Blind Cricket Regulations
Last Modified March 2026
These rules and procedures are of primary concern to club executives and BCEW officers managing off-field matters.
Part A lays down some minimum standards that all clubs should meet,
Part B deals with sight classification,
Part C deals with player registration and ties,
Part D deals with club participation in the various competitions on offer and
Part E deals with misconduct and disciplinary matters.
Part A: Minimum Standards for Member Clubs
A1 Structure and Management
For a club to be admitted or remain as a member of BCEW, it must have the name of a county, city or region as a prominent part of its name and be constituted as an independent entity, run as an autonomous entity by a local County Cricket Board or hosted as an autonomous part of an established cricket or multisport club. It must make sure that it has a management committee of at least three individuals, that its assets and members are protected by public liability insurance and that its money is deposited either in its own bank account or in a suitably restricted fund in an account controlled by its host.
A2 Education
A club should aim to keep all its players and representatives fully apprised as to:
• The laws of the game, especially any recent changes,
• The proper standards of behaviour for cricketers and
• All ancillary rules, policies and guidelines promulgated or endorsed by BCEW.
A3 Anti-Discrimination
A club should aim to achieve the highest standards in connection with all matters of equality, diversity and inclusion.
A4 Safeguarding
A club should maintain a safeguarding policy in line with current best practice and appoint a duly qualified officer capable of overseeing its implementation.
A5 Data Protection and Privacy
A club should take care of its members’ personal information and ensure that it is only made available to those who are legally entitled to receive it. It should also be equipped with its own privacy notice, which should refer to its privacy policy if it has one.
A6 Safety
A club should:
• routinely conduct and review risk assessments in respect of all its activities and any facilities it may use.
• provide its players with all the protective equipment they might reasonably require, ensuring in particular that a helmet is always available for anyone acting as wicket keeper and that one is always worn, even in training, by any player under the age of 18 if fielding within 11 yards of a striker’s middle stump.
A7 Further Guidance on Expected Standards
A list of key resource materials is set out in the Appendix to these Regulations.
Part B: Sight Classification Procedures
B1 Introduction
In the past, disputes about sight classification have been detrimental to blind cricket. It is important therefore that the following procedures are followed. This will enable BCEW to keep proper records and will help to minimise conflict on the subject.
B2 Classification
B2.1 No person shall be permitted to participate in blind cricket without being officially registered as blind or partially sighted. In the UK, this normally means that a BD8 or CVI will have been issued.
B2.2 All players should then be further classified by a recognized body and the classification should state both the nature and the degree of their sight impairment. Classifications that will be accepted include those conducted by World Blind Cricket Ltd, IPC, IBSA and BBS.
B2.3 All new players must seek classification by such a body within six weeks of playing in their first BCEW competitive match. Having taken the required sight tests, they should advise the BCEW Business & Competitions Director of the results and supply any supporting documentation that may be requested.
B2.4 Until formally classified, a new player’s sight category may be estimated, but it is important that this period of grace should not be abused. If an estimate is not confirmed by a subsequent test, the BCEW committee will inevitably have to review the matter.
B2.5 If the committee considers that there is reason to believe that an estimate is grossly wrong, they may suspend the player involved until a formal classification has been carried out.
B3 Sight Parameters
B3.1 BCEW Will classify all players under their own sight categories, Total, Low Partial, Mid Partial and High Partial. These categories are partly based on the sight categories used in international blind sport B1, B2 and B3.
B3.1.1 A B1 competitor may have some light perception, but not the ability to count fingers at any distance or in any direction.
B3.1.2 A B2 will have vision up to an acuity of 2/60 or a visual field of less than 10 degrees in the better eye after correction.
B3.1.3 A B3 will have vision up to an acuity of 6/60 or a visual field of less than 40 degrees in the better eye after correction.
B3.2 Domestic sport, including cricket, has long had a fourth category called B4 which covers players with a visual acuity of up to 6/24 and up to a full field of vision.
B3.2.1 An emerging category recognised by some sports is B5, which includes players with an acuity of up to 6/18 and a full field.
B3.3 Domestic cricket recognizes another category at the other end of the spectrum known as low partial.
