Grafton Juniors
Years 1 to 4 girls, boys, and mixed teams.
Grafton is excited to bring a fresh approach to our junior cricket format that will give our future stars a fun and supportive environment to develop their skills ahead of playing grade cricket games. Grafton is bringing this new format to our Year 1 and Year 2 players, bringing us in line with other New Zealand cricket clubs.
This new format is a great way to:
- Encourage more kids to get involved in the game
- Improve player engagement
- Developing the core skills
New Format Overview:
GRADE 1 & 2 (Combined grade for 1st year cricketers, mostly in Grade 1 & 2 at school)
Pre-Christmas:
- Day: Friday evenings
- Time: 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
- Location: Cox's Bay Reserve
- Format: 4 rotational "smash play" skill games each week (15 minutes per station)
- Training: Optional training with team coach (Thursdays from 4 pm at Cox's Bay)
Post-Christmas:
- Day: Saturday mornings
- Time: 8:30 AM - 10 AM
- Location: Grafton, Parnell and Auckland University cricket club fields
- Format: Traditional 8-a-side Grade cricket game against EDCA teams
- Training: Recommended (Thursdays from 4 pm at Cox's Bay)
GRADE 3 & GRADE 4 (Pre-Christmas Games are now on a Friday night at Cox's Bay)
Pre-Christmas:
- Day: Friday evenings
- Time: 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
- Location: Cox's Bay Reserve
- Format: In-house 8-a-side Grade cricket game
- Training: Highly recommended (Thursdays from 4 pm at Cox's Bay)
Post-Christmas:
- Day: Saturday mornings (with the option of Friday evenings for Grafton vs Grafton matches)
- Time: 8:30 AM - 10 AM
- Location: Grafton, Parnell and Auckland University cricket club fields
- Format: Traditional 8-a-side grade cricket game against EDCA teams
- Training: Highly recommended (Thursdays from 4 pm at Cox's Bay)
These changes are all about making sure our young cricketers not only have a blast but also build the skills they need to progress confidently through the grades. We’re confident this will help us grow our cricket community and provide a more rewarding experience for our players. We appreciate your support and are looking forward to an exciting season ahead!
Check out our website for more information - https://graftoncricket.co.nz/grafton-juniors
If you have any questions please feel free to get in touch!
Mishaan Doolabh - Head of Junior Coaching
M: 022 087 0365
E: mishaan@graftoncricket.co.nz
Pitch Layout (see the diagram on the right for our current pitch layout).
Designers are welcome to send improved versions to the Club Manager :)
Season Dates
https://graftoncricket.co.nz/key-dates
Pitch Maps
https://graftoncricket.co.nz/pitch-maps
Scoresheets
https://graftoncricket.co.nz/scoresheets
Playing Conditions
Practices and practice times
Practice start times and the length of practices vary per team but are held at Cox’s Bay Reserve on Thursdays between 4 and 6 pm. Start and end times are dependent on coach availability and will be confirmed by the team coach and manager before the season starts.
Coaching
The Club is reliant on volunteer support to coach and manage these teams. The team coach or coaches take team practices and are responsible for the gear bag and game set up on Saturday mornings. There are Grafton resources on hand to help you if you're new to coaching and are happy to answer any questions you may have.
All of our coaches must complete the free Foundation Course and be police vetted by NZC. Contact the Grafton Office for more information.
2024/25 Year 1-2 Games
The 2024/25 season is the season of change as we look to move to a more development-focused game model pre-Christmas.
Post Christmas we will still join with Parnell and Auckland University Cricket Clubs in the Eastern Districts Competitions.
Games
16 over games run for 90 minutes.
Venue and times
All pre-Christmas games are Grafton vs Grafton and at Cox's Bay Reserve on Friday nights or Saturday mornings.
Saturday morning games start at 8.30 am, and Friday evening games from 5:30pm.
All post-Christmas games are against teams from Grafton, Parnell & Auckland University cricket clubs.
Teams
Teams of mostly 8 players are put together by our Grade Coordinators. If you have any preferences, i.e. friends you want to play with, school groups or girls-only teams, please use the registration comments field and our Grade Coordinators will do their best to accommodate any preferences.
Rules and Conditions of Play
16 over matches 4 overs batting pairs
Pitch Length
- 12m - Year 1 and 2
- 14m - Year 3
- 14m - Year 4
Grafton gear bags
All playing and coaching gear required will be supplied to the team coach at the start of the season, please help the team look after it. Grafton provides team gear bags including playing and coaching gear to each team at the start of the season. We are investing heavily in upgrading this equipment to ensure each team, and each player has the best equipment to make their cricket experience the best it can be. If more gear is needed, please contact the Club. Children are welcome to bring their own gear but do remember to name it, a phone number also improves the chance of the kit or clothing making its way home.
Grafton playing clothing and kit
Grafton Lions' playing kit and a full range of cricket gear can be purchased online or in-store from our friends at Cricket Express Mt Eden.
Be sure to join the MVP Loyalty Programme and make sure you mention Grafton Cricket Club.
Cancellations
Cancellations will be posted on the Grafton website and on the Grafton Junior Facebook Group by 7:30 am on a Saturday morning. See our Cancellations page.
Visit our Registration page to register for the coming season. If you need assistance please check out our Quick Guide or contact our Club Manager
