Moving up · 2026/27
Moving Up – Year 7 & 8 Morning to Premier (2026/27)
Source: Year-7-8-Morning-Hardball-Grade-as-at-26th-August-2026.pdf compared with Year-7-8-Premier-Grade-as-at-13th-October-2026.pdf; general conditions from year-7-8-common-general.md.
Sources:
- Year 7 & 8 Morning: CJCA Year 7 & 8 Hardball rules for the Morning grades, “as at 26th August 2026” (the cover title is “Year 7 & 8 Hardball”; “Morning” is in the file name). See the Year 7 & 8 Morning rules (2026/27).
- Year 7 & 8 Premier: CJCA Year 7 & 8 Premier Hardball rules, “as at 13th October 2026”. This replaces the first 2026/27 version, “as at 26th August 2026”, which had no LBW rule for Year 7 Premier (see Year 7 & 8 Premier, 26 August to 13 October 2026). See the Year 7 & 8 Premier rules (2026/27).
Year 7 & 8 cricket is split into sections by the number of teams, and “The top grades are called Year 7 & 8 Premier”. Teams may be regraded during the season, “especially after Christmas”. Comparing the two documents shows what changes for a player or team moving from a Morning grade up to Premier (afternoon) in the same season. Premier has separate rules for Year 7 and Year 8 only for LBW.
Most of the two documents is word for word the same: about three-quarters of the rules below are unchanged. For the changes since last season, see Year 7 & 8 Morning, 2025/26 to 2026/27 and Year 7 & 8 Premier, 2025/26 to 2026/27.
The general CJCA conditions (pages 1–2) are the same in both documents apart from the cover title and “as at” date, trailing colons on some health-and-safety headings in the Morning copy, and a typo in the Premier copy (“havecones”). Both say a player eligible for a grade in October stays eligible all season, except Year 8 boys who move to Youth cricket after Christmas.
How to read the table:
- Same means the Premier rule means the same as the Morning 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, umpires and coaches need to apply differently in Premier.
Rules: Christchurch Junior Cricket Association (CJCA). Reformatted as coaching notes; see the source PDF for the official wording.
What changes – at a glance
- Afternoon cricket: Saturday 9.00 am to 12.15 pm (with drinks after 14 overs; 4.30 pm and a 20/20 format for a Friday round) → 12.30 pm start, play completed “by 5pm or 5.30pm at the latest” (4.30 pm if a round moves to another day because of a public holiday).
- Grace period halved: the first 6 balls faced → the first 3 balls. Both documents carry the same sentence: “within the first 6 balls morning grades (3 balls in Premier grade)”. The bonus is still 5 runs, and the batter still changes ends.
- Longer innings: 27 overs → 30 overs per side.
- Longer overs: a maximum of 6 balls, with no extra balls for wides or no-balls except in the last over → up to 8 balls, with wides and no-balls re-bowled. The last over must have 6 legitimate balls in both.
- LBW: limited back-foot LBW in both Morning years → Year 7 Premier: the same limited rule; Year 8 Premier: “FULL LBW”.
- Unchanged: 9 a side, 18 m pitch, 40 m boundary, 142 g Kookaburra ball, the 10 m exclusion zone, 5 bonus runs per grace-period dismissal, retirement after 25 legitimate balls, 1 run per wide or no-ball, free hits after no-balls, umpire-judged wides, the no-ball conditions, bowling limits (4 overs normally, 3 each before anyone bowls a 4th, keepers bowl 2), the 15 m run-up, a maximum of 4 fielders on the boundary, unlimited byes and overthrows, last batter standing, and scoring.
- ⚠ Morning text describes Premier: the Morning rules also carry the Premier start time, “up to 8 balls can be bowled in each over ONLY IN YEAR 7 and 8 PREMIER AFTERNOON CRICKET” and the 3-ball Premier grace period, and their free-hit rules are written for 8-ball overs. Make sure you are reading the right document.
- ⚠ Check which Premier document you have: the Year 7 Premier LBW rule is only in the 13 October 2026 version, and the CJCA website's Year 7 Premier and Year 8 Premier links pointed at different versions.
