ECB and MCC offer cash prize for bowlers' headgear design

With the proliferation of T20 cricket, the cricket ball is being hit harder than ever before, and the ECB and MCC are offering cash prizes for innovative designs for headgear to be worn by bowlers

The ECB and MCC are looking for designs for a helmet to be worn by bowlers, and are offering cash prizes for the best three.

With the proliferation of T20 cricket and changes in how players bat, the cricket ball is being hit harder than ever before. Bowlers being hit by the ball is nothing new, but the stomach-churning head injury suffered by Luke Fletcher in a T20 game in 2017 are examples of how dangerous it has become for bowlers.

The ECB and MCC think it is time that the game adapted to this danger and they want a design which will provide bowlers more protection in the act of delivering the ball and the follow-through.

Other than specific products made for individuals like Warren Barnes over in New Zealand, there has been nothing in mainstream production up to this point.

Before Christmas 2017, Barnes, a bowler for the Otago Volts, started wearing a specially-designed helmet because of fears over the ball hitting him due to the nature of his bowling action.

^{Barnes took three wickets for Otago when first using his helmet}

The winning design will be awarded £4,000 with the successful candidate eligible for a significant investment in the development of the prototype. Second prize is £1,000 while third will be given £500.

They have set no restrictions on the design but it should be both lightweight and well-ventilated in order to make it as unintrusive as possible. The helmet will only need to be worn while bowling so it will also have to be easily removable.

The closing date for submissions is 31 March 2019, and application packs can be requested from injuryprevention@ecb.co.uk