CricPulse
Junior Bowling Spell & Workload Limit Calculator
Pick the age band, enter overs bowled today and in the current spell, and see instantly how many overs are left before the spell or daily cap is hit — plus how much rest is needed before the next spell.
Use overs.balls notation — the digit after the point is balls (0–5), not a decimal fraction. 2.4 means 2 overs and 4 balls.
When can they come back on? (rest-overs check)
After a spell ends, a bowler can't bowl again from either end until the same number of overs as the spell length have been bowled from that same end.
What This Calculator Does
Age-group cricket runs two bowling limits at once — your league’s innings cap, and the safety-driven fast bowling directive that caps overs per spell, overs per day, and how much rest a young quick needs before bowling again. This tool checks the directive side in seconds: pick the bowler’s age band, enter what they’ve already bowled today and in the current spell, and it tells you exactly how many overs are left before either cap is hit — plus, separately, whether they’ve rested enough to come back on after a completed spell.
The Age-Band Limits
| Age | Max overs per spell | Max overs per day |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 13 | 5 | 10 |
| Under 14 / Under 15 | 6 | 12 |
| Under 16 / Under 17 | 7 | 18 |
| Under 18 / Under 19 | 7 | 18 |
Age is measured on the day of the match, not by registered age group — and the guidance applies up to 18 even in open-age club cricket. The full context, including the weekly workload guidance this single-match tool doesn’t attempt to replace, is in our junior cricket bowling limits guide.
The Rest-Overs Rule, Worked Through
The second calculator on this page handles the rule that causes the most confusion: once a spell ends, the bowler can’t return from either end until the same number of overs as the spell length have been bowled from that same end. A 14-year-old who bowls a four-over spell needs four further overs bowled from that end — not four overs of match time — before they’re eligible again. Enter the spell length and how many overs have gone by from that end since, and it tells you how many are still needed.
Worked Example
A 15-year-old has bowled 4.2 overs already today and is 2.3 overs into their current spell. Under 14 /15 limits (6 per spell, 12 per day): total balls in the spell so far is 2×6+3 = 15, so 6 overs (36 balls) minus 15 leaves 21 balls — 3.3 overs — left in the spell. Total bowled today so far is (4×6+2) + 15 = 41 balls against a 12-over (72-ball) daily cap, leaving 31 balls — 5.1 overs. The smaller of the two, 3.3 overs, is what’s actually left before a cap bites — the spell limit, not the daily one, will be the binding constraint here.
Track It Automatically While You Score
Ball-by-ball digital scoring already knows which bowler bowled which over — CricPulse can surface a running overs-per-bowler total as you score, so a captain or coach doesn’t have to run this calculator mid-over under pressure. Score your next junior match with CricPulse and keep an eye on overs bowled without breaking away from the game to do the maths.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the ECB fast bowling directive limits by age? +
Up to age 13: 5 overs per spell, 10 per day. Under 14/15: 6 per spell, 12 per day. Under 16/17 and Under 18/19: 7 per spell, 18 per day. These are recommended limits for all players up to 18, including juniors playing open-age club cricket.
Does the daily limit reset between matches on the same day? +
No. The daily cap is per day, not per match — in a festival or two-innings day, overs bowled across every match that day count toward the same total.
How is the rest-overs requirement calculated? +
After a spell ends, the bowler can't bowl again from either end until the same number of overs as the spell length have been bowled from that same end — counted in overs from that end, not elapsed innings overs or minutes.
Do these limits apply to spin bowlers? +
No. The spell and daily over caps are aimed at fast and medium-pace bowlers. Genuine slow bowlers sit outside the fast bowling directives, though your league's own innings limits still apply to every bowler.
Does this tool track a bowler's workload across a whole season? +
No — this checks a single match against the spell and daily caps, plus the rest-overs rule for one spell change. It doesn't replace a weekly or seasonal workload log, which needs to track bowling across every club, school and representative match a player appears in.
Where do these numbers come from? +
They follow the published ECB fast bowling match directives used across English and Welsh recreational cricket. Other boards, such as Cricket Australia, publish their own similar but not identical guidelines — check your own governing body if you are outside England and Wales.
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