Umpire's Guide to MJCC Stage 2 Cricket Year 6-7 Boys, 8-9 Girls 2026/27

Dress (General Rules 3.1): umpires must dress to an acceptable standard that sets a good example. Singlets and thongs are not acceptable. Wear a hat (preferably broad brim) and a light-coloured shirt or top, preferably white. Umpires not appointed by the MJCC must wear the Volunteer Community Umpire vest.

Age:

• Association (appointed) umpires must be 14 or older, though younger people may complete the training before turning 14.
• Volunteers should be 18 or older. An umpire under 18 may umpire only with MJCC approval and after completing the Community Junior Cricket umpiring course before the match.

Training:

• Volunteer parent umpires do not need accreditation.
• To become an appointed Association umpire: register as an umpire on the Play Cricket website, complete the Community Umpiring Accreditation (online learning plus a face-to-face practical session, $40 at last listing), then register for the season on Officials HQ.

The MJCC lists these essential signals (Cricket Australia images):

Byes and leg byes add an extra run to the total, not to the batter. Wides and no balls add an extra run to the batting side.

A wide is as defined in the Laws of Cricket: a ball out of the batter's reach (Stage 2 Match Day Rules 6.6). To help umpires:

• Any ball that pitches on the wicket, or passes the batter, outside the batter's reach while they stand in their normal batting position is a wide.
• A batter can be dismissed run out or stumped off a wide.
• If the batter strikes or makes contact with the ball, it is not a wide.

A wide is re-bowled, subject to a maximum of 8 balls in an over. It counts towards the batter's ball limit before they must retire, and the umpire signals it with both arms stretched out horizontally. It adds one extra run to the batting side's total.

In addition to the Laws, Stage 2 Match Day Rules 6.5 give these no ball calls. A no ball is re-bowled (up to 8 balls in the over), counts as a ball faced by the batter, and gives the batting side an extra run.

No ball when:

• The ball lands off the pitch, rolls off the pitch or hits the edge of the pitch (including balls that start off the pitch and roll back on).
• The ball bounces more than twice, or rolls along the ground, before reaching the popping crease.
• Part of the bowler's front foot on landing, grounded or not, is not behind the popping crease.
• More than two fielders are behind square leg on the leg side.
• Any other fielding restriction is breached (10 metres from the striker, 2 metres in front).
• The bowler dislodges a bail or bails while delivering.
• The ball passes above waist height on the full, or above shoulder height after pitching (see the warning rules).

No ball and dead ball (the batter had no chance to hit it):

• The ball comes to rest in front of the striker's wicket without touching the bat or striker.
• The ball is so far from the pitch that the striker leaves the pitch to attempt to play it.

A suspect bowling action is not a no ball.

Stage 2 Match Day Rules 6.5 (note) make these no balls under the Laws:

• A ball that passes, or would have passed, above the batter's waist on the full, with the batter upright at the crease.
• A ball that, after pitching, passes or would have passed above the batter's shoulder, with the batter upright at the crease.

Warning and consequence: the umpire warns the bowler that any further repeat in the innings means the bowler cannot bowl again in that innings. The over is then completed by a different bowler who did not bowl the previous over and who will not bowl the next over. A part-over bowled counts as an over bowled for each bowler.

Very slow bowlers and spinners are exempt from these warnings and restrictions, unless they bowl an obvious quicker ball.

All dismissals in the Laws of Cricket apply, with these changes (Stage 2 Match Day Rules 5.6):

• Year 6 boys: no LBW.
• Year 7 boys and Year 8-9 girls: a batter may not be given out LBW if the ball hits either pad or the body and they are clearly playing forward in a genuine stroke. To help umpires: do not give LBW to a batter making a genuine attempt to play forward on a synthetic pitch (the ball is likely going over the stumps), or one making a genuine attempt to play forward and a genuine attempt to play the ball.
• Non-striker backing up too far: each non-striker must be warned twice before being run out by the bowler the third time. The umpire alone decides whether a warning is appropriate, and confirms each warning with both batters, the fielding captain and the batting team's coach. A bowler halting mid-action does not automatically mean a warning.
• A batter can be run out or stumped off a wide, but if the batter hits the ball it is not a wide.

