Week 3 - Cricket
Skill focus: Catching and fielding
Session equipment
Tennis balls
Cones or markers
Cricket bats
Wickets
Download the Cricket - Week 3 activity card to support teaching before and during the sport session.
Fast start - Empty the nest
Equipment: 8 markers (to set out playing area), 8 markers (to set out the 'no-go-zone), 1 tennis ball per three students.
How to play:
Set out the playing area (25 students = approximately 25m x 25m).
Divide playing area at the centre with a zone (approximately 1m), called 'no-go-zone'.
Divide students into two groups.
Groups stand opposite each other on both sides of the ‘no-go-zone’ and each group is given the same number of tennis balls.
On the teacher's first signal, each group attempts to clear the tennis balls from their side of the playing area by throwing or rolling the balls into the other group's area.
On the teacher's second signal, all action stops then the tennis balls are counted.
CHANGE IT!
Students must pass the ball to another student before it is cleared from their playing area.
Vary the equipment used. (for example, bean bags, small or larger balls).
Select card to download
Skill development games
Activity 1 - Rapid fire batting
Equipment: 1 tennis ball per team, markers, cricket bats, wickets
How to play:
Divide students into batters, bowlers, and fielders.
Each batter begins in front of their stumps.
Bowlers get ready behind their bowling marker cone, each with a ball.
Bowlers deliver the ball and batters hit into the playing area.
Once balls are hit, batters run back and forth between their stumps and cone to score.
Bowlers and fielders chase and field the ball before returning to their markers.
Once the bowler has returned with their ball, they shout out ‘HOWZAT’ and the batter stops running.
Batters score as many runs as they have completed.
Batters have 3 hits and then swap roles.
Activity adapted from Cricket Australia HPE Program
Activity 2 - Catching challenge
Equipment: 1 tennis ball per player
How to play: Players try progressively harder catching challenges and tricks on their own, in pairs and in groups of 3. Many variations are possible.
Players spread around the playing area with their ball.
On your call, issue different catching challenges such as:
How many times can you clap your hands while the ball is in the air?
Throw the ball between your legs and catch it.
Bowl the ball overarm into the ground and catch it after it bounces.
Ask players to come up with their own challenges.
Form pairs or groups of 3 and create new challenges.
Activity 3 - Pepper
Equipment: 1 tennis ball, 1 cricket bat
How to play: One batter and dispersed players. Whoever fields the ball pitches, throws or bowls the ball immediately to the batter. The game can be set up quickly. Groups of 5 or more.
Establish a fielder-free area in front of the batter.
Play cooperatively (the batter tries to
hit to fielders).
Start with a one-bounce delivery and advance to a no-bounce delivery.
After a pre-determined number of hits, the batter changes place with one of the fielders.
Activity 4 - Run the circle
Equipment: 2 tennis balls
How to play: Players form a circle and have 2 tennis balls which are thrown from player to player. The aim is for one ball to catch up to the other.
Pass the balls around the circle, trying to overtake the ball in front.
Call ‘change’ to change the direction.
Players should be spaced to suit the pass being used.
Modified small-sided games
It's time for competition!
Teams compete against each other in the game outlined below. You can use the 'Cricket draw' as a guide to organise the competition, across the 4 sessions try to ensure each team has a fair number of games.
Allocate 3 points for a win, 2 points for a drawer and 1 point for a loss for each game played. Record results and points in the School sport program results spreadsheet.
Remember, to give students an update of the leader board each week.
Diamond cricket
Equipment: One tennis ball, 4 wickets, 4 bats.
How to play: A batting and a fielding team compete on a diamond-shaped playing area with a set of stumps at each corner. Each team has one player at each set of stumps and the other fielders spread outside the diamond.
The first four batters go to a set of stumps each. Remaining batters wait outside the field of play.
The bowler stands in the centre and bowls the ball at any set of stumps.
When a batter hits a ball, all four batters run at the same time with their bat anti-clockwise to their next base.
As soon as the bowler receives the ball back s/he can bowl it again.
The fielding team attempts to get the batting team out while the batting team tries to score as many runs as possible.
A batter is ‘out’ if:
A bowled ball hits the wickets
They are caught on the full by a fielder
When a batter is out, the next batter comes in to replace them.
Scoring
The batting team gains 1 point each time all members safely reach the next base.
The fielding team gains 1 point for each batter they get out.
The team with the most points wins.
Reflection
2 stars and a wish
Ask students - what are 2 things you feel you did well today?
What are you going to try and improve on next week?
Students can answer reflection questions as a whole class, small group or in pairs.