Rules table
Format, players and ground
| Rule | Year 7 & 8 Morning (2026/27) | Year 7 & 8 Premier (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Grade description | “for players primarily in Year 7 & 8 but talented Year 6 players can also be included into Year 7”, split into sections by the number of teams | Same |
| About Premier | An italic paragraph: “The top grades are called Year 7 & 8 Premier and they have their own game variations … games can be longer (8 ball maximum per over) due to the Premier games starting in the afternoon” | Not repeated |
| Batting order rotation | “Rotation of the batting order is required and the CJCA recommends the POD system being used” | “Rotation of the batting order is required as per POD system directive issued August 2026” – effectively Same |
| POD system directive | Teams in all non-pairs grades “should operate a ‘POD system’” (CJCA directive, August 2026) | Same |
| Grading | Teams may be split again, especially after Christmas, so “like vs like” matches can be played; non-competitive | Same |
| Team size | 9 a side; only 9 field at a time | Same |
| Fewer than 9 players | Ask the opposition for players; bowling limits “can be extended to 4 overs each”; dismissed players with the fewest balls faced bat again (retired batters first); opposition fielders may be borrowed | Same |
| More than 9 players | All may bat and bowl, but the innings ends at the 9th wicket against a team of 9; by agreement all may bat if both teams have extra players | Same |
| Start time | 9.00 am Saturday, or 4.30 pm for a Friday round; “Year 7 and 8 games will be adjusted to a 20/20 format if a Friday or other evening round be utilised” | 12.30 pm Saturday, or 4.30 pm “on other days should games be played on these days due to Public Holidays” (no 20/20 format mentioned) |
| Pitch length | 18 m (yellow lines on artificial wickets) | Same |
| Boundary | 40 m or natural boundaries; may be shortened by agreement | Same |
| Ball | Kookaburra 142 g leather | Same |
| Protective equipment | Full protective gear and helmet for batters (NZC Helmet Policy); wicketkeepers always wear helmets | Same |
Match structure
| Rule | Year 7 & 8 Morning (2026/27) | Year 7 & 8 Premier (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Innings | One innings each; coin toss for who starts | ⚠ Not stated (“Premier grades remain 30 overs”; one innings each and the coin toss aren't mentioned) |
| Overs per side | 27 overs (“a maximum of 27 (six ball) overs”) | 30 overs (“maximum eight ball overs”) |
| Timings | Start 9 am; drinks after 14 overs (target 9.45 am); “1st inning finish by 10.30am”; second innings starts by 10.45 am, drinks after 14 overs (target 11.30 am); “Match completed by 12.15pm” | “play should be able to be completed by 5pm or 5.30pm at the latest”; no drinks or innings times given |
| Bowling ends | Change ends only after each 5-over block | Same |
| When an innings ends | When the overs are bowled or the 9th wicket falls | Same |
Batting
| Rule | Year 7 & 8 Morning (2026/27) | Year 7 & 8 Premier (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Grace period | First 6 balls faced | First 3 balls faced. The sentence is the same in both documents: “within the first 6 balls morning grades (3 balls in Premier grade) they face” |
| Dismissal in the grace period | Batter stays “IN” and changes ends with the non-striker; 5 bonus runs to the bowling side | Same |
| Dismissal after the grace period | Fully out from the 7th ball | Fully out from the 4th ball |
| Grace-period batters and retirement | Batters dismissed in their grace period “may not return as a retired batter” | Same |
| Retirement | Immediately after 25 balls “NOT INCLUDING wides and no balls”; no earlier retirement unless a team has more than 9 players | Same |
| Retired batters return | In the order they retired, once all others are out or retired | Same |
| Last batter standing | 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 | Same |
Dismissals
| Rule | Year 7 & 8 Morning (2026/27) | Year 7 & 8 Premier (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Ways of being out | Bowled, caught, stumped, hit wicket, run out and LBW | Same |
| LBW – Year 7 | Limited: on appeal only; pitched in line, hit the pads in front of the stumps before the bat, definitely going to hit the stumps, and the batter on the back foot. “ANY doubt – not out.” (the heading names “Morning Year 7 & 8 & Year 7 Premier”) | Same (now in its own Year 7 Premier section, added on 13 October 2026) |
| LBW – Year 8 | Limited back-foot LBW, as for Year 7 | “FULL LBW to be applied in this grade”. “Only to be awarded when there was no doubt whatsoever in the umpire’s mind. ANY doubt – not out.” |
Extras, free hits and wides
| Rule | Year 7 & 8 Morning (2026/27) | Year 7 & 8 Premier (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Runs for a wide or no-ball | 1 run plus any runs scored | Same |
| Balls per over | Maximum 6: “No extra balls are bowled for wides or no balls in Year 7 & 8 Morning grades – up to 8 balls can be bowled in each over ONLY IN YEAR 7 and 8 PREMIER AFTERNOON CRICKET”; the last over must have 6 legitimate balls | Up to 8: wides and no-balls are re-bowled (“Up to 8 balls can be bowled in each over ONLY IN YEAR 7 and 8 PREMIER AFTERNOON CRICKET”); the last over must have 6 legitimate balls |
| Last over on PlayHQ | “PlayHQ should allow unlimited balls until 6 legitimate balls are bowled in the final over” | Add “Additional Event/s” on PlayHQ until 6 legitimate balls are bowled |
| Free hit after a no-ball | The ball after a no-ball “in the first to SEVENTH ball of an over” is a free hit; run-out is the only dismissal; the field can't change except for a left/right-hander change – ⚠ written for 8-ball overs | Same (the wording fits Premier overs of up to 8 balls) |
