Cricket ball weights explained
Cricket ball weight is regulated by age group for two reasons — safety and technique — and clubs that use one weight for everyone get both wrong.
The three weights
- 113g (4oz) — Junior and youth cricket, roughly up to under-13 depending on your league.
- 135g (4.75oz) — Women's senior cricket and older junior grades, typically under-13 to under-16.
- 156g (5.5oz) — Men's senior regulation weight. Standard for adult club and league cricket.
Our Club and Blaster balls are available across all three weights. The Crest and Select are 156g match balls.
Age-group weight rules vary between provincial unions and school systems in South Africa, so check your specific league before buying for a whole team.
Why junior weights matter for technique
This is the part coaches care about and parents rarely hear. A child bowling with a ball that is too heavy cannot get it down the pitch with a proper action, so they develop a compensating one — usually a heave from the shoulder rather than a rotation through the body.
That compensating action is difficult to unlearn. A player who spends two seasons bowling a senior-weight ball as an eleven-year-old often carries the resulting action into their teens.
The same applies to batting. A heavier ball coming at a young player encourages them to play away from their body rather than under their eyes.
And why it matters for safety
A cricket ball is a hard object travelling fast, and energy scales with mass. A 156g ball carries considerably more energy than a 113g ball at the same speed.
For a young player facing bowling, that difference is meaningful — particularly on a body that is still developing. This is why a helmet is mandatory for junior batters in most South African leagues, and why the correct ball weight is a rule rather than a suggestion.
Match balls vs practice balls
A net session puts far more wear on a ball than a match does — more deliveries, more contact with netting, walls and hard ground.
Serious clubs separate the two. Use Club or Blaster balls for training and keep Crest or Select match balls sealed for fixtures.
Clubs that use everything for everything end up playing league cricket with a ball whose seam went flat two weeks ago — and a flat seam means a ball that does nothing in the air or off the pitch.
Storage and rotation
Keep balls cool and dry. Heat dries and cracks the leather; damp softens it. Both are permanent. An equipment shed that bakes through a Durban or Bloemfontein summer will quietly ruin a season's worth of balls.
Dry balls off after a wet session before storing them. A bag of damp balls left in a shed over a weekend is how a club loses a dozen at once.
Run a rotation: new balls for matches, last season's for nets, retire anything with a soft or split seam.
Buying for a school or club
Budget for the full season rather than buying reactively. Practice balls are consumables, and running out mid-season means either training with dead balls or paying rush prices.
As a rough guide: one practice ball per player per season for a junior programme, more for senior squads doing heavy net volume. Enough balls in a net session is the cheapest way to increase its quality — a bowler working through a rhythm without stopping to collect gets far more out of the hour.
We supply cricket clubs, schools and coaching programmes across South Africa. WhatsApp 083 563 2999 for bulk pricing across mixed weights.
Frequently asked questions
What weight cricket ball should a junior use?
113g (4oz) for junior and youth cricket, roughly up to under-13 depending on the league. 135g (4.75oz) covers older junior grades and women's senior cricket. 156g (5.5oz) is the men's senior regulation weight.
Why does cricket ball weight matter for children?
Both technique and safety. A child bowling with a ball that is too heavy develops a compensating action - usually a heave from the shoulder rather than rotation through the body - and that action is difficult to unlearn. A heavier ball also carries considerably more energy on impact.
What is the difference between a match ball and a practice ball?
Match balls hold their seam definition longer, which keeps the ball doing something in the air and off the pitch later into an innings. Practice balls are built for the heavy volume of net sessions. Clubs that separate the two get far more value from their budget.
How should cricket balls be stored?
Cool and dry. Heat dries and cracks the leather while damp softens it, and both are permanent. Dry balls off after a wet session before storing - a bag of damp balls left over a weekend can ruin a dozen at once.
How many cricket balls does a school programme need?
As a rough guide, one practice ball per player per season for a junior programme, and more for senior squads doing heavy net volume. Budget for the full season rather than buying reactively.
Still not sure what to buy?
WhatsApp us with the age, height or sport and we will tell you exactly what you need. Based in Springfield, Durban — delivering nationwide.
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