B3.3.1 This category is designed for those players who fall in the lower half of the B2 category and don’t have sufficient sight to perform at the same level as other partially sighted players. The status is a discretionary one to be granted on application by the BCEW committee or its nominated subcommittee.
B3.3.2 An application for classification as a low partial may be made by a club or the player concerned but, either way, should be addressed to the BCEW Business & Competitions Director.
B3.3.3 Normally, an initial grant of low partial status will be for a limited period only, but, in all cases, the status is one which should be kept under review. If circumstances warrant it, the classification can be revoked at any time or made subject to the successful completion of an IBSA sight test to be conducted at BCEW’s expense.
B3.4 In exceptional cases the foregoing principles and procedures may be applied in the situation where players suffer from additional medical conditions making it impossible for them to perform at a standard typical of a player with their sight classification. Subject to the production of appropriate medical evidence, the BCEW committee may allow them to play at a lower level, most importantly as a B3 instead of a B4, but this type of concession must always be granted subject to the prospect of especially rigorous ongoing scrutiny.
B3.4.1 In Development League and Cup competitions, these rules may also be applied so as to permit a B5 to play as a B4, and the concession will also be available to a B5 with a deteriorating sight condition, but subject to the additional proviso that such a player must take an annual sight test.
B4 BCEW Sight Categories
B4.1 A total is any player with a B1 certificate and complying with the obligation to wear BCEW-approved blackout shades.
B4.1.2 Anyone who has been granted low partial status may opt to play in a match as a total so long as they wear BCEW-approved shades.
B4.2 A low partial is a player who has been granted this status or one with a B1 certificate who is not prepared to wear shades.
B4.3 A mid partial is anyone with a B2 or B3 certificate, who has not been granted low partial status, or a B4 who, pursuant to rule B3.4, has been granted permission to play as a B3.
B4.4 A high partial is anyone with a B4 certificate or, in the case of a Development League or Cup competition, a B5 who, pursuant to rule B3.4.1, has been granted permission to play as a B4.
B4.5 Where a total or low partial has a right to opt between categories, the effect of the election will be limited solely to the match in question, but will be irrevocable once the toss has taken place.
B5 Ongoing Testing
Sight classifications will generally remain in effect indefinitely, but, where players consider that their sight has deteriorated, they will be at liberty to take a new test and seek to be reclassified at any time.
Action will however be required in the following situations:
a) Juniors reaching the age of 18 with a sight classification which is more than 6 months old, must comply with the rules applicable to new players.
b) Players with a sight classification, which indicates that their sight is likely to improve, must be reclassified within a period not exceeding 4 years.
c) Established players who are placed in a higher category after a test demanded by some other sport must notify the BCEW Business & Competitions Director immediately.
B6 Sight Classification Challenges
B6.1 If the BCEW committee becomes aware of grounds for questioning the validity of any player’s sight classification, it may initiate a formal enquiry into the matter and must do so if it receives written complaints from two clubs relating to the same player.
B6.2 As part of its investigation, the BCEW committee may, at its own expense, order the player concerned to take a fresh sight test at whatever level it considers appropriate.
B6.3 If the player’s existing sight classification is found to be erroneous, it should be corrected immediately and, if the Committee considers that there has been any element of deception or wilful obstruction involved, it will be at liberty to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the players club and any individual appearing to be responsible.
Part C: Player Registration and Ties
C1 Player Eligibility
C1.1 At the end of each season, all players will be free agents and eligible for registration by any club so long as they are not subject to ongoing disciplinary proceedings at their former club or have undischarged legal obligations to it. Subject to this restriction, they may register for more than one club, but not for two National League clubs or two Development League clubs playing in the same league. There will also be an additional restriction for players ranked as ‘experienced’ within the meaning of section C5 of the Blind Cricket Playing Rules. They may only register for one Development League club.
C1.2 Players registered with a team, which is closely linked with a school or college, will be deemed to have been released from all obligations to it at the end of the relevant institution’s academic year.
C2 Provisional List
By the end of February each year, clubs must furnish the BCEW Business & Competitions Director with a list of all the players they wish to register for the coming season. The details supplied should include each player’s forename and surname and his/her actual or estimated sight classification.
C3 Subsequent Additions
By following the same procedure, clubs may add further players to their list, but this will not entitle them to select any player in breach of an established tie to another club.
