We ask those supervising games to encourage good sportsmanship and help players to improve their basic cricketing skills. Rules are to be glued into the back of the scorebook. Unless stated otherwise, matches will be played under the rules adopted by the NSW Cricket Association.

1. AGE: Players must be under 12 (U12) or 13 (U13) years old on 1st September.

2. ATTIRE: Whites are to be worn and all players are to wear hats and sunscreen. Abdominal protectors are to be worn when batting. It is also recommended that batsmen wear helmets when batting against a fast bowler.

3. PLAYERS: Teams shall comprise 11 players per side, with a minimum of 7 players ready to bat or bowl as required. Team lists, including up to two substitute players for the second week, should be exchanged prior to tossing.

In cases where both teams have 12 players, 12 batsmen may bat but the score is ruled off after the 10th wicket (and all retired players are out). Only 11 players may bowl.

4. SUPERVISION: Teams must be supervised by a person over the age of 16 who will umpire/score as required. Coaching is allowed only during breaks of play (end of over, fall of wicket, etc.)

5. EQUIPMENT: Teams are to use synthetic balls (142g for U/12 & 156g for U/13)

6. PLAYING TIMES: Teams are to be ready to bowl the first ball at 9.00am after tossing at 8.50am. Matches should conclude at noon although a game may extend to no later than 12.10pm to complete an innings or make up for time lost. There is a five minute interval between innings. Changes to playing times or dates for the convenience of either side must be agreed between the managers of both teams and notified to the Secretary three days before the start of the game.

7. THE GAME: First Innings: The first innings on the first day shall be limited to 25 overs and finishes when they are all out, or after 25 overs, or at 10.30am., whichever is earliest.

If on the first day the team batting second faces 25 overs or is dismissed before 11.50am then the team batting first shall commence their second innings and bat through until noon.

Second Innings: The game continues with a second innings of 25 overs, with the score starting again from zero. The batting order for each team's second 25 overs will be:

(i) not out batsmen from the first innings

(ii) those who have not yet batted in the game

1. second innings batsmen, in the same batting order as in the first innings

The winning team will be the one scoring the highest total runs over both weeks, irrespective of wickets lost (aggregate win). Where the winning team has fully dismissed the other team twice, outright points will be awarded.

8. RESTRICTIONS: In either innings:

Every player other than the wicket keeper must bowl a minimum of 1 but is limited to a maximum of 2 overs in the first 12 overs of the game. No bowler may bowl more than 4 overs in the innings.

No fielder is to be within 10 metres of the striker until a shot has been played. (This does not apply to the wicket-keeper or to slips.) Fielders may move into this area once a shot has been played.

A batsman may retire at any time and resume his innings when everyone has batted, until he reaches 50 runs when he must retire permanently (he can make 50 in each innings).

If more than one batsman has retired early then the order of resumption of batting is from the lowest score to the highest score.

9. MANKADS: A Mankad dismissal (i.e. a batsman run out at the bowler's end by the bowler before he has bowled the ball) shall not be legitimate unless the offending batsman has been given one prior warning.

10. WIDES AND NO-BALLS: Wides and No-balls score ONE RUN to SUNDRIES. One additional ball is to be bowled, up to a maximum of three per over, i.e. a maximum total of nine balls in any over. If the batsman scores runs from a No Ball they are credited to the batter and 1 run added to Sundries e.g. if the batsman hits a No Ball for 4 runs, the batsman receives 4, Sundries 1 and the total increases by 5 – all against the bowler. If the batters run on a wide, additional runs will be added to Sundries, e.g. if the batters complete 1 run, 2 wides are added to Sundries, if the ball goes for 4, then 5 wides are added to Sundries.

The umpire shall call WIDE if the ball:

1. Pitches on the edge or off the pitch and passes out of reach of the batsman

2. Pitches on the pitch and passes out of reach of the batsman

If a player makes the decision to move away from his normal guard position and actually hits a ball which is (or could be) called 'wide' by the umpire, the 'wide' is nullified and the player can then be out stumped, bowled, caught, run out etc.