Batter retirement (immediate on reaching the limit, wides and no balls included):

• 20-over match: 20 balls.
• 30-over match: 30 balls if the team has 9 or fewer batters, 25 balls if 10 or more.

Bowling limits:

• 20-over match: maximum 4 overs per bowler; everyone bowls at least 2 overs (in a team of 11, 9 bowl 2 overs and 2 bowl 1 over).
• 30-over match: maximum 5 overs per bowler; everyone bowls at least 2 overs.
• Until everyone has bowled 2 overs, no one else may bowl more than 2 overs (Year 6 boys in 30-over matches: more than 3 overs), apart from the second wicketkeeper, who may bowl up to 3 overs before keeping.
• Over length is 6 balls, with wides and no balls re-bowled up to 8 balls per over.

If a breach is about to happen: the scorers must interrupt play at once (not wait for the end of the over) and tell the umpires that a player is about to breach a bowling or batting rule (General Rules 3.2). If it is bowling, another bowler who will not breach the rules completes the over. If it is batting, the batter must retire immediately.

Stage 2 Match Day Rules 6.7:

• No fielder within 10 metres of the striker, except the wicketkeeper, slips and gullies.
• No fielder within 2 metres of the playing surface in front of the striker's wicket.
• No more than two fielders behind square leg on the leg side. A breach of this or any fielding restriction is a no ball.
• Each team uses 2 wicketkeepers, each for half of the allocated overs.
• With more than 9 players present, the extras rotate on and off the field each over, and fielding rotations are at the coach's discretion.
• Loan fielders from the opposition are for fielding only and are not allowed in finals.

• An innings ends at the first of: all out, innings time reached (the over in progress is completed), or the allocated overs bowled.
• Change of innings is 10 minutes. Drinks breaks are no more than 3 minutes, or 2 minutes for extra breaks. Extra breaks (for example in hot weather) can be taken by mutual consent of the match officials.
• Batters and wicketkeepers may ask the umpire for a drink, taken on the ground between overs.
• The side batting second gets the same overs as the side batting first, unless the first side was all out.
• If time is called with the second side having faced fewer overs than the first, the result is decided on the scores at the same number of overs.
• The match ceases at the end of the over in progress at the original scheduled end time.

Fair and unfair play: under the Laws the umpires are the sole judges of fair and unfair play and may intervene at any time. The MJCC General Rules (1.4) list time wasting, damaging the pitch, dangerous or unfair bowling, tampering with the ball, and any other action they consider unfair.

Against the Spirit of Cricket: disputing an umpire's decision by word, action or gesture, directing abusive language or actions at any player or official, and cheating or sharp practice.

Suspect bowling action (MJCC Remedial Bowling Action Policy):

• Do not call a no ball because of a player's action.
• Use the MJCC Remedial Bowling Action Video to help tell a legal action from an illegal one.
• If it still looks illegal, it is for the player's coach to speak to the player, in a way that fits guaranteed participation and enjoyment, and to run remedial exercises at training. The MJCC runs Remedial Bowling Action Workshops.

Hats: all players, coaches and umpires must wear a hat, cap or religious headwear on the field. A player without one must put one on or leave the field, and play does not continue until they do. If a player refuses, the umpires must report them to the Association (General Rules 2.3).

Helmets: batters and wicketkeepers keeping up to the stumps must wear a helmet. Umpires should consider shin pads and face or head protection, and may choose to wear a BS7928:2013 helmet. Cricket Australia encourages this.

Concussion: any player hit on the head or upper neck must be assessed using the Cricket Australia Diagnosis of Concussion Guidelines. A player who fails takes no further part that day and should not return for at least 14 days after symptoms clear. Removal for suspected concussion must be reported in writing within 24 hours to the club president and MJCC.admin@wacricket.com.au.

Storms: if lightning and thunder are less than 30 seconds apart, take shelter. Suspend play for at least 30 minutes, and do not resume until 30 minutes after the last audible thunder.

Reports: deliberate time wasting that could change the result is a mandatory reportable offence. Rule breaches and behaviour incidents go in the match report, and incident reports to WA Cricket must be received before 12pm on the Monday after the match.