What are the Stage 1 rules for Under 10 and Under 11?

Stage 1 is a child's first taste of junior club cricket, after the entry programs such as Cricket Blast. Everyone gets to bat, bowl and field regularly.

• Teams: 6 players a side in a 15-over match, or 7 in a 20-over match. A minimum of 5 and a maximum of 7 players is needed to play
• Overs and time: one innings of 15 to 20 overs (90 to 120 balls) per team, over 1.5 to 2 hours
• Ball: a modified ball, 21 to 22.5 cm in circumference and no heavier than 110 g
• Pitch and boundary: a 14 to 16 m outfield or hard wicket, and a boundary of 20 to 40 m measured from the batter's end stumps
• Batting: every ball counts toward a batter's quota, including wides and no-balls. A batter retires as soon as they face their allotted balls, for example 15 balls with 6 players in a 15-over match, or 20 balls with 6 players in a 20-over match. Dismissals are unlimited, and a competition may add a penalty such as 5 bonus runs to the opposition. Bowled, caught, caught and bowled, run out, stumped and hit wicket apply
• Bowling: 6 balls an over, maximum 3 overs per bowler in a 15-over match and 4 in a 20-over match. Bowlers bowl from one end all game. Everyone is encouraged to bowl, but a child may choose not to
• Fielding: fielders rotate each over, no fielder may be within 15 metres of the batter, and everyone should get a go at keeping, with a helmet compulsory

Source: Cricket Australia Stage 1 Junior Rules, 15 to 20 over match day rules (play.cricket.com.au, May 2026).