Outdoors · Active play & sport

Backyard cricket tournament

Set up stumps against the bin, pick teams and play a proper backyard cricket series with house rules.

  • Ages 4–12best for 6–12
  • 1–2 hoursabout 10 mins of prep
  • Prep on the dayplan below
  • Freenothing to buy
  • Backyardon a dry day
  • Some helplow mess

Plan it

Good planning makes a good day. Tick things off as you go.

1On the day

0 of 1 done ·

You'll need

From home

  • A bat
  • a tennis ball
  • the wheelie bin or stumps
  • water bottles

To buy

  • Kids' cricket set
  • a soft cricket ball
🪄 Wizard's tip

Agree the rules out loud before you start. It saves most of the arguments later.

How to do it

  1. Wheelie bin or stumps at one end.
  2. Agree house rules (six and out, tippity-run, one hand one bounce).
  3. Pick even teams with a mix of ages.
  4. Play two innings each and keep score.
  5. Award a player of the series.

Younger kids: Soft ball, big bat, and everyone gets a turn batting until they're out (or three goes).

Older kids: Keep a scorebook, play 'six and out' and 'one hand one bounce', and name a player of the series.

⚠ Safety Play before 10am or after 4pm on hot days, with hats, sunscreen and water bottles.

Builds Teamwork & cooperationGross motor & coordinationResilience

Clean-up 5 minutes.

Make it a bigger day Finish with fruit icy poles in the shade.

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Backyard cricket tournament