Cricket, like many other sports, is all-the-year-round these days.

The Ashes are currently in full swing, there’s franchise cricket being played all over the globe and, closer to home, the Gloucestershire Indoor Cricket League is becoming ever more popular.

Six teams from South Gloucestershire – Painswick, Frampton on Severn, Eastington, Stinchcombe Stragglers, Whitminster and Oakridge – play in the three-division, 16-team Gloucester League and Jim Hyland, the indoor cricket coordinator for the Gloucestershire Cricket Foundation, is delighted.

“The popularity of indoor cricket continues to grow in the county and is well supported by the Gloucestershire Cricket Foundation and the Gloucestershire Association of Cricket Officials,” he said.

“It is cricket with a smile, everyone involved enjoying cricket through the dark winter months without any of the angst sometimes associated with the Saturday leagues. 

“Ironically, the indoor season, which runs from early September to late March, is longer in duration than the outdoor one. More than 250 matches without a single rain calculation!”

The teams in the Gloucester League play their matches at King’s School, Gloucester, while the teams in the four-division Cheltenham League play their matches at Leisure at Cheltenham.

For those not familiar with indoor cricket, it’s a short format game, usually 6-a-side with 10 or 12 overs per innings.

It is played in halls approximately 35-40 metres by 12-15 metres, which is typically five to six badminton courts side by side.

“It is fast and fun,” continued Hyland. “Bowling and fielding, once players are used to the hard surfaces and angles involved, are very similar to the outdoor game albeit quicker with lots of run-out opportunities.

“Batting, on the other hand, is a bit more subtle. The boundary wall behind the bowler counts as four and six, but hitting any other wall or the ceiling scores one run.

“Batters completing a run counts as two, if you run both you get three runs. The majority of runs are scored in twos and threes, with clever batters finding gaps and manipulating the field.

“However, they can be caught out off the walls and ceiling, although not the boundary wall.

“The nuances of the game can be a great leveller, creating an environment where those playing several levels apart in the summer can enjoy cricket together.

“In one Cheltenham League match last winter the ages of the 12 players ranged from 16 to 62, with those involved coming off Stroud League, County League and WEPL summer seasons. The match itself was closely contested.”

The Cheltenham and Gloucester leagues, along with various Bristol-based competitions, feed into a county play-off in February and then into the national indoor 6s competition starting March, with regional and national finals held at the indoor cricket centres at Taunton and Lord’s respectively.