Introduction
The ECB has issued the following guidance covering the participation of young cricketers in adult matches. This guidance applies to boys and girls and any reference to he/his should be interpreted to include she/her. Age groups are based on the age of the player at midnight on 31st August in the year preceding the current season.

Guidance for Clubs and Leagues
All clubs must recognise that they have a duty of care towards all young players who are representing the club. This duty of care also extends to Leagues that allow the participation of young players in adult teams in their League. The duty of care should be interpreted in two ways:
• Not to place a young player in a position that involves an unreasonable risk to that young player, taking account of the circumstances of the match and the relative skills of the player.
• Not to create a situation that places members of the opposing side in a position whereby they cannot
play cricket as they would normally do against adult players.

In addition the following specific requirements apply to young players in adult matches:
• All young players who have not reached their 18th birthday must wear a helmet with a faceguard when
batting and when standing up to the stumps when keeping wicket. Parental consent not to wear a helmet should not be accepted in adult matches. A young player acting as a runner must also wear a helmet even if the player he is running for is not doing so.