overs with no re-bowls, the wide and no-ball definitions, 9 am Saturday start, scoring.
- ⚠ Conflicts in the Year 5 rules: the run-up is 10 m in the rules but 12 m in the CJCA’s 2026/27 changes; 8 bowlers × 2 overs is only 16 of the 20 overs; and the exclusion-zone text exempts only the wicketkeeper while the pitch map allows slips and gullies (see Notes).
Rules table
Format, players and ground
| Rule | Year 3 & 4 (2025/26) | Year 5 Hardball (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Pairs cricket (“All grades are pairs-based cricket”) | Same |
| Grade description | “School Years 1-4, split into three grades, Kiwi (Years 0-2) Year 3 and Year 4” | “School Years 5-6, split into two grades” (the document covers Year 5 Hardball, Super 8s and Girls Division 4) |
| Team size | 8 a side | Same |
| Maximum players on field | 8; extra players are rotated on and off | Same |
| Fewer than 8 players | Ask the opposition to lend players; bowling limits “can be extended to 3 overs each” | Same |
| More than 8 players | Bat and bowl fewer overs, or by agreement extend the game by up to one partnership (scoring stops at 16 overs) | Bat fewer balls before retiring batters (“may mean that players are retired before a 5 over block of overs is completed”) and bowl fewer overs. No extra-partnership option |
| Location | North and South divisions; club and hub grounds (Bradford, Beckenham, Lancaster Park); occasional Friday nights at Hagley Oval | “various schools and council grounds, generally on artificial wickets” |
| Grading and results | Non-competitive; enter the net score on PlayHQ | Same |
| Start time | 5.30 pm Friday or 9 am Saturday | 9.00 am Saturday, or 4.30 pm for a Friday round |
| Pitch length | 14 m (prepared outfield pitch) | 16 m (blue lines on artificial wickets) |
| Boundary | 30 m or natural boundaries | 35 m or natural boundaries |
| Boundary marking and shortening | Cones or natural features; may be shortened by agreement if the outfield is slow | Same |
| Ball | “Club Junior Safety” Incrediball (the soft Incrediball; the 2026/27 Year 3 & 4 rules describe theirs as 88–92 g) | Kookaburra 142 g leather ball |
| Bats | Wooden bats; plastic gear may be used by those new to cricket or with different abilities, but not by competent batters | “From Year 5 upwards only Wooden Bats should be used” (plastic gear not mentioned) |
| Protective equipment | ⚠ Not stated | Full protective equipment and a helmet for batters (NZC Helmet Policy); “Wicket keepers should ALWAYS wear Helmets” |
| Hitting tees | Two small hitting tees | Same |
| Hitting-tee position (pitch map) | 1.2 m either side of the batter | 1 m in front of the popping crease; “Batter must start on crease” |
| Exclusion-zone cones | Cones “should be used” in grades up to Year 4 | Cones “CAN be used” in grades up to Year 6 |
Match structure
| Rule | Year 3 & 4 (2025/26) | Year 5 Hardball (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Innings | One innings each; coin toss for who starts | Same |
| Overs per side | 16 overs (“should be around an hour”) | 20 overs (“estimate 3 hours maximum”) |
| Bowling end | “All bowling is from one end only” | Same (“All bowling is to be from the same end”; adds “All bowling is IN 5 OVER BLOCKS”, one block per batting pair) |
| 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 | 10 m zone, “this excludes the wicket keeper”; cones may mark a 10 m circle; umpires make sure fielders don’t encroach (“10 metres is not too far for players to hit the ball with force”). The bowler’s-end extension is ⚠ not stated |
| Close catchers (pitch map) | Exclusion zone round the whole pitch; no close fielders apart from the keeper | ⚠ “Slips and gullies permitted backward of the wicket” inside 10 m (map only; see Notes) |
Batting
| Rule | Year 3 & 4 (2025/26) | Year 5 Hardball (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Batting order | 8 batters in pairs numbered 1–4 by coach/captain | Same |
| Balls per pair | Each pair bats 4 overs: 24 balls | Each pair bats 5 overs: 30 balls |
| Balls per batter | Aim for 12 balls each; batters may change ends mid-over after dot balls | Aim for 15 balls each; batters may change ends mid-over after dot balls |
| 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 3 & 4 (2025/26) | Year 5 Hardball (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 |
Extras, free hits and wides
| Rule | Year 3 & 4 (2025/26) | Year 5 Hardball (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; 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 |
| 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 | ⚠ Not stated |
Fielding
| Rule | Year 3 & 4 (2025/26) | Year 5 Hardball (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Byes and overthrows | “limited to ONE only”; coaches should encourage good throws and relay throwing | “unlimited in Year 5 & older” |
| Fielders on boundary | ⚠ Not stated | Max 3 on the boundary, so at least 3 fielders closer to the batter (bowler and keeper don’t count) |
| 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 PlayHQ |
Bowling
| Rule | Year 3 & 4 (2025/26) | Year 5 Hardball (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Overs per bowler | All bowlers bowl 2 overs (8 × 2 = 16 overs) | Same (⚠ 8 × 2 = 16 of the 20 overs; no maximum given) |
| Bowling order | No two overs in a row; all bowlers bowl 1 over before anyone bowls a 2nd | Same |
| Run-up | Maximum 5 m | Maximum 10 m (⚠ the 2026/27 changes say 12 m) |
| 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 3 & 4 (2025/26) | Year 5 Hardball (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) | Year 5 Hardball, Super 8s and Girls Division 4 scoresheet (Appendix 2) |
Possible errors or inconsistencies
Issues already listed on the Year 5 Hardball and Year 3 & 4 “What’s changed” pages are not repeated in full here.
Affecting how the game is played
- Close catchers: the Year 5 text says “For all grades, a 10-metre fielding exclusion zone exists, this excludes the wicket keeper”, so only the keeper may be inside 10 m. The Appendix 1 pitch map (and the CJCA’s 2026/27 Fielding Restrictions poster) also allows “Slips and gullies permitted backward of the wicket”. Coaches should agree before the match whether slips and gullies may stand inside 10 m.
- Where the free-hit tees go: the Year 5 text says the free hit is “off cones which are set up on each side of the wicket beside the batter”, but the pitch map puts the tees “1m in front of Popping Crease”, with “Batter must start on crease”.
- Run-up: “Bowlers should have a maximum of a 10-metre run up”, but the CJCA’s 2026/27 changes say run-ups in Year 5/6 cricket should be no longer than 12 m.
- Overs don’t add up: 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. In Year 3 & 4 the same rule covered all 16 overs.
- 2025/26 Year 3 & 4 pitch map: the only map in the 2025/26 document was the Kiwi map (“12m pitch”), although Year 3 & 4 played on 14 m.
Document and wording issues
- 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”. The Year 5 document had the up-to-date Year 6 pre-/post-Christmas wording.
- “split into two grades”: the Year 5 document covers three grades (Year 5 Hardball, Super 8s and Girls Division 4).
- Typos in the Year 5 document: “should be warn by batter” (worn); “The Bowler and Wicker Keeper” (Wicket); “so it important”; “hit of either tee” (off); “batting less balls before retiring batters this may mean …” (fewer; a full stop is missing); the missing closing bracket after “(Bowlers can bowl from a shorter distance if needed”; and “Byes / Overthrows ……… Error! Bookmark not defined.” in the table of contents.