Supporting Toombul’s Women’s Cricket Programme

Toombul supports female cricketers from junior development through to senior competition. The club currently provides pathways that include girls’ cricket, the Under 16 Paul Pink Shield, Open Women’s cricket and Brisbane Premier Grade Women’s competition.

Female cricketers experience many of the same bowling, throwing, running and impact demands as other players. Individual health, recovery and training factors can also influence how well a player tolerates those demands.

Where relevant, a physiotherapy assessment may consider:

• recent training and match load;
• previous injuries;
• strength and physical capacity;
• recovery between sessions;
• menstrual health and cycle considerations where relevant;
• energy availability and fuelling concerns; and
• the combined demands of cricket, gym, school, work and other sport.

When an issue sits outside physiotherapy scope, your physiotherapist can recommend appropriate medical, dietetic or other health-professional input.

Junior and Adolescent Cricketers

Junior cricketers are still growing, which can change how they respond to bowling, running, gym training and busy competition schedules. Growth spurts can be particularly important when a player combines club, school, representative and additional training.

Persistent pain in a growing cricketer should not simply be dismissed as normal soreness. Our Kids Sports Injuries guide explains common warning signs and considerations for young athletes.

Junior Pace Bowling Workloads

Cricket Australia’s current pace-bowling guidance uses simple workload rules for developing fast bowlers.

These guidelines apply to pace bowling and should sit alongside the player’s age, growth, symptoms, recent bowling history and competition schedule.

View the current Cricket Australia Junior Pace Bowling Guidelines.

When Should a Toombul Player Book an Assessment?

You do not need to know your exact diagnosis before seeing a physiotherapist. An assessment can help work out what may be contributing to your symptoms, how the injury is affecting your cricket and what you can reasonably continue doing.

Consider booking if:

• pain is changing the way you bowl, bat, run, throw or field;
• symptoms return every time training volume increases;
• you have swelling, bruising or reduced movement after an injury;
• bowling pace, throwing accuracy or sprint speed has dropped because of pain;
• you are unsure whether you should keep playing or modify training;
• an old injury keeps recurring; or
• you need a structured return-to-cricket plan.

For a new injury, assessment may involve the painful area as well as movement, strength, balance, running, jumping, throwing or other cricket-specific tasks when appropriate.

From Injury Back to Cricket

Returning to cricket involves more than waiting for pain to disappear. The injured area needs enough strength and capacity to tolerate the demands of your playing role again.

1. Rebuild basic movement and strength

   Restore appropriate mobility, muscle capacity and control while keeping symptoms within acceptable limits.

2. Reintroduce running and cricket movements

   Gradually rebuild acceleration, deceleration, change of direction and sport-specific movement.

3. Progress batting, bowling or throwing

   Increase relevant intensity, volume and frequency in stages rather than returning immediately to full match demands.

4. Restore training tolerance

   Build enough capacity to complete the required cricket workload and recover appropriately afterwards.

5. Return to competition

   Use symptoms, physical testing, confidence and cricket-specific workload to help guide the final progression.

Your physiotherapist can communicate with coaches, parents or other members of your support team where appropriate and with your consent.

Common Cricket Injury Pathways

Cricket Injury Risk Reduction

No programme can prevent every injury. However, well-planned preparation can help players build the physical capacity needed for cricket and reduce avoidable workload spikes.

Depending on the player and position, preparation may include:

• lower-limb strength;
• hamstring and calf capacity;
• trunk and rotational strength;
• shoulder and throwing capacity;
• single-leg control and balance;
• sprint exposure and running capacity;
• bowling-load planning;
• gradual increases in training volume; and
• adequate recovery between demanding sessions.

This is especially relevant for developing fast bowlers, players returning after a break and cricketers with recurring injuries.

Cricket Australia Personal Injury Cover

Eligible registered cricket players may have access to personal injury cover through Australian Cricket’s National Club Risk Protection Program. Cover and claim requirements can change, so do not assume that every physiotherapy expense or injury is covered.

The current Marsh programme information indicates that personal injury arrangements can apply to eligible injuries sustained during official cricket activities and may provide benefits for certain non-Medicare medical expenses. Eligibility, exclusions, excesses and benefit limits should be checked before relying on the cover.

• Cricket Australia National Club Risk Protection Program
• Marsh Cricket Australia Players and Volunteers information

Your Local Cricket Physio at Clayfield

Clayfield PhysioWorks is located at 789 Sandgate Road, Clayfield QLD 4011, a short trip from Toombul’s Nundah home grounds.

The clinic provides physiotherapy and exercise rehabilitation for active people, including assessment and rehabilitation of cricket injuries.

Clayfield PhysioWorks
789 Sandgate Road, Clayfield QLD 4011
Phone: 07 3862 4544

View Clayfield PhysioWorks clinic information.

References and Further Information

1. Cricket Australia. Junior Pace Bowling Guidelines. Accessed August 2026.
2. Cricket Australia. National Club Risk Protection Program. Accessed August 2026.
3. Marsh. Cricket Australia Players and Volunteers. Accessed August 2026.
4. Orchard JW, Kountouris A, Sims K, et al. Management of lumbar bone stress injury in cricket fast bowlers and other athletes. South African Journal of Sports Medicine. 2023;35(1).
5. Toombul District Cricket Club. Official club website. Accessed August 2026.

What Should TDCC Players Do Next?

If pain or injury is affecting the way you bowl, bat, run, throw or field, arrange a physiotherapy assessment and mention that you are a Toombul District Cricket Club player.

You do not need to wait until a niggle becomes severe. An assessment can help you understand what may be contributing to the problem, decide what cricket activity can continue and build a practical rehabilitation plan around your season.