If your child plays cricket, or wants to start, booking their first indoor net hire session can feel like a bigger decision than it needs to be. What age is it for? Is it safe? How much does it cost? This guide answers the questions parents ask most, so you can book with confidence.

Why Indoor Nets Work Well for Young Players

Cricket can be a hard game to pick up outdoors when the weather is against you, the light is fading, or you are sharing a field with a full club session. Indoor nets remove most of that difficulty. Your child gets a proper lane, good lighting, and a controlled space to bat or bowl without other distractions pulling their attention away.

As the England and Wales Cricket Board explains on its junior cricket pages, cricket is meant to be open to everyone, with clubs and schools across the country giving children the chance to learn the game from as young as five years old. An indoor net hire session is simply another way for your child to get more time with a bat or ball in their hand, on top of whatever they already do at school or with their club.

Understanding the Family and Under 18s Option

At HECC in Sawbridgeworth, indoor net hire for under 18s and families is priced lower than the adult sessions, which makes it an affordable way to build regular practice into your child’s week. It covers junior players training alone, siblings sharing a lane, or a parent and child batting and bowling to each other.

You do not need to belong to a club to book this option, and your child does not need any previous experience. Some families use it as a first introduction to the game before joining a club. Others use it to top up training during the week between regular club sessions.

What the Facility Actually Offers

It helps to know what you are walking into before you turn up for the first time. HECC has five separate lanes, each with a full 20 metre run-up, proper ECB specification flooring, and strong lighting throughout. That last point matters more than parents often expect. Good lighting means your child can actually see the ball clearly, which makes the whole session safer and far less frustrating for a young or nervous player.

A Bola bowling machine with an automatic feeder is also available to hire on any lane. This is a genuinely useful tool for junior players, because it delivers the same type of ball over and over at a pace you can control, which is a gentler and more consistent way to build confidence than facing an adult bowling at full effort.

A Quick Word on Safety

Safety is naturally one of the first things parents want to understand. Junior players should always bat wearing appropriate protective equipment, including a helmet, pads and gloves, and this applies just as much indoors as it does outdoors. If your child does not already own kit, HECC staff can point you towards what is needed before your first session.

The indoor environment itself also removes a few risks you would not think about outdoors, such as uneven ground or sudden changes in light. Combined with the wide lanes and shock absorbing flooring, it is a sensible, controlled place for a young player to build their game.

Turning Net Hire Into Regular Progress

A single session here and there is a nice treat, but the real benefit comes from regular practice. Many parents book a weekly net hire slot, treating it the same way they would a swimming lesson or a music class, so their child has a consistent block of time to build skills week on week.

If your child starts to show real interest, HECC also runs a structured coaching pathway, including junior development squads and academies for different age groups. Net hire and structured coaching work well together. Hire gives your child time to practise what they are working on, while coaching gives them expert feedback on how to improve it. You can find out more about one to one and small group cricket coaching if that feels like a natural next step once your child is comfortable in the nets.

Booking Your Child’s First Session

Booking is done online through the HECC website and only takes a few minutes. You choose a date and time, select family or under 18s hire, and add the bowling machine if you would like it included. A small deposit secures the slot and comes off your final bill.

If you are not sure which time works best around school and other clubs, HECC is open seven days a week, including daytime weekday slots that can suit school holidays or younger children who train better earlier in the day.

To book indoor cricket net hire for your child, visit the HECC website, call the team on 01279 724782, or email enquiries@heccsport.com. HECC is based at Tharbies Farm in Sawbridgeworth, with free parking on site and easy access from across Hertfordshire and Essex.

Cricket is a game your child can enjoy and improve at for years to come, and a well organised indoor net session is one of the simplest ways to give them that head start.