Looking to get into cricket this year, but don’t know where to start? The ECB’s Softball cricket tournaments are a great way to get involved in a friendly and supportive environment! No experience necessary!
The ECB has been hosting these Softball Cricket Festivals since 2017, to provide those who are new to cricket the perfect opportunity to get involved in all aspects of the game, without any pressure! The great thing about these Festivals is that their focus is having fun and socializing, whilst also learning about the game.
The lowdown: Bowling and Fielding
Teams are made up of between six and eight people, and each player will get to try their hand at batting, bowling, and fielding! Bowling can be performed either underarm or overarm, depending on how comfortable you feel, with each player bowling at least one over in the game.
The lowdown: Batting
Both teams will start with 200 runs on the scoreboard, runs can be added to this total by either running between the wickets or hitting the ball to the boundary. Hitting the ball over the boundary along the floor counts as 4 runs and hitting the ball over the boundary in the air counts as 6 runs.
Usually in cricket once you are out, your innings ends, and you are replaced by someone else at the crease. In softball cricket, 5 runs are taken from the overall total. This provides all players with the opportunity to feel free to bat how they would like, without the pressure of getting out! So, if you want to try and hit every ball for six, then go ahead! The whole point of these festivals is that you can experiment and get a feel for the game in the way you want to.
There is 5 main ways that you can get out in cricket:
- Bowled – you miss the ball, and it knocks the bails off your stumps
- Stumped: if your feet leave the crease, the wicketkeeper can take the bails off your stumps if they have the ball in their hand
- Run out: a fielder hits the stumps before the batter can get back behind their crease
- Caught: someone in the field catches a ball that has been hit in the air
- Hit wicket: part of your body or bat hits the stumps
But what about all the kit I need?
Another benefit of these festivals is that you don’t need any kit, apart from comfy sportswear. As a softball is used, there is no need for pads or helmets, so bats and balls are the only items you will need, and they are provided for you.
Venues 2023 look HERE