Cricket kit for beginners kids: six items for a ten-year-old

Cricket kit for beginners kids: what a ten-year-old needs

A first cricket kit for a ten-year-old is six items: a bat, a ball, an abdominal guard, a helmet, a pair of batting pads and a pair of batting gloves. That is the whole list for a child starting at a club or academy. Thigh guards, arm guards and spikes can wait until the second season.

Most cricket kit for beginners kids is sold in junior sizes, and a ten-year-old sits in the middle of them. Buy for the child's height and hand today, not for next year. Kit that is too big slows a child down and lets the ball reach the body.

The budget below is at MRP. A sensible first set comes to about ₹6,100. You can spend half that or three times that. The middle is where fit and protection are right for a beginner.

The order to buy them

Buy in the order the child will need them. The bat and the ball come first, because the first weeks are often spent with soft balls and throw-downs. The abdominal guard and the helmet come next, before the child faces a hard ball at all. Pads and gloves come last, once the coach has seen the child bat and the size is clear.

This spreads the cost over a month or two. It also means the costlier protective items are bought when the child is sure they want to keep playing.

1. The bat: size 5, Kashmir willow, about ₹1,800

Most ten-year-olds use a size 5 bat. A child between 132 cm and 140 cm tall fits size 5. A taller child, up to about 147 cm, can move to size 6. Stand the bat beside the child's leg. The top of the handle should sit at the top of the thigh.

Pick Kashmir willow for the first bat. It is heavier for its size than English willow, but it takes knocks well and needs little care. English willow costs more and dents if it is not prepared properly, which is a lot to ask in a first season.

Weight matters more than wood. A size 5 bat should weigh about 850 g to 950 g. Ask the child to hold the bat out in the top hand for a few seconds. If the end drops or wobbles, it is too heavy. Expect an MRP of about ₹1,800 for a good Kashmir willow size 5.

Before the first hard ball, rub a thin coat of raw linseed oil on the face and let it dry overnight. Then tap the face with an old leather ball in a sock for ten minutes a day for a week.

2. The ball: a junior leather ball of about 135 g, ₹450

An adult leather ball weighs about 156 g. A junior ball weighs about 135 g and is a little smaller, which suits a ten-year-old's hand when bowling. Most academies use the junior ball at this age. Ask the coach which weight their nets use and match it.

Buy one red leather junior ball for nets, at an MRP of about ₹450. For practice in the lane or the park, a plain tennis ball does the job.

3. The abdominal guard: junior size, with a supporter, ₹350

This is the cheapest item and the one never to skip. A junior abdominal guard is a moulded plastic cup with padded edges. It sits in a supporter brief with a pouch, or in compression shorts with a pocket. A loose guard tucked into ordinary underwear will slip.

Buy the guard and a junior supporter together, for about ₹350 at MRP. Girls use a junior pelvic guard, which is shaped differently and sold in the same range. Buy two supporters if the child plays more than twice a week, so one can be washed.

4. The helmet: measured to the head, steel grille, ₹1,500

Measure around the child's head, about 2 cm above the eyebrows and over the widest part at the back. Most ten-year-olds measure 52 cm to 55 cm, which is a junior small. The helmet should not move when the child shakes their head, and the peak should sit just above the eyebrows.

Pick a helmet with a fixed steel grille and an adjustable back strap. The strap lets the helmet grow with the child for a season or two. The gap between the peak and the grille must be too small for a ball to pass through. Expect an MRP of about ₹1,500.

Replace a helmet that has taken a hard blow, even if it looks fine.

5. The pads: youth size, light, ₹1,200

Batting pads are sized by leg length. For most ten-year-olds that is youth size. With the child standing, the knee roll should sit over the knee cap and the bottom of the pad should rest on the top of the shoe. If the pad reaches past the middle of the thigh, it is too long and the child will run awkwardly.

Pick light pads with foam fill and three straps. A youth pair should weigh under 1 kg. Expect about ₹1,200 at MRP. Pads have a left and a right, and the straps fasten on the outside of each leg.

6. The gloves: youth size, cotton lining, ₹800

Gloves are sized by hand. Measure from the tip of the middle finger to the crease at the wrist. Most ten-year-olds wear youth gloves. The fingers should reach the end of the glove without bunching, and the child should close their hand around the handle without effort.

Pick gloves with a soft leather palm and a cotton or towelling lining, which handles sweat. Expect about ₹800 at MRP. Let gloves dry open after each session, not shut inside the kit bag.

The budget, item by item

At MRP, the six items come to: bat ₹1,800, ball ₹450, abdominal guard ₹350, helmet ₹1,500, pads ₹1,200 and gloves ₹800. That is ₹6,100 in all.

A tighter first set comes to about ₹3,500, with a lighter bat and basic pads and gloves. Do not save on the helmet or the guard. If you have more to spend, a second pair of gloves helps a child more than a costlier bat at this age.

Ordering the kit online

Measure height, head and hand at home before ordering, and note the numbers on your phone. Order the bat and ball first. Order the protective items once the coach has confirmed the sizes.

Pay by COD or prepaid, whichever suits you. Before ordering a helmet or pads, check the returns window on the product page, so a wrong size can go back unused with its tags on. Junior bats, helmets, pads and gloves are all on saleonsports.com.