C4 Ties
C4.1 Any player who competes for a club in any competition, including a player released from duties of loyalty pursuant to rule C1.2, will not be permitted to play for any other club in that competition for the rest of the season. It should, however, be noted that participation in a Development T20 competition will not count as participation in the BCEW David Townley Memorial Twenty20 Cup.
C4.2 Where players are tied to a National League club, the restriction will also operate to prevent them representing any other National League club in the BCEW Primary Club Heindrich Swanepoel Cup or the BCEW David Townley Memorial Twenty20 Cup, but where a club opts not to enter one or other of these events, its players will be free to play for any other club participating in it.
C4.3 In all other situations involving cup competitions, a player who is registered with two clubs will be entitled to choose which one to represent.
C5 Special Rules Relating to Cup Finals.
C5.1 It shall not be permissible for a club playing in a cup final to select a player who is not genuinely connected with it. If the player in question has not previously played for it earlier in the season, the question of eligibility must be referred to the BCEW committee which, in reaching its decision, should, amongst other things, have regard to:
a) The date on which the club first sought to register the player,
b) The date of the player’s most recent sight classification,
c) Whether the player has played for the club in the past and
d) Whether the player has recently been playing for another club in some other BCEW competition.
C5.2 Notwithstanding the result of such deliberations, the BCEW committee will be empowered to grant dispensations up to a maximum of one guest player per applicant club, but only if it is necessary for the match to take place and subject to the following conditions.
C5.3 Guest players should not be permitted to bat in the top six or to bowl more than 10% of the overs required to be bowled, but, where the guest player is a total, these rules will be relaxed to the extent necessary to enable the club to comply with the rules governing the minimum level of participation by totals.
Part D: Club Participation in Competitions
D1 Deadlines
All clubs wishing to take part in any competition being run by BCEW should make their intentions known to the BCEW Business & Competitions Director by the end of October prior to the season in question. The draws for all knock-out competitions will take place immediately after the BCEW AGM.
D2 National League
D2.1 Any club which has not played in the National League during the previous season will only be admitted to it if it receives the support of a majority of existing National League members. In order to assist with this process, the BCEW Development Director and Business & Competitions Director should prepare a report and make recommendations on the readiness of any applicant club to participate at the required level. Applicants should normally be expected to meet the following criteria:
a) They should have been successfully playing competitive cricket for at least 2 seasons, have a good disciplinary record and be able to show that they have discharged all their obligations under Part A of these Regulations;
b) They should have access to facilities enabling them to fulfil home fixtures on Saturdays;
c) In the most recent season they should have used a squad of at least 16 sight-classified players in BCEW-controlled matches;
d) This squad should contain at least two totals capable of bowling from 22 yards;
e) They should be able to demonstrate the likelihood of being able to maintain their squad when no longer able to borrow players from other National League clubs.
D2.2 If the number of participating teams is eight or more, the league should be split into two divisions with the top teams from the previous year’s competition going into the top division and all others into the lower division. As far as possible, teams should be divided equally between the two divisions, but, in the event of unequal numbers, the extra team will go into the lower division.
D2.3 At the end of each season, the bottom team in the top division will be relegated to the lower division and the top team in the lower division promoted to the top division. If further teams are admitted to the league and join the lower division, or if teams drop out of the league, the position of equality or near-equality between the divisions should be maintained by means of increasing the number of promotions or relegations.
D2.4 Where a division contains 5 or fewer teams, the competition will take the form of a double round robin. Where there are 6 or more, it will be a single round robin.
D2.5 If the number of teams participating in a single round robin means that it is mathematically impossible for the number of their home and away matches to be equal, the BCEW Business & Competitions Director will make every effort to redress any previous imbalances when the following season’s fixture list is drawn up.
D3 BCEW Development Leagues and Cup Competitions
D3.1 Any club which has not participated in a BCEW Competition during the previous season must provide evidence of its capacity to thrive and fulfil its fixtures. In assessing this evidence, the BCEW committee should ask their Development Director and Business & Competitions Director to prepare a report on the matter. Factors to be considered should include whether the club would meet the minimum standards for a member club laid down in Part A of these regulations, a list of at least 12 sight-classified players, including two totals, and experience of playing friendly matches.
