4 ECB EXTREME HEAT GUIDELINES FOR THE RECREATIONAL GAME JUNE 2026
3. Once applied to the skin, reapply sunscreen every 2 hours, or more often if you are prone to excessive sweating, or playing hard!
4. Remember to wear a cap or wear a broad brimmed cricket hat which offers greater protection as it can shade the ears and neck. N. B. batters should continue to wear a helmet in accordance with ECB Recreational Cricket Safety Regulation 4, and ECB Recreational Cricket Safety Guidelines.
5. After the batting helmet comes off, remember to reapply sunscreen( it will be wiped off) and top off with a wide-brim hat.
6. Fielding but the sun is in your eye? Wear UV protective sunglasses keep your eyes safe. Consider adding a cap or wide brimmed hat to protect from glare from all angles.
7. Wear light coloured, light weight clothing that protects arms and legs. Consider flipping the collar up on tops for added protection, and using sun sleeves which provide flexibility when throwing and bowling.
8. The sun is strongest between 11am and 3pm so take particular care during this period.
9. Whilst spectating or waiting for play, do so in a shaded area, out of direct sunlight.
10. Consider setting up gazebos to protect your team if there is no natural shade available.
Heat-Health Alerts
The UK Health Security Agency, in partnership with the Met Office, has an alert system designed to identify when adverse temperatures are likely to impact on the health and wellbeing of the population( sign-up here). The core alerting season for heat events is between 1 June and 30 September. Alerts will be colour coded yellow, amber or red, with red indicating a significant risk to life for even the healthy population.
Thunder and Lightning
Cricketers and ground staff may take unnecessary risks in thunder and lighting, possibly because the game is usually suspended as soon as it rains and the thunder might come later. This is not a good idea for a number of reasons, some of which are:
• Lightning can kill or seriously injure.
• Blue skies overhead do not guarantee protection from lightning strikes.
• Lightning can strike far from where it is raining and it may come out of the blue, with no cloud in the sky and not a drop of rain.
• It can strike even when the storm is as much as 10 miles away, though 6 miles or so is