Cricket nets

Nets stop the cricket ball travelling across the field when the batter plays a shot.

Nets are also very prevalent in educational establishments, as they allow safe and efficient training with a high volume of pupils when there are significant time constraints.

Indoor nets are often suspended on a track (runner) fixed to the ceiling of the sports hall or gymnasium.

They have separate 3-metre-high canvas screens that enclose the area immediately surrounding the batsman, for two reasons.

The design and construction of outdoor nets tends to be based around two factors: the frequency and age of those who will use them, and the available space.

Therefore, the frame is often constructed out of heavy-duty galvanised steel tube with an overall diameter ranging from 34 to 50 mm.

This system requires permanent concrete ground sockets, but the actual frame of the cage can still be dismantled and removed.

Garden nets are frequently home-made, often to a professional design with locally sourced components.

This saves money, and cricket nets have a simple design and purpose, so are not difficult to make.

Also, partial canvas skirts of 0.5 m can be added to the bottom to prevent damage from wild animals.

The baseball equivalent is the batting cage, though fundamentally different, as that provides complete ball containment, whereas cricket nets do not.