Draft:Walking Cricket

Walking cricket

Highest governing body	Coordinated regionally via county boards, ECB, and u3a
First played	January 2019 (Codified March 2020)
Characteristics
Contact	Non-contact
Team members	Typically 8 (varies by local rules)
Mixed-sex	Yes (Men and women)
Type	Cricket Variant
Equipment	Plastic bat, lightweight ball, freestanding stumps
Venue	Indoor sports halls or outdoor cricket pitches
Presence
Country or region	UK
Olympic	No

Walking Cricket

Walking cricket is a modified version of the sport where participants are required to walk rather than run during the game.

Although it is primarily aimed at participants aged 50 and over, the game is also open to anyone unable to play mainstream cricket due to mobility limitations or other health factors. The primary goal is to help older adults maintain their physical and mental health within an inclusive, social environment. Open to both male and female participants, the game requires no prior experience.

The format allows retired mainstream cricketers to start playing again but its primary focus is those who may be taking up a team sport for the first time. It can offer a safe, easy and fun way to build find new friends and combat social isolation.

u3a had a key role in the founding and promotion of the sport. Many of their local branches actively support and host sessions often in conjunction with local cricket clubs.

Matches are typically shorter than traditional formats (often lasting just one hour), have simpler equipment and can be played either indoors or outdoors.

History and Development

Modern walking sports originated with the introduction of walking football in 2011, leading the way for modified versions of other sports like hockey, netball, and rugby. Cricket had already featured variants such as blind cricket (1922) and indoor cricket (1960s). The sport has historically embraced different formats, with the introduction of Limited Overs (1960s) and T20 (2003). Walking Cricket developed through independent initiatives by u3a branches, initially in Yorkshire and then throughout the UK.

• January 2019 The first Walking Cricket group was established in Barnsley, Yorkshire, by u3a member Mac McKechnie to keep older adults playing the game despite mobility issues. The concept spread through other Yorkshire groups such as Todmorden, Rotherham, and Wakefield.
• 20 March, 2020 Representatives from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), various County Cricket Boards, and the u3a convened at Trent Bridge to begin codifying a unified set of rules.
• 2022 Surrey Cricket Foundation helps establish early club fixtures and setting up the county's first competitive finals.
• March 20, 2024 The indoor school at Lord’s hosted the inaugural inter-county walking cricket festival with squads from nine counties and a side from the MCC. The Event was won by Derbyshire.
• July 2025 Surrey Cricket Foundation held the first Walking Cricket Festival at The Oval
• 6 September 2026 Second Surrey Cricket Foundation at The Oval featuring 16 teams from Surrey

Codification

Walking Cricket currently lacks a single governing body to establish consistent rules and regulations. Just like Kwik cricket which has modified the Laws of Cricket to fit its playing area, walking cricket also relies on different rules, but there is currently no standards body equivalent to the MCC. Event organisers and team captains typically agree upon specific regulations prior to matches.

Because the primary emphasis is on participation and friendly competition rather than strict officiating, individual counties and local groups often adapt rules to suit their participants and venues. However, as the sport expands nationally, regional bodies have stepped in to provide structured frameworks. Notably, the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation has published a set of guidelines tailored primarily for indoor play, while the Surrey Cricket Foundation has established standard rules for outdoor competition.

Rules

Note that the rules listed here are guidelines, players and teams should consult the appropriate rules for their league. Because most Walking Cricket is recreational and social rather than competitive, the general emphasis is on keeping the game enjoyable and fair for everyone rather than strict, formal officiating. Most matches take place with no umpires, with the players themselves making on-the-field judgements.

Equipment

Bats

Regulations can dictate the size, weight and material of the bats used. Generally a plastic bat is used.

Stumps

Standard sized cricket stumps are placed at both ends of the wicket. These are usually of the freestanding plastic type.

