Start here
New to cricket?
Your child does not need to know anything about cricket to join CYCC. Neither do you. This page explains the game, the session, the kit and the cost in plain English — no jargon, no assumptions.
The game
Cricket in
sixty seconds
Two teams take turns. One team bats and tries to score runs. The other team bowls and fields and tries to stop them. When everyone has had their turn, the team with more runs wins.
If you have watched baseball, you already understand more than you think. The differences are real, but the instinct is the same: hit the ball, run, do not get out.
- The bowler
- Runs in and delivers the ball with a straight arm, usually bouncing it once in front of the batter. Six deliveries make an over, then a different bowler takes a turn from the other end.
- The batter
- Defends three wooden stumps behind them and scores by hitting the ball and running to the other end. Two batters are in at once, at opposite ends, and they run in pairs.
- Scoring
- One run for each length of the pitch completed. Hit the ball to the boundary rope along the ground and it is four runs. Clear the rope without bouncing and it is six.
- Getting out
- Mainly three ways: the ball hits the stumps, a fielder catches it before it bounces, or the fielders break the stumps while a batter is still running.
That is genuinely enough to follow your first match. Everything else you will pick up from the sideline, and the other parents will happily explain it.
A typical session
What actually happens
when you turn up
Most first-time parents want to know one thing: what is the first hour going to look like for my child? Here it is.
-
1
Arrive and check in
Come ten minutes early. A coach checks your child in by name and points them to their age group. You are welcome to stay and watch the whole session.
-
2
Warm-up and games
Running, stretching and fielding games. Nobody stands still, and no cricket knowledge is needed to take part in this bit.
-
3
Skills in small groups
Batting, bowling and catching, taught in small groups so every child gets repetitions rather than queuing. Beginners work with softer, modified balls.
-
4
A game at the end
Shortened formats where everyone bats and everyone bowls. This is the part they will talk about in the car on the way home.
-
5
Huddle and home
Coaches finish with what went well and what to work on next time, then hand every child back to a parent or guardian.
-
Nobody is left out
A child who has never held a bat and a child who has played for years train in the same session — in different groups, at the right level, with the same coaches.
What do we need to buy?
For a first session: comfortable sports shoes, a water bottle and clothes they can run in. That is it. The club has bats, pads and gloves to borrow while you work out whether cricket is going to stick.
- • A helmet with a faceguard is required before batting
- • A personal abdominal guard is required for hard-ball sessions
- • Everything else can wait until your child is sure
Is my child old enough?
We coach from age 7 upwards. Players train in the age group that suits their stage, not strictly their birthday, and coaches place your child after their first session.
- • U11, U13, U15 and U19 squads
- • Girls and boys train together in every age group
- • Beginners use softer balls until they are ready for hard ball
What does it cost?
Annual membership is $150 per player. CYCC is run by parent volunteers, so the fee goes into coaching, equipment and grounds rather than overheads.
- • Includes a CYCC jersey set
- • Includes club equipment support for beginners
- • Covers the full training and match program
Families like yours
Parents who started
exactly where you are
Every one of these families turned up to a first session knowing nothing about cricket.
Tell us how it is going
If your child plays for CYCC, a couple of honest sentences from you will do more to reassure the next new family than anything we can write ourselves.
Share your storyStraight answers
The questions parents
actually ask us
I know nothing about cricket. Will I be lost? +
Most of our parents started exactly there, and several of them now score matches and run the sidelines. You do not need to understand the game to support your child, and anyone on the boundary will talk you through what is happening.
Is cricket safe for a seven-year-old? +
Young and beginner players use soft and modified balls, which is how the game is introduced worldwide. Helmets with faceguards are mandatory for batting, coaches are background-checked, and players only move to hard-ball cricket when a coach judges they are ready.
How much time does this take on a weekend? +
Training runs Monday to Thursday evenings and your child does not have to attend all four. Matches are not every week, and youth fixtures are played in shortened formats, not the multi-day cricket you may have heard about. The published schedule tells you exactly which dates affect your family.
Can we watch a session before committing? +
Yes. Get in touch and we will tell you when and where the next session for your child’s age is, and you are welcome to come and watch before you decide anything.
My child plays another sport. Does that clash? +
Plenty of our players also play soccer, basketball or baseball. Tell your coach about the clash and they will work around it. Attendance is considered in match selection, but we would rather your child played two sports than dropped one.
Is cricket actually played in Cincinnati? +
It is, and it is growing fast. Cricket is one of the most-played sports in the world, it returns to the Olympic program in 2028, and Greater Cincinnati already has an active cricket community that your child can grow up inside.
Still not sure? That is fine.
Tell us your child’s age and whether they have played before. We will tell you honestly whether CYCC is a good fit, and which session to come and watch.