FOCUS ON YOUTH 2006

The England and Wales Cricket Board has issued new safety guidance on the wearing of cricket helmets by young players.

In recent years it has become more common for professional cricketers and those playing a high standard of recreational cricket to wear a helmet when batting, particularly against faster bowling. Helmets have become more widely available and are now covered by a British Standard.

Many of the cricketing bodies responsible for the cricket played by young players already either recommend or insist that helmets are worn. The ECB wishes to establish a consistent and safe approach in all junior cricket. This paper addresses the many issues involved.

• It is recommended that a helmet is worn by young players when batting and when standing up to the stumps when keeping wicket against a hard cricket ball in matches and in practice

In law a young person is deemed to become an adult at age 18. The law also imposes a duty of care on those responsible for minors (i.e. those under the age of 18). The ECB is recommending that this guidance is followed by all players up to the age of 18. It applies to young players in adult cricket as well as to all junior cricket played with a hard ball.

The new guidance has been approved by the ECB Management Board and is applicable immediately. It is recognised, however, that many young players do not own a helmet and that clubs and schools may be unable to provide them immediately. The ECB is recommending that the new guidance is communicated to the parents or guardians of all young players through clubs and schools, and that parental consent is obtained before young players are allowed to bat or stand up to the stumps when keeping wicket against a hard ball without wearing a helmet. Clubs and schools are also advised to seek parental consent in order to allow cricket to be played even if temporary supply shortages mean that insufficient helmets are available at the start of the 2000 season.

The ECB has produced a standard 'Parental Consent' letter and Parental Consent Form that clubs and schools may wish to adopt. A copy is attached to this paper.

The guidance contained in the ECB Cricket Coach's Manual and in the Safety Guidance issued by the NCA and the TCCB before the formation of the ECB refers to "additional protective equipment" including helmets, thigh pads, arm guards and chest guards. The Manual also states (Advice on Batting Equipment) "in school P.E. curriculum activities.. when cricket or other hard balls are used the appropriate protective equipment must be worn." The guidance published in the BAALPE manual currently says "Protective equipment for batters and wicket keepers should be worn as appropriate".

This new guidance specifies that a helmet with a faceguard should be regarded as a normal item of protective equipment which should be worn by batters and wicket keepers standing up to the sturnps whenever a hard ball is being used. A helmet should be regarded as "appropriate protective equipment" in these circumstances whenever a cricket or other hard ball is being used. Existing guidance will be updated to reflect the new guidance as soon as possible.

The ECB has also extended the existing regulations covering the minimum fielding distances for young players in all matches where a hard ball is used.

• No young player in the Under 15 age group or younger shall be allowed to field closer than 8 yards (7.3 metres) from the middle stump, except behind the wicket on the off side, until the batsman has played at the ball.

• For players in the Under 13 age group and below the distance is 11 yards (10 metres).

• These minimum distances apply even if the player is wearing a helmet.

• Should a young player in these age groups come within the restricted distance the umpire must stop the game immediately and instruct the fielder to move back.

• In addition any young player in the Under 16 to Under 18 age groups, who has not reached the age of 18, must wear a helmet and, for boys, an abdominal protector (box) when fielding within 6 yards (5.5 metres) of the bat, except behind the wicket on the off side. Players should wear appropriate protective equipment whenever they are fielding in a position where they feel at risk.

These fielding regulations are applicable to all cricket in England and Wales. Age groups are based on the age of the player at midnight on 31St August in the year preceding the current season.

It is important for all those involved with young players to understand their responsibilities. It is also very strongly recommended that all those involved with young cricketers ensure that they have appropriate insurance cover, either individually or through their membership of the various cricketing Associations (e.g. the Association of Cricket Coaches, the Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers etc.) or through their club or school.

The ECB Cricket Coach's Manual will be updated to include the new guidance and all ECB qualified coaches should follow the guidance with immediate effect. This means that young players should only be allowed to play or practice batting and standing up to the stumps when wicket keeping against a hard ball without a helmet if parental consent has been obtained. Other coaches are strongly encouraged to adopt the same approach.

Coaches should use their judgement in deciding whether or not coaching and warm-up drills, as opposed to net or middle practice, require the wearing of helmets.

Schools will need to review their existing policies regarding helmets in the light of the new guidance. It is recommended that they obtain parental consent in all circumstances where they decide not to insist that helmets are worn. It is expected that Local Education Authorities will provide additional guidance within their area in due course. The new guidance will be circulated to all Local Education Authorities.

