Key Stage 2 PE · Competitive games

KS2 striking and fielding games: cricket and rounders

Striking and fielding games are games in which one team bats and tries to score by hitting a ball and running, while the other team bowls and fields, trying to limit the runs and get the batters out. Cricket and rounders are the examples the National Curriculum gives, and children in Years 3 to 6 usually play modified versions with soft balls and small teams. The games develop hitting, throwing, catching and running, along with teamwork and tactics.

Striking and fielding games, explained

In a striking and fielding game, the teams take turns in two roles. The batting team sends players in one at a time to hit a ball and score runs, and the fielding team tries to stop the runs and get batters out. Because everyone spends time both batting and fielding, children learn two different sets of skills and two different ways of thinking in the same game. The National Curriculum names cricket and rounders as examples; it is up to each school whether to teach them, and many schools also use simple variations with similar rules.

Batting is about watching the ball, standing in a balanced stance and hitting it into space away from the fielders. Children learn to hold the bat with both hands, to keep their eyes on the ball and to swing smoothly rather than wildly. In rounders, the batter hits the ball and runs around a series of posts; in cricket, they run between two sets of stumps. In cricket a batter decides whether a hit gives enough time to run at all; in rounders the batter must run once they have hit the ball, and decides whether to stop at a post or keep going. Either way, it involves judging how far the fielders are from the ball. Calling to a batting partner (“yes”, “no”, “wait”) is part of the game in cricket.

Bowling is the way the ball is delivered to the batter. In rounders it is an underarm throw, and in cricket children often start with underarm or a simple overarm action to learn accuracy. At first the goal for a bowler is a steady, accurate delivery that the batter can reach, so the game flows; as they improve, cricket bowlers learn to aim at the stumps to try to get the batter out. Fielding takes in all the other skills: moving quickly towards the ball, getting the body behind it so it cannot run past, picking it up cleanly, and throwing it accurately to a base or a team-mate. Good fielders also talk, calling “mine” when they are going for a catch and backing up a team-mate so a missed ball does not run away.

Teachers modify the games. Children may use soft balls, large bats, short boundaries and small teams. They might play “every player bats” rules so no one waits long for a turn. Within these games, children learn the idea of attack and defence at once: the batters attack by placing the ball and running, and the fielders defend by covering space and returning the ball quickly. They also learn to count their own scores honestly, accept an umpire’s decision and cheer on both sides. Throughout, teachers ask children to describe what worked, which builds their understanding of how to improve.

Words your child will hear

Batter: The player who tries to hit the ball and score runs.
Bowler: The player who delivers the ball to the batter.
Fielder: A player on the fielding team who tries to stop the ball, catch it and return it.
Run: In cricket, the score made each time the batters run safely from one set of stumps to the other.
Rounder: In rounders, the score for getting safely all the way round the posts after hitting the ball.
Boundary: The edge of the playing area. In cricket, a ball hit to or over it scores four or six runs.
Backing up: Standing behind a team-mate so you can stop the ball if they miss it.
Umpire: The person who makes decisions and keeps the game fair.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 2 says:

Pupils should be taught to play competitive games, modified where appropriate [for example, badminton, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, netball, rounders and tennis], and apply basic principles suitable for attacking and defending
Pupils should enjoy communicating, collaborating and competing with each other.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: batting and fielding with a plan

A batter keeps hitting the ball straight to a fielder. How can the batter score more runs, and how can the fielding team stop them?

Look at the field. The batter looks at where the fielders are standing and finds the gaps between them. Hitting the ball into space gives time to run.
Watch the ball. The batter stands side-on, keeps their eyes on the bowler’s hand and the ball, and swings smoothly. A controlled hit that reaches a gap scores more than a wild hit that goes straight to a fielder.
Decide whether to run. If the ball goes to a gap and the nearest fielder is far away, the batter runs. If it goes straight to a fielder, a cricket batter stays put, and a rounders batter, who has to run, stops safely at the first post. Judging this is a skill that improves with practice.
Field as a team. The fielders spread out to cover the whole area instead of bunching near the batter. When the ball is hit, the nearest player goes for it, the player behind backs up, and a third calls where to throw.
Throw to the right place. The fielder throws to where the batter is heading: in cricket, the player standing at the stumps at that end; in rounders, the fielder at the post the batter is running to. A quick, accurate throw can get the batter out.

The batter scores more runs by placing hits into gaps and judging when to run. The fielding side limits runs by spreading out, backing up and throwing to where the batter is heading. A child might say, “I hit it where nobody was standing, so I had time to run.”

Common mistakes and how to help

Hitting as hard as possible every time

A big hit seems like the best way to score, but a wild swing often misses or sends the ball straight to a fielder.

What helps: Practise placing the ball. Put a cone or hoop in a gap and ask your child to aim for it with a smooth swing. Control comes before power.

Fielders standing still and waiting for the ball

Children are watching the batter rather than preparing to move, or they are shy about getting in the way.

What helps: Teach a ready stance, with knees bent and weight on the toes, and ask your child to take a step towards the ball as it is hit. Calling “mine” helps them take responsibility.

Throwing the ball to whoever is nearest, rather than to where the batter is going

Children are relieved to have stopped the ball and pass it on to the closest team-mate or straight back to the bowler, which gives the batter extra time.

What helps: Before each throw, ask “where is the batter running to?” and aim there. A quick, accurate throw to the right place is worth more than a long one.

Thinking the fielding side does nothing important

Batting looks like the exciting part, and fielding can seem like waiting. Children who field at the edge often lose interest.

What helps: Point out how many runs a good throw or catch can save. Rotate positions so every child spends time close to the action, and praise good fielding as much as good hitting.

How to help at home

Soft-ball batting. Use a soft ball, or a rolled-up pair of socks, and a bat or a tennis racket in a large open garden or park. A family member underarms the ball. Count how many hits go past a marker, and check the area is clear of windows.
Catch and throw to a target. Take turns hitting or rolling a ball, then fielding it and throwing at a cone or bucket. Count how many throws hit the target. This links catching, picking up and throwing, as in a real fielding game.
Find the gap. Place cushions or cones around the garden as fielders and ask your child to hit or kick the ball into the spaces between them. Move the cones and try again.
Run between markers. Set two markers about ten metres apart and time how long your child takes to run to one and back. Try beating a personal best. Running quickly and turning well are important in both games.
Keep score together. Play a short family game with a rule such as three hits per turn. Let your child act as scorer or umpire, which helps them learn the rules as well as the skills.

Builds on

Key Stage 1: Team games, rules and fair play
Key Stage 1: Attacking and defending tactics

Leads on to

Key Stage 3: Invasion games tactics
Key Stage 3: Net and wall games tactics
Key Stage 3: Striking and fielding tactics
Key Stage 3: Athletics technique
Key Stage 3: Gymnastics technique