Cricket is of course a summer sport and nothing beats the sound of leather on willow, on a perfectly prepared wicket, with the ball racing across a lush green outfield, all played in a backdrop of glorious sunshine That is the ideal, but unfortunately the weather means that very often there is a need to retreat under cover. Indoor cricket nets however, allow for practice to continue even if the elements dictate that it’s unfit outdoors, whether that is during the season or indeed, throughout the colder, wetter months, when it is still important to keep working on the finer skill aspects of the game.
Whether it is for use by the professionals and amateurs, or as a facility for leisure centres, sports halls, universities, colleges and schools; indoor nets are big business and therefore, have to be of sufficient quality to meet the individual demands and skill-set for whoever they are aimed at. As a consequence, the nets are more often than not, custom-made, with the specifications such as: length, height and number of bays, delivered at the clients request.
The more sophisticated of nets come with canvas sight screens, to assist the batsman’s line of vision and protect from potential distractions, that in an indoor space are inevitable. They also double up as an added absorbent to the nets, to counter the impact of the balls. Good quality netting will be fabricated from flame retardant mesh, which again is a safety requirement. Many of the high-end nets will have a system that permits them to have retractable roof suspension; plus weighted bottom edges to avoid billowing.
Where they are not designed to be fixed in place, they can come with trackway curved steering, to guide them to the most suitable location for storage. Where storage is an issue, roof mounted cradles, which are electrically operated, can be supplied. The bays themselves can be of any width specified, with the double bays often proving to be the most popular. Many prefer two of this design, rather than one quad bay, due to their increased flexibility. In addition, a lot of manufacturers include a bowlers end backstop, which is actually recommended anyway, and provides a barrier to guard against ricochets and protects the back wall from damage.
For an outdoor game that is reliant on good weather, having facilities that enable all year round practice and honing of skills in an interior environment, is vitally important and a set of good quality indoor cricket nets, does just that.
