Sport
How to Get Your Child Into Cricket in Tasmania: Junior Clubs, Formats and the Season Explained
A parent's guide to junior cricket in Tasmania, from the Milo Cricket program for beginners to club competitions in Hobart and Launceston.
Sport
A parent's guide to junior cricket in Tasmania, from the Milo Cricket program for beginners to club competitions in Hobart and Launceston.
Cricket has a proud tradition across Tasmania, from the sun-baked ovals of the south to the grounds around Launceston and the north coast, and the junior pathways available to young players make it one of the easiest sports to start. Cricket Tasmania and its network of affiliated associations run junior competitions that cater for players from as young as five years old, with formats designed to match the age and ability of every child.
The entry point for most young Tasmanians is the Milo Cricket program, now known as All-Stars Cricket, which is run at local clubs during the cricket season from around October through to March. These sessions are short, fun and heavily focused on games rather than formal skills training, making them ideal for children who have never held a bat before. Older beginners typically move into modified formats like Woolworths Cricket Blast before progressing to hardball cricket as their confidence and technique grow.
Club cricket in Tasmania is administered through regional associations including the Southern Tasmanian Cricket Association (covering Hobart and surrounds) and the Northern Tasmanian Cricket Association, which is based around the NTCA Ground in Launceston. Both bodies run age-group competitions from under-10s upward, with hardball and junior formats structured to develop skills alongside competitive experience. Registration is usually done directly through individual clubs, and the Cricket Tasmania website is the best place to find your nearest association and club.
Most junior cricket clubs in Tasmania are community organisations run by dedicated volunteers, and they welcome new players warmly regardless of experience. Equipment for the youngest age groups is kept simple; clubs usually supply shared gear for training, and the investment in personal equipment can wait until a child has decided they love the game. School holiday programs and come-and-try events run regularly across both the north and south of the state.
For families who want to combine watching and playing, a junior cricket summer on Saturday mornings followed by a Hobart Hurricanes Big Bash match in the evening is about as good a cricket-season combination as Tasmania offers. The Hurricanes' success has brought new energy to the sport statewide, and that enthusiasm flows all the way down to the youngest players lining up for their first bowl on a local oval.
Sources: Cricket Tasmania Hobart Hurricanes
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Published by The Daily Tasmania
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