Ball

Play uses a lightweight compound ball (such as an "Incrediball") which matches the size of a standard cricket ball but is considerably lighter. With this ball pads, helmets, gloves and other protective equipment are not required. Indoor games often use a tennis ball or an airflow (whiffle) ball

Pitch

Length of the wicket is fixed between 17 and 22 yards

Game Format

• The number of players, the number of overs and the number of balls in an over is agreed at the start of the match.
• No individual bowler is permitted to bowl more than 3 overs per match.
• At the end of each over the fielders rotate and take up the fielding position that has been vacated by the next player in the circle. The wicketkeeper is exempt from this rule.

Wides & No-balls

• A no-ball occurs if the ball bounces more than once before reaching the batter or if a full toss reaches the batter above waist height.
• If a bowler bowls a wide or a no-ball then 2 runs are added to the batting total and no extra ball will be bowled

Batting Pairs

• Batters operate in pairs, with all batting occurring at the same end of the pitch.
• Batters change ends at the end of every over, unless a physical walking run is scored on the very last ball of the over.
• If a batter is out they must give up strike and do not face the next ball

Scoring

• Because walking is slower than running, a single completed "run" scores 2 runs instead of the standard 1 run used in mainstream cricket.
• The Batting side loses 5 "runs" for every dismissal
• Unlike mainstream cricket convention (where boundaries override movement between the wickets), any "runs" completed during a play are added to the bonus awarded for reaching the boundary (which may be 2, 4, or 6 depending on the playing area).
• If the team batting second passed the score of the team batting first, they must bat out all their remaining overs, so all get a chance to bat. In competitive matches additional wickets may still allow the team who batted first to win, because of the -5 rule.

Fielding

• The field must have a minimum of 3 players in the 'offside' and two in the 'onside' for each delivery.
• For safety reasons, fielders should not be positioned too close to the batter in front of the wicket while the delivery is being made.

Dismissals

All regular dismissals from mainstream cricket (such as bowled, caught, stumped, hit wicket and run out) apply, except for LBW which is excluded. However deliberately blocking the ball with the legs is not allowed.

Walking Rules

• The hardest rule for any cricketer! All players must 'walk' at all times. The definition of walking is that a part of one foot must be on the ground at all times
• Both feet can leave the ground when jumping for a catch, but running towards the ball is not permitted.
• In matches officiated by an umpire they will be the sole arbitrators of what is deemed to be walking. If an umpire feels a player is running, they will in first warn the team captain. If further incidents of running occur, 5 penalty runs will be awarded to the opposing team.

Yorkshire Cricket Foundation Rules (Primarily Indoor)

• Match is 16 x 6 ball overs.
• Because these rules are designed primarily for indoor cricket, they feature specific zone-scoring detailing how many runs are awarded for hitting different parts of the playing area. These are typically adjusted to reflect the size of the hall and the position of the walls.

Surrey Cricket Foundation Rules (Primarily Outdoor)

• Match is 12 x 5 ball overs
• Allows underarm bowling.
• A no-ball is called if an underarm ball bounces more than once, or an overarm ball bounces more than twice
• Bowler limited to three strides.

Wellbeing and Social Impact

In February 2023, the University of Huddersfield ran a study to evaluate the social impact of Walking Cricket relating to health and well-being. The idea was to develop an endorsement of the sport such that health professionals could connect patients to community groups to improve their mental and physical health ("social prescribing" in the language of health ). The study involved players from Walking Cricket u3a groups such as the Barnsley and Todmorden clubs.

The report conclusion was positive. It showed that Walking Cricket could significantly help older adults in three ways: psychological health, physical well-being, and social connectivity. Participants reported both physical improvements such as better better balance and coordination and also mental improvements such as increased confidence and a renewed sense of purpose. The study concluded that Walking Cricket can be an effective, low-cost tool for helping combat loneliness, depression, and social isolation among older adults.

Players say that beyond physical exercise, the value of the game can be its social connectivity. Mac McKechnie, founder of the first Walking Cricket team, noted that the social aspect provides an opportunity for participants to "meet with friends, have a cuppa and a natter" and is often "more important than the cricket itself".

References

Category:Team sports Category:Short form cricket Category:Indoor cricket Category:Senior sport Category:Walking