'Machine Ball Cricket' to be tested in top of south

A collaboration between two Marlborough-born sportsmen in a world-first could revolutionise the way junior cricketers learn to play the game.

Former Black Caps allrounder Chris Cairns and long-serving coach Garry MacDonald have joined forces to come up with a new introductory game for budding cricket players, aged six to nine.

Now, after reviewing experimental games on both sides of the Whangamoas earlier this year, top of the south administrators have agreed to trial the new concept during the forthcoming season.

It will be part of the Nelson Cricket Association’s junior programme from the opening of the season, November/December with their Marlborough counterparts introducing it post-Xmas, February/March.

‘Machine Ball Cricket’ [MBC] as it has been tagged, was originally Chris’s brainchild, based on his observations of how young baseballers were taught the rudimentary skills of that game.

“We adapted MBC from baseball,” explained Chris. “They have been doing this for quite some time. My kids played baseball in Australia and I thought that it was a great way to get more balls in play for junior cricket as well.

“They don’t ask their kids to pitch at this age … so I thought why do we ask kids to bowl at this level of cricket, bowling consistently is really hard for them.”

In a nutshell, MBC is played on a circular arena, with three designated hitting “Max” zones. Fielders stand on plates marked with the relevant fielding positions, for both left and right handers, and rotate at the end of an over. There are two batsmen, who run between wickets and bat for two eight ball overs per pair.

The primary innovation is an spring loaded pitching/bowling machine, as used in junior baseball. It is operated by a coach/parent, and produces reliably-accurate deliveries, with the ability to alter trajectory, speed and length.

Chris said the biggest plus is that the batsmen are getting so many more balls to score off, thus bringing the fielders more into the game.

“There are now no wides [with MBC] whereas with this age group at the moment there are at least three to four wides per over,” he said.

“At this stage it is far from the finished game, it is just experimental, seeing how we go and how the kids adapt to it.

“I said to Mac, let’s have a think about it and at this stage that is where we are at.”

Garry said he is excited by the game’s possibilities.

“I haven’t coached kids of this age for about 40 years so I had to concentrate on what Chris was saying. But once I thought about it, I thought ‘hey, this makes perfect sense to me’.

“So I said, let’s adapt a game in the top of the south where we can be first … we can invent a game which we think will make our kids better.

“While they are hitting the ball, and there is a lot of activity with the ball in play more often, you are able to teach them field placings, how to back up properly, running between wickets, all those little skills … this is the group where they can learn those basics, they are like sponges at this age,” added Garry.

“We are also intent on creating a game that is good for the parents to watch and even take part in but also skill-focussed and educational,” said Chris.

“At the moment the game involving this six to nine age group  is dependent on the quality of bowling, so now we have taken that out, the question is, ‘can we provide a better game for the kids?’ and we think we can.”

The elephant in the room of course is the question, “what about the bowlers, how do they learn their skill?”.

Chris explains. “We want to have a bowling technique focus for ages six to nine. The kids will still be bowling at home, at school and at the park, they just won’t be bowling 16 balls on a Saturday. If they bowl 150 times in a week now, does bowling 134 times in a week now change things, I don’t think so.”

Alongside Saturday’s game it is planned to have a coaching element to teach the technique of bowling, “we are just not expecting them to bowl at this age in a game because I think it is asking too much and we don’t get a quality game for kids to play and parents to watch”.

“It is about getting them ready to bowl in hard ball cricket when they are stronger and more mature.”

He points out that other sports have gone down the same path, baseball of course and rugby, who introduced Rippa rugby as an alternative for the younger brigade.

MBC has been trialled in both Nelson and Blenheim recently, with positive feedback from both parents and players.

The long-term aim is to have all six to nine year olds playing MBC in NZ.

“That’s a goal,” says Chris, “we think the theory is right although there is still work to be done and feedback to be listened to.

“Then, it’s about saying ‘consider this’. It’s not us saying it is right or perfect or anything like that, we are just saying it is worth considering. Ultimately the kids and the parents will tell us if they like it. That’s all that really matters”