Code of conduct in junior cricket

Following some unacceptable behaviour at some junior matches this year, Head of Non-First Class Cricket Paul Bedford has the following message:

Code of Conduct and Coaching in Junior Matches

This season I have witnessed and been made aware of poor and unacceptable behaviour in junior county age group cricket and U13 & U15 matches in the ECB National Club Championships.

Cricket is proud of it's deserved reputation as a sport which promotes the right behavioural standards. To that end I will take this opportunity to remind you that all players, team officials, club supporters and umpires shall be bound by the MCC Spirit of Cricket and the ECB Code of Conduct to ensure the incidents are kept to a minimum and overall behaviour improves.

This season there have been various reports of:

• Appealing when the batsman is clearly not out.
• Shouts of 'come on, let's make some noise'.
• Coaching from the boundary, including making regular changes of fielders’ positions.
• Adults, presumably parents, coming onto the field of play to ‘get their message’ across.
• Swearing at opponents.
• Seeking to distract opponents verbally or by harassment with persistent clapping or unnecessary noise under the guise of enthusiasm.

For reports such as the above to be happening in matches involving County Board representative sides demonstrates that not all officials are addressing these issues in their positions of responsibility.

It is therefore appropriate that team managers and coaches are reminded of the responsibilities they have at matches with regard to the ECB Code of Conduct and the responsibility that they defer to the captain of their side.

Coach – team manager responsibilities

ECB expects all coaches and team managers to ensure that their teams play within the Spirit of Cricket at all times and that the Code of Conduct is adhered to by all.

Coaching during play

No coaching is allowed during play apart from specifically designed drinks intervals when the time allowed for coaches to speak to their players is strictly controlled and limited.

The role of the captain

The captain is in sole charge of the team on the field of play and as such is responsible for dealing immediately with any situation where one of his team acts outside the Spirit of Cricket or Code of Conduct. It is recognised that young captains will need help and support from coaches and/or team managers in this area. The captain is also responsible for all tactics, field placings, bowling changes etc on the field of play during the game.

Match officials

Match officials are reminded that any breaches of the Code of Conduct and/or cases of coaching MUST be reported. If not, actions will go unchecked and will occur more frequently.

Reports for matches in ECB Competitions are to be made to the ECB Cricket Department.

Matches played under the auspices of a County Board, including friendlies, to be reported to the relevant County Board with a copy sent to the ECB Cricket Department.

If incidents are not reported correctly, no investigation can be carried out.

If, following this information, an official is obliged to report an incident the procedure is:

1) Advise the coach that an incident took place.
2) Complete the attached form (32 KB) which will be used as a PILOT scheme for rest of 2010. An example of a completed form can be found here (44 KB).
3) Send the attached form to:

Patrick Mahony (Boys' County Age Group Competitions except Cockspur T20) – patrick.mahony@ecb.co.uk.
Lisa Drummond - Women & Girls - lisa.drummond@ecb.co.uk.
Oliver Mott - Cockspur Club T20 - oliver.mott@ecb.co.uk.
Ian Martin - Disability Cricket - ian.martin@ecb.co.uk