D3.2 As soon as the numbers of would-be participants have been ascertained, the BCEW committee shall, after consulting with the clubs involved, seek to draw appropriate boundaries for the various regions and decide whether league competitions should take the form of single or double round robins. In relation to the draws for knock-out cups, all clubs should be ranked equally.
D3.3 Payment of Match Officials
Clubs participating in Development League and Cup competitions will be responsible for paying the fees due to umpires and scorers in accordance with directions to be issued by the BCEW Business & Competitions Director at the beginning of each season.
D4 The BCEW Primary Club Heindrich Swanepoel Cup
D4.1 All National League clubs will be eligible to enter this national cup competition, but, if the number of entries is less than eight, the BCEW committee will be at liberty to select other teams according to such criteria as they may from time to time determine.
D4.2 If there are more than eight entries from National League teams, there should be a preliminary round with sufficient fixtures to reduce the number of competing clubs to eight.
D4.3 The clubs required to play in such a preliminary round will, in the first place, comprise, or be chosen by lot from among those which did not enter the competition the previous season or, having entered it, failed to fulfil their fixture, but, if the operation of this rule fails to generate the requisite number of fixtures, the numbers should be made up by the club or clubs with the lowest finishing position in the previous season’s National League.
D5 The BCEW David Townley Memorial Twenty20 Cup
D5.1 The competition will be open to all clubs regardless of league membership, but any club which did not enter the competition during the previous season or which entered it and then failed to fulfil a fixture will only be permitted to enter if it provides evidence of a credible squad by the end of the October prior to the next competition.
D5.2 If a preliminary round is needed in order to reduce the number of participating teams to eight, the BCEW committee will organise a draw designed to minimise the distances that clubs will have to travel in order to fulfil their fixtures.
Part E: Misconduct and Disciplinary Procedures
E1 Framework
All cases of misconduct by individuals or clubs will be dealt with under the ECB’s General Conduct Regulations – GCR.
E2 Scope
Relevant misconduct will comprise:
(a) Any on-field breach of the MCC laws as set out in regulations 5-7 and 9-10 of the GCR and supplemented by rules 20-22 of the Blind Cricket Playing Rules;
(b) Any of the off-field misbehaviour specified in regulations 11-14 of the GCR;
(c) Any breach of obligations imposed expressly or impliedly by these Blind Cricket Regulations.
E3 Process
E3.1 For the purposes of the GCR, the role of Disciplinary Officer will be assumed by the BCEW committee, but, as soon as any potential need for disciplinary proceedings becomes apparent, they should delegate their duties in that behalf to an individual who can plausibly be regarded as being unconflicted and having the right skills set.
E3.2 The person so appointed should follow the procedures set out in GCR 19-21, being responsible
for sending and receiving all necessary correspondence and, in cases suitable for in-house
adjudication by BCEW, for appointing the key decision-makers.
E3.3 a Disciplinary Officer should begin by appraising the quantity and quality of the evidence presented and, after seeking any necessary clarifications, decide whether and what sort of disciplinary proceedings are appropriate.
E3.4 Cases which are especially serious or complex should be referred to the Cricket Regulator under GCR 17-18, while straightforward cases should be considered by a suitably-qualified Adjudicator under the summary procedures contained in GCR 22-28 and all other cases under GCR 29-39 by a disciplinary panel operating under the guidance of a suitably qualified Chair.
E4 Modifications to GCR rules
E4.1 In considering mitigating circumstances, decision makers should take account of the extra difficulties facing VI captains monitoring the behaviour of others.
E4.2 In sanctioning individuals, the imposition of fines will always be inappropriate and orders for costs should only be made in the case of appeals which are conspicuously frivolous or vexatious.
E4.3 In imposing suspensions, it should be noted that, as the number of fixtures likely to be available to any given player is likely to be relatively small, more appropriate guidelines would be:
For a Level 1 offence, up to 2matches;
For a level 2 offence, up to 3 matches;
For a Level 3 offence, up to 4 matches;
For a Level 4 offence, up to 5 matches.
