Junior Cricket

Burnside West Christchurch University Cricket provides opportunities for boys and girls of all ages. Whether they are picking up a bat for the first time or want to play in a representative competition we can cater for them.

Junior Registration >>> Follow this link for registration and registration days information!  click here for registration info

Age and Stage Cricket – Check out these changes to junior cricket which will affect our Year 4 – Year 8 Teams

Friday Night Junior Cricket

Friday night Junior Cricket is from 6pm on Burnside Oval each week, starting the first week of Term 4 in October. It finishes for the December/January school holidays in December, and then starts back on the first week of Term 1. This is for 5 to 10 Years old and there two groups – school years 1&2 and school year 3&4 and are 1 hour skills based sessions:

Smash Play junior tamariki

For the youngest players an those new to cricket aged 5 years – 10 years (school Year 1 & 4), this a short game based cricket theme program introduced by NZ Cricket in August 2022 . Focus on engagement, skill development and confidence building. you can find out more here: https://burnsidecricket.org.nz/smash-play-junior-tamariki/

Kiwi Cricket

Advanced Year 2s, Year 3 & 4’s. This is still based and works up to short gameplay as the end of the sessions. Some of our advanced Year 4 will then play after the Christmas Holiday’s in CJCA T20 Year 4 north zone cricket on Saturday mornings.

As players head into Year 5, they move into more traditional cricket through junior 20/20 matches and play on Saturday Mornings.

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If you need any more information on Junior Cricket please see the website of the Canterbury Junior Cricket Association

Saturday Morning Cricket

From Year 5 to Year 8, players are selected for Saturday morning teams and start playing matches against teams from other clubs. All junior players have access to qualified coaches during the week at practice, however Parents will be asked to help manage a team on Saturday’s.

Saturday morning Junior Cricket starts at 9am each week, beginning in October. It finishes for the December/January school holidays in December, recommencing in February. We lose our Year 8 players to secondary school in February so the teams have a bit of a reshuffle.

Our year 5/6 girls team had an excellent season, we would really like to keep the support going to girls cricket at BWC.

A number of the junior grades have a challenge shield that is up for grabs each Saturday just like the Ranfurly Shield. The shields are named after individuals who have given much to junior cricket over a long period of time. Two of the shields are named after Burnside Life Members who have given many years of service to Canterbury Junior Cricket.

The Derek Cockburn Shield is played for by the Junior Premier (Year 8) grade.

The inscription on the Derek Cockburn Shield reads: Derek Cockburn has been a leading coach and selector of juniors in the North West of Christchurch since 1959. He has also fostered junior cricket through the South Island Tournament which has grown from 8 to 14 teams. He was made a life member of Burnside West CC in 1986 after assisting Zimbabwe officials in setting up junior cricket there, all in part of a Goldie Oldie exchange. Derek was awarded CJCA Life Membership in 1990, presented with the Sir Jack Newman trophy for service by NZ Cricket in 2007, made Patron of the CJCA in 2010 and in the same year received the ICC Centenary Medal for his outstanding service voluntarily given to cricket.

BWU3

BWU3 win the Peter Burke Shield in 2015/2016

The Peter Burke Shield is the challenge trophy for the Year 7 Section 1 grade. The inscription on this shield reads: Peter Burke enrolled his two sons with Burnside-West in 1993. He introduced new concepts to the North-West – first the Friday and Monday activity for beginners and synthetic pitch blocks. He was the Junior Cricket Assoc President from 2002 to 2005 while being S.I.T. Manager during the rise of Tom Latham and Corey Anderson. Peter became the 26th BWUCC Life Member in its 108 year history. He also has an ability to sniff out grants from worthy sponsors.

Players moving from Year 8 to Year 9 join our Youth programme, run under the auspices of North West Youth Cricket

Youth (Year 9 to Year 13)

The Club’s Programme is run under the auspices of North-West Youth Cricket (NWYC)

NWYC is a collaboration between our Club, the Merivale-Papanui Cricket Club, Burnside High School and Papanui High School. NWYC has a range of teams from Under 14 (year 9) to a 1st XI that plays in the top school grade in Christchurch.

To find out more about Youth Cricket please click here

Players do not have to come only from the two schools and clubs. Everyone of high school age is very welcome to play for NWYC. After Year 13 finishes, players’ involvement with NWYC ends and they can move on to play Senior Cricket for either Burnside Cricket or the Merivale-Papanui Cricket Club.

