Weekly Training and Competitive Load of Junior Level Community Cricket Players

Abstract

Purpose: Understanding the participation habits of junior cricket players is needed to better inform injury prevention strategies in this sporting population. This investigation sought to describe the amount of training and competition undertaken by junior community level cricket players in a typical week. Materials and methods:A cross-sectional survey with a 1 week recall was administered to 281 Australian junior community club cricket players aged 9 to 16 years. The number of training and competitive matches in the previous week and the number of contexts competed or trained in during that same week were determined. Results:The majority of the surveyed cricketers participated in ≥ 1 match during the previous week, with 10% reporting having participated in ≥ 2 matches. More players from the under 16 years (U16) level others competed in ≥ 2 matches in the previous week. Coinciding with the greater number of weekly participations in the older age group, 49% (CI: 9-60) of the U16 players reported also taking part in ≥ 2 training sessions in the previous week. Overall, more players aged under 12 years (U12) (46%; CI: 31.6-57.6) reported not attending any cricket training in the previous week, than did older age groups (7% each). Moreover, 28% of U16 players reported also competing in an adult competition. Conclusion:Older players had greater training and competitive loads than younger players. The number of competitive contexts across which junior players compete also increased with age. There is potential for heightened injury risk when training and match loads get too high, especially across playing contexts.