E4.4 In implementing suspensions, the BCEW committee should have regard to the situation where the individual under sanction plays for more than one club or for a club with teams playing at different levels. In the case of on-field misconduct or off-field misconduct relating solely to one of the teams, the length of any suspension should primarily be measured by reference to that team’s fixtures. In the case of off-field misconduct not obviously referable to the affairs of any particular team, the period of suspension should be measured by reference to the fixtures of the team most recently represented at the time of the offence. Suspensions will apply to all competitive cricket until they are fully served, but the fixtures of other teams may be taken into account if the individual in question can plausibly be regarded as routinely playing for that other team and so long as the fixture in question does not take place at the same time as one already being counted.
Appendix – Resource Materials
Updated March 2026
All those engaged in blind cricket, and especially those managing clubs or players, should have regard to the list of documents set out below. Obviously, the need for detailed knowledge of any particular field will vary according to the role of the individual in question.
BCEW are not responsible for the contents of external sites.
Note that issues with ease of access to these documents is the responsibility of the provider. BCEW will try to help those with accessibility problems when viewing them, documents marked with a * are considered likely to have accessibility issues. This list is updated by BCEW but it is the responsibility of the individual to ensure they have accessed all guidance available as this list may not be complete.
1 Laws of the Game: MCC Laws of Cricket
2 Blind Cricket England & Wales Documents
Laws of the Game: BCEW Blind Cricket Playing Rules
Anti-Discrimination: BCEW EDI Code
Safety: Risk Assessment Form with Guidance Notes
Privacy: Privacy Notice
Club Structure and Management: Draft Club Constitution with Guidance Notes
3 ECB Documents
3.1 Standards of Behaviour:
ECB General Conduct Regulations
ECB General Conduct Regulations – Guidance
ECB Anti-Doping Rules
ECB Recreational Drugs Policy
ICC Anti Corruption Code
Anti-Discrimination-Regulations.pdf *
AD-Regulations_Guidance-Notes-2025.pdf
Player-Gender-Eligibility-Regulations-02.05.25-.pdf *
Transgender-policy-update-Cricket-Q-A-Final.pdf
Disparity-Regulations.pdf *
ECB-Pregnancy-Guidelines-2022.pdf
3.2 Safeguarding
ECB-Safeguarding-Strategy-2025-2028-updated.pdf *
Cricket-Regulator-Safeguarding-Referral-Form-2025-1-.docx
Safeguarding-Regulations.pdf *
DBS-Vetting-Procedure.pdf *
ECB-Safe-Hands-Policy-2026.pdf *
Safeguarding-Adults-Policy.pdf *
Club-Safeguarding-Policy-Statement-Template.docx *
Appointing and Training a Club Safeguarding Officer
Changing Rooms and Showering Facilities
Coaches Working with Children
Coaching and Supervision Ratios
Creating a Safe, Welcoming, and Inclusive Environment
Disciplinary Proceedings Involving Children
Low-Level Concerns
Managing Children Away from the Club
Missing Children
Recognising Signs of Abuse and Neglect
Recreational-Club-Safeguarding-Self-Assessment-Report.pdf *
Responding to, Recording, and Reporting Concerns
Safer Recruitment – Quick Guide for Clubs
Shirt Names for Children
Staff and Volunteers Working with Children
Safeguarding-Training-Matrix.pdf *
Transporting Children to Cricket Activities
Anti-Bullying Policy – Template
Club Safeguarding Officer Poster
Club Safeguarding Policy Statement
Club Transport Policy
Junior Club Membership Form
Safeguarding Concerns Poster for Clubs
Welcome Letter for Parents and Carers
3.3 Data Protection and Privacy
Recreational-Game-Privacy-Notice.pdf *
Social Media, Online Communication and Online Safety
ECB-Live-Streaming-Guidance-September-2021-.pdf *
3.4 Safety
Microsoft Word – Recreational Cricket Safety Regulations_15.12.25 *
Recreational-Cricket-Safety-Guidelines-Dec-2025-Update.pdf *
ECB-Recreational-Cricket-Safety-Regulations-and-Guidelines-Frequently-Asked-Questions.pdf *
Recreational Cricket Concussion Guidelines
Junior-Players-in-Open-Age-Cricket-Consent-Form.docx *
Junior Players in Open Age Cricket Consent Form
ECB Extreme_Heat_Guidance_Recreational_Game_v3-1-.pdf *
Sun Protection