| Hitting a would-be wide or no-ball on a free hit | Would-be wide becomes a normal delivery (can be out); a no-ball scores 1 run plus runs from the shot and the next ball is still a free hit | Same |
| Extras on the last (8th) ball | A wide or no-ball “on the 8th ball of an over”: 2 runs (“manually entered”), no free hit – ⚠ Morning overs have no 8th ball | Same (fits Premier) |
| Wide definition | Umpire judgement: no reasonable opportunity to hit it; “Full wides on the offside and halfway to that on the legside” as the guide; coaches and umpires agree a standard before the game; not a wide if it hits the batter; the ball stays live | Same |
| No-ball conditions | Doesn't land on the pitch, bounces twice or rolls; full toss above the waist; above the shoulder after bouncing; fielders (not the bowler) encroach into the exclusion zone | Same |
Fielding
| Rule | Year 7 & 8 Morning (2026/27) | Year 7 & 8 Premier (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Exclusion zone | 10 m fielding exclusion zone that “excludes the wicket keeper”; slips and gullies on the off side may be closer | Same |
| Fielders on the boundary | Max 4, “which means that the 3 remaining Fielders must be closer to the Batter than the Boundary” | Same |
| Byes and overthrows | Unlimited | Same |
| Recording catches, stumpings and run-outs | On the scoresheet or in PlayHQ | Same |
Bowling
| Rule | Year 7 & 8 Morning (2026/27) | Year 7 & 8 Premier (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Overs per bowler | “No bowler may bowl more than 4 overs total in a 27 or 30-over game unless agreed to by both teams” and “Max 5 overs per bowler” | Same |
| Bowling order | Nobody bowls a 4th over until all others have bowled 3 (8 players bowl 3 if the 9th is a specialist wicketkeeper); no successive overs | Same |
| Season share | All players bowl the same number of overs across the season | Same |
| Wicketkeepers | If keeping is shared, each keeper “should bowl 2 overs when not wicket keeping” | Same |
| Run-up | Maximum 15 m, marked by a cone if necessary | 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 | Year 7 & 8 Morning (2026/27) | Year 7 & 8 Premier (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Scorers | A parent/supporter from each team; be careful announcing winners (non-competitive) | Same |
| Score starts at | Zero | Same |
| Runs for dismissals | 5 “for each dismissal obtained” | Same |
| Scoring on PlayHQ | Ideally on PlayHQ; access through club or school convenors | Same |
| Scoresheet | Year 7 & 8 Morning sheet (June 2026): 27 overs, 6-ball grace period, 5 bonus runs per grace-period wicket | Year 7 & 8 Premier sheet (June 2026): 30 overs, 3-ball grace period, 5 bonus runs per grace-period wicket |
Possible errors or inconsistencies
Most of these are already listed in Year 7 & 8 Morning, 2025/26 to 2026/27 and Year 7 & 8 Premier, 2025/26 to 2026/27; they are repeated briefly here because they affect teams moving up. They may be worth raising with the CJCA (gm@cjca.org.nz).
Affecting how the game is played
- The same grace-period sentence in both documents: “Batters who are dismissed within the first 6 balls morning grades (3 balls in Premier grade) they face in their innings”. Each document keeps the other grade's figure; the scoresheets (6 balls Morning, 3 balls Premier) and the CJCA Mixed Grade Summary agree with this split.
- Free hits in Morning 6-ball overs: “If a NO BALL is bowled in the first to SEVENTH ball of an over, the next ball is a 'Free Hit'” and “Where a wide or a no ball is bowled on the 8th ball of an over, 2 runs will be scored (manually entered)” are word for word the same in both documents, but only Premier has 8-ball overs. The Mixed Grade Summary says the 6th ball for Morning.
- Year 7 Premier LBW and the CJCA website: the first 2026/27 Premier document (26 August 2026) had no LBW conditions for Year 7 Premier; until 13 October the only Year 7 Premier rule was in the Morning document. The CJCA website's Year 7 Premier and Year 8 Premier links pointed at different versions.
- Overs per bowler (both): “No bowler may bowl more than 4 overs total in a 27 or 30-over game unless agreed to by both teams. Max 5 overs per bowler.”
- Bonus runs (both): “5 runs are added to the bowling side for each dismissal obtained”, but the grace-period rule gives bonus runs only for dismissals within the grace period.
- Public-holiday start (Premier): a 4.30 pm start “should games be played on these days due to Public Holidays” sits beside “30 overs per side (8 ball maximum) – play should be able to be completed by 5pm or 5.30pm at the latest”, and no shorter format is given. The Morning rules give a 20/20 format for Friday or evening rounds.
Document and wording issues
- Premier text in the Morning document: “Premier Year 7 and 8 starts at 12.30pm on Saturdays”; the italic paragraph on the Premier grades; “up to 8 balls can be bowled in each over ONLY IN YEAR 7 and 8 PREMIER AFTERNOON CRICKET”. The Morning table of contents also lists two Premier-only sections that end “Error! Bookmark not defined.”
- Repeated text (both): “ANY doubt – not out.” is printed twice in the limited-LBW section.
- Premier eligibility: the callout box splits a sentence – “… why a dispensation is required for the player to” [box: “Players may play UP a grade …”] “play DOWN a grade.”
- Typos: Morning “either as team or vai their Club/School Convenor” (Premier has “via”); both “can be sued to make any grade/section adjustments” (used); Premier “until 6 balls legitimate balls are bowled”; Premier general conditions “havecones”.