All clubs with Junior Sections will need to decide on their policy on the wearing of helmets in the light of the new guidance and communicate this policy to the parents of their junior members. It is recognised that some clubs will be unwilling or unable to provide helmets, and clubs are advised to ensure that they have the explicit consent of parents or guardians if helmets are not worn when batting and when standing up to the stumps when keeping wicket against a hard ball in matches and in practice.

Clubs that decide to insist that helmets are worn do not need to seek parental consent. If the club allows non-members to attend practice sessions on an occasional or visiting basis they must either obtain parental consent or insist that the visitor wears a helmet when batting and when standing up to the stumps when wicket keeping against a hard ball.

Clubs are encouraged to include the guidance in their fixture cards.

A number of Junior leagues already require the wearing of helmets in matches within their league, and leagues may wish to incorporate the new guidance within their playing regulations. Leagues are encouraged to include the guidance in their Handbooks and fixture cards if they produce them.

The new safety guidance is applicable to all players under the age of 18, and covers adult cricket as well as junior matches and practice. Adult leagues are therefore encouraged to include the guidance in their Handbooks and leagues may wish to incorporate the guidance into their playing conditions. A copy of the rule that has been adopted in ECB competitions is attached to this paper, together with a summary of the new guidance for inclusion in Handbooks.

The umpires are responsible for administering the Laws of Cricket and the regulations of the particular competition in which they are standing. They should establish before the start of any match involving young players the policy that the club or school has adopted on the wearing of helmets and the age group of any young players taking part in the match. This will require a meeting with the teacher, manager, coach or, in adult cricket, the captain. If the policy of the club or school is that helmets must be worn the umpires should not allow play to proceed if the batsman is not wearing a helmet. If any young player intends to bat or to stand up to the stumps when keeping wicket without a helmet the umpires should ask for confirmation that parental consent has been obtained, and if it has not, the umpires should not allow the young player to bat or stand up to the stumps when keeping wicket without a helmet. The responsibility for obtaining and recording parental consent lies with the club or school and umpires should accept the word of the representative of the club or school.

In adult cricket, when the captain has indicated that there are young players taking part, the umpires should remind the captain that he or she is responsible for the safety of the young players throughout the match. If the policy of the club requires the young players to wear a helmet the umpires should insist that this happens. If the policy of the club does not require the young players to wear a helmet the umpires should seek confirmation from the captain that parental consent has been obtained and if it has not, the umpires should not allow the young player to bat or keep wicket without a helmet. The responsibility for obtaining and recording parental consent lies with the club and umpires should accept the word of the captain as the representative of the club.

In adult cricket matches involving young players the captain is responsible for the safety of the young players in his team. Parental consent should be obtained if helmets are not being worn. Captains are urged to encourage young players to wear a helmet in adult cricket regardless of the speed of the bowling or the circumstances of the match.

Captains should also ensure when placing their field that young players do not infringe the fielding regulations for young players issued by the ECB.

This guidance applies to all players playing against a hard cricket ball. The ECB is aware that, for younger players, currently available helmets, particularly when fitted with a faceguard, can be uncomfortable to wear. However the ECB has obtained specific legal advice on this issue and that advice is that the guidance should be applicable to all young players.

The existing British Standard for cricket helmets relates to cricket played with the full size (5 ½ oz) ball. For the Under 13 age group and below a 4 3 / 4 oz ball is used, and the ECB has approached the British Standards Institute to request that a new standard is developed to reflect the lighter ball and the slower speeds involved with cricket in these age groups. It is hoped that a new standard would allow lighter helmets to be made available for the younger age groups in due course.

The concerns about the wearing of helmets by younger players relate to the weight of the helmet and to the risk of dehydration. In addition to the request to establish a new British Standard that would be applicable to the younger players further research is being undertaken into the problem of dehydration. The physical development of individual players varies significantly within the younger age groups and parents will need to assess the suitability of the available helmets for their children, taking into account the level of cricket at which they are playing and their physical characteristics.

Young players should also ensure that they drink appropriate amounts of water to avoid any possible risks of dehydration during a match or practice session. Coaches, teachers, managers and umpires are encouraged to ensure that regular intervals for drinks are arranged, particularly in matches of more than 20 overs per innings.

The information in this section is based on input from the British Standards Institution and the individual manufacturers. The ECB has made every effort to present an accurate summary of the position as at the end of February 2000 but cannot be held responsibIe for any inaccuracies or omissions.