The Umpire shall call NO-BALL if the ball:

1. Pitches and passes over the height of the batsman's shoulder.

2. Is fast and passes the batsman over waist high on the full

3. Is delivered by the bowler in contravention of the front foot rule

4. Bounces wide of the pitch and then bounces back within the batsman's reach.

5. Is an unfair delivery as defined in Rule 10

11 DEAD BALL: A ball that pitches between the mats is a 'dead ball' and is bowled again with no addition to the score.

12. UNFAIR BOWLING: The bowling of fast, short-pitched balls is unfair, if the umpire at the bowler's end considers that by their repetition, and taking into account their length, height and direction, they are likely to inflict physical injury on the striker, irrespective of the protective clothing and equipment they may be wearing. The relative skill of the striker shall also be taken into consideration. The umpire shall call NO BALL.

13. INTERRUPTION OF PLAY: Should the first day's play be washed out without a ball being bowled then the second day shall be played as a one day game. If the second day is washed out, the first day's play shall be taken as the result.

In the event of a late start or early loss of playing time for any reason on either day the match on that day should be reduced in overs by one over per three minutes of lost play, e.g. a six minute loss of playing time would reduce the innings to 24 overs per side.

If on the first day the second team's innings is not completed because of weather, this innings will be completed on the second day. The two remaining innings are then reduced so both teams have an equal number of overs in their second innings.

If both teams, however, do not receive an equal number of overs in their second innings due to weather, the first days play shall be taken as the result.

14. ONE DAY GAMES: Where a one day game is played, the first innings shall be limited to 25 overs and finishes when they are all out, or after 25 overs, or at 10.30 am., whichever is earliest. The team batting second is entitled to face the same number of overs, except if they dismiss their opponents in less than 25 overs in the first innings, in which case they are entitled to the balance of their opponents' unused overs. The restrictions above apply. The team scoring the most runs in its 25 overs shall have won the game on aggregate. Teams may strive for an outright result after a first innings result has been obtained and either side may take advantage of unused overs. No more than 50 overs shall be bowled in a match.

In a game shortened by weather etc., the team batting second must receive a minimum of 13 overs to achieve a result, which will be based on runs scored at the corresponding over.

15. SCORING: Scorers for both teams should sit together and agree on the scores at the end of each over. In the event of a disagreement they should clarify with the umpire before the next over commences. If the result of the match hinges on the scoresheets that do not correspond the matter should be resolved before leaving the ground after the match. Failing this the scoresheets should be lodged with the Association points-score secretary by 6pm on the Monday following the game. His decision will be final.

The result of the game is to be written on the score sheet for the game and signed by both team managers.

16. POINTS: Aggregate win (total of both innings) 4; aggregate loss 1; draw or washout 2.5; tie 3; bye 4; outright win (dismissing the opposition completely twice) 7; outright loss 0; forfeit (win), equal to the highest points awarded to any team in that round; forfeit (loss) 0. Note: there are no first innings points except for one-day games (first innings win 4; loss 1).

17. PREMIERSHIP: A final will be played between the top two teams on the competition ladder after all the preliminary rounds. There will be no semi-finals.

18. CHANGES TO FIXTURES: Any variation to fixture times or grounds (e.g. completing a game during the week) must be agreed between both team managers and the Association secretary before the start of the match, and take into account the availability of the ground.

19. RESULTS: The tear-out score sheet (or a copy) or written result sheet, signed by both managers, is to be completed by both teams and left in the Junior Cricket Box at the Armidale Bowling Club, Dumaresq Street, by 6pm on the Sunday following the match.

FAILURE TO SUBMIT THE SCORES ON TIME WILL RESULT IN A PENALTY OF TWO POINTS BEING DEDUCTED FOR THE GAME.

ADJCA Rules committee: Murray Scholz, Rick Porter, John Croft, Tim Wittig