Junior cricket formats

Information about BWCU junior cricket offerings.

New Zealand Cricket and Christchurch Metro Cricket continue to evolve the junior grades with the aim of creating faster games which are more fun and provide opportunities for greater skill development.

Below are summaries which provide BWCU parents a brief overview of what to expect in the coming season. We recommend that you also watch the videos and read the supporting documentation in order to get a full understanding of what New Zealand Cricket is trying to achieve.

Friday Night Junior Cricket

Friday Night Junior Cricket is for our youngest members (Year 1 to Year 4 boys and girls), and runs from 6:00pm to 7:00pm at Burnside Oval, starting in October. We break for the summer school holiday through late December and January. This is a skills-based program that aims at developing balls skills and promoting the enjoyment of cricket in a group environment. We split the children into two groups during the sessions:

Burnside Superstar Academy

For our youngest players, there is a focus on skill development and confidence building through games and fun drills, including catching, throwing, hitting, and bowling. Boys and girls train together in a group, and all gear and qualified coaches from the Youth and Senior club run the sessions.

Kiwi Cricket

Catering to Year 3 and Year 4’s and our more confident Year 2’s, the BWCU Kiwi Cricket programme is still mostly a skill based programme, but works up to non-stop style games at the end of each season. Boys and girls train together in a group, and all gear and qualified coaches from the Youth and Senior club run the sessions.

Advanced Year 4 members will have the chance to play Saturday morning cricket after the Christmas holiday’s in CJCA T20 Year 4 North zone cricket competition, which is held on a Saturday morning.

As players head into Year 5, they move into more traditional cricket through our Saturday morning program, which follows NZC’s Age & Stage junior cricket formats.

For the Friday Night Parents

Relax in the evening sun, or shelter from the easterly from the comfort of the Burnside Pavilion while watching the kids having fun. The Burnside Pavilion bar is open on Friday evenings, providing a selection of beers, wines, non-alcoholic drinks, espresso-style coffee, and a selection of light snacks.

Saturday Morning Junior Cricket

For our Year 5-8 cricketers, BWCU follows NZC’s Age & Stage Junior Cricket programme and participates with other Christchurch primary schools and cricket clubs in the CJCA Saturday morning cricket competition.

All junior players have access to qualified coaches during the week at practice, and parents are asked to help manage teams.

Saturday morning Junior Cricket starts at 9:00am, beginning in October. We take a break in late December through January for the school summer holidays, recommencing in February. Year 8 players play a half season before departing to secondary school which means that teams are reshuffled somewhat at the start of the school year.

At the end of primary school, BWCU provides a pathway for players to continue their association with the club through North-West Youth Cricket (NWYC).

NWYC is a collaboration between our BWCUCC, Merivale Papanui CC, Burnside High School, and Papanui High School. NWYC has a range of teams from Under 14 (year 9) to a 1st XI that plays in the top Youth grade in Christchurch.

Everyone of high school age is welcome to play for NWYC. After Year 13 finishes, players are encouraged to continue their cricketing pathway as Senior cricketers for either BWCUCC or the MPCC.

To find out more about Youth Cricket click here.

Junior Teams

BWCU currently has 9 Junior Teams playing in CJCA Saturday Morning competitions. All teams are provided with uniforms, and gear is provided by the club. Teams are coached and managed on Saturdays by parent volunteers. All coaches are required to be qualified. BWCU provides coaching resources and facilitates access to coaching training.

What is Age & Stage Junior Cricket

The following videos provide you with details on NZC’s Age & Stage formats, as well as opinions on the programme from some of NZC’s premier coaches.

Junior equipment requirements

All members playing in hardball grades must wear a helmet and box. BWCU provides a gear bag for all junior teams. If you are purchasing your own equipment for your child, please refer to the NZC recommendations for sizing advice. Remember to support our key sponsor Cricket Express when purchasing cricket gear. To receive a 10% discount on your purchase, make sure to tell the staff at St Asaph Street that you are a BWCU member.

Coaching Junior Cricket

New Zealand Cricket now requires all coaches of junior teams to have a coaching qualification. Coaches of year 1-5 teams are required to complete a Foundation Course while coaches of older age groups must complete the Advanced Foundation Course. As well as this, all coaches and managers must complete a police check prior to the season starting. The police check will only pick up heinous crimes rather than minor infringements. NZC’s goal is to make coaching better and safer for children, not to deter volunteer coaches. Find the NZC message here and full NZC coaching policy here.

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