CE Mark

In order to be legally sold within the European Union cricket helmets must carry a CE Mark. The CE Mark shows that the helmet complies with the requirements of the Personal Protective Equipment PPE) Directive under European Law. Cricket helmets are classed as "neither simple nor complex" within the Directive. The manufacturer needs to compile a technical file that demonstrates compliance with the Directive. This file is then submitted to a Notified Body for assessment. After successful assessment the manufacturer can put the CE Mark on the helmet and legally sell it.

Kitemark

This is the British Standards Institution (BSI) Certification mark. In order to achieve it the company has to have the product successfully tested to a standard, in this case British Standard 7928 (1998). They also have to have helmets from each batch tested and have an ISO 9000 quality system audited by BSI.

Manufacturers

As at February 2000 the following manufacturers were known to be marketing helmets in the UK:

Alfred Readers (the Albion C & D range and the Readers Victa range)

Chase Sports (the Masuri range)

Dukes Cricket (the Dukes range)

Gray-Nicolls (the Millennium and Scimitar ranges)

Gunn & Moore (the Teknik range)

Hunts County Sports (the County range)

Peak Sports (the PS range)

Slazenger (the Pro range)

All these manufacturers have informed the ECB that their helmets carry the CE Mark. The only cricket helmet currently carrying the Kitemark is the Gunn & Moore (Teknik).

In the case of Gunn & Moore (Teknik), and Gray-Nicolls (Millennium) the CE Certificate has been issued by BSI using BS 7928 as the basis for the testing of the helmet. Chase Sports (Masuri) has a CE Certificate issued by BSI conforming to the requirements of the PPE Directive. The Readers C & D Albion helmet has been approved for sale in this country by Trading Standards Officers having successfully met the Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 4499(1997). The ECB understands from the manufacturers that the Readers Victa, Dukes, County, Peak Sports and Slazenger helmets have been approved for sale in this country by Trading Standards Officers having passed the BSI tests using BS 7928 as the basis for the testing, pending the issuing of CE Certificates. The Gray-Nicolls Scimitar helmet is undergoing certification as at the end of February 2000.

Each manufacturer offers a range of different sizes, and the helmets can be adjusted, within limits, to cater for variations in head size. The weight of the helmet varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, as does the price. Players, parents, clubs and schools are advised to investigate the options available before selecting a helmet, to ensure that the helmet carries a CE Mark and to see if discounts are available for multiple purchases.

The number of manufacturers supplying helmets may change over time, and the level of certification achieved by individual manufacturers will also change, so purchasers are advised to check on the current situation when making their purchase.

In recent years it has become more common for professional cricketers and those playing a high standard of recreational cricket to wear a helmet when batting. Helmets have become more widely available and are now covered by a British Standard.

Many young cricketers playing with a hard ball do not currently wear a helmet. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has issued new safety guidance which recommends that helmets should be worn when batting against a hard cricket ball in matches and in practice sessions, and encourages players to regard a helrnet with a faceguard as a normal item of protective equipment when batting, together with pads, gloves and, for boys, an abdominal protector (box). The guidance also recommends that young wicket keepers should wear a helmet when standing up to the stumps. The guidance applies to all young players up to the age of 18.

As a sport, cricket is not generally a dangerous game, but parents will appreciate that the use of a hard ball can create the possibility of injury and will need to assess the risk to their young player, taking into account his or her skill level and the type of match or practice involved. The ECB has advised all coaches, teachers, managers and umpires that they should not allow a young player without a helmet to bat or to stand up to the stumps when keeping wicket against a hard ball except with written parental consent.

Attached to this letter is a consent form which parents (or legal guardians) are being asked to complete. It allows you to decide if you want your young player to wear a helmet and asks if you are able to provide the helmet.

Either: Club/school will include helmets in the club/school equipment bags for use as required.

Or Club/school cannot provide helmets for use by players. Accordingly if you wish your young player to wear a helmet for cricket, you must provide the helmet or your young player will be unable to play.

Please complete the consent form and return it to the address below. For legal reasons players will not be able to bat or to stand up to the stumps when keeping wicket without a helmet in practice sessions or matches involving a hard ball until the consent form is received. The first practice session will take place on………..

* * * * * * 

Name of Young Cricketer:____________________________________________________

Club or School:_____________________________________________________________

I will provide the helmet
                                                                                                            Yes        No            (please circle)

I confirm that I have read and understood the letter attached to this consent form.

Signed:__________________________________  Print Name:______________________________________