The most coveted trophy in sport isn’t a tiny terracotta urn. It’s bragging rights over the rest of the campsite at five in the arvo.
It’s about who can belt a six clean over the 4X4 without denting the bonnet. It’s about who can bowl a straight one on a pitch with more corrugations than the Gibb River Road. And it’s about settling long-running family feuds with a well-timed edge that carries to slips.
But a game of camping cricket can unravel quickly if you’re not prepared. Missing gear, dodgy wickets, dead tennis balls and arguments over rules can turn what should be the highlight of the afternoon into a shambles.
So we’ve pulled together the essential kit list to make sure the Camping Cricket Club runs like a well-oiled touring setup, no matter how rough the pitch or how remote the camp.
Here are the 10 must-haves for your next tour.
The Essentials Every Campsite Needs
The “eBay Special” Bat
Leave your Grade-A English willow at home. A campsite bat should be something you grabbed online for twenty bucks or rescued from a garage sale. Ideally it has a peeling grip, a few questionable repairs and smells faintly of linseed oil.
This is the bat you’re happy to swing on rocky ground at off-grid camps. When you inevitably clip a rock, stump or camp chair, it doesn’t matter. That mark just adds character.
And somehow, these bats always send a tennis ball into orbit with a deeply satisfying thwack.
a cricket set on a beach
Fresh Tennis Balls (Plural)
There is nothing sadder in this world than a dead tennis ball.
Do yourself a favour and crack open a fresh tube for every trip. The bounce makes the game interesting, the pace is better, and that neon yellow fuzz is far easier to find after someone slogs a reverse sweep into long grass, spinifex or the neighbour’s camp. Add some electrical tape for some swing and you'll look like prime Malinga on any surface.
That full tube of balls will be especially useful when camping near outback roads where balls have a habit of disappearing fast.
a bunch of tennis balls close-up
The Esky Wicket
This is the gold standard of camping stumps.
An esky is the perfect height, solid enough to cop a hit, and makes a very clear thud when the ball connects. No DRS reviews required. If it hits plastic, you’re gone.
Bonus points because it keeps hydration within arm’s reach of whoever’s batting, which is critical in hot weather and after long days of remote travel.
red and blue esky on a beach
The Auto-Wicketkeeper (Camp Chair)
Nobody wants to crouch behind the stumps in 35-degree heat while flies try to set up shop in their nose.
The solution is simple. Set a camp chair behind the stumps.
If the ball hits the chair on the full, the batter is out. If it trickles into the legs, it’s a dot ball. If it misses entirely, everyone pretends it was close.
Simple, effective and nobody needs knee replacements afterwards.
The Pitch Roller (Long-Handle Shovel)
Every touring setup should already include one.
A long-handle shovel is perfect for flattening the pitch, removing rocks, shifting wombat souvenirs and filling ankle-breaking holes before the first ball is bowled. It’s also handy for fire management, toilet duties and general campsite survival.
Few tools earn their keep quite like a shovel on corrugated roads and cricket pitches alike.
red long handle shovel mounted to a 4x4
Taking It Next Level
For those who take their campsite championship far more seriously than they should, and we respect that, this is where things escalate.
The Dog Stick
Want to bowl bouncers without throwing your back out or popping a shoulder?
Grab a dog ball thrower. Zero effort, serious pace and surprising bounce. It’s terrifying for the batter, deeply satisfying for the bowler and almost guaranteed to wake nearby campers who thought they were in for a quiet afternoon.
Not subtle. Very effective.
Zing Bails
Swap the esky for a plastic stump set with light-up bails and suddenly the game feels official.
As the sun drops and the campfire sparks up, there is nothing better than lighting up the bails with a searing yorker. Twilight cricket with glowing stumps is elite-level campsite entertainment.
light up cricket bails knocked from red stumps
The Slips Catching Net
This one’s niche, but brilliant.
A rebound or slips catching net provides hours of entertainment. It’s great for kids, perfect for settling arguments about who has the best hands, and a sneaky way to burn off energy before dinner.
Also handy when the pitch is too rocky for serious bowling.
A Portable Scoreboard
This may be taking it too far, but this is the Campground Championship.
A portable flip scoreboard stops arguments instantly. No more “I’m sure you were only on 42” debates or scratched tallies in the dirt. The numbers don’t lie, even if the batters do.
The Ultimate Accessory: Electrical Tape
This is the secret sauce. The dark art.
Wrap electrical tape around one side of a tennis ball and suddenly you’ve unlocked swing bowling. It moves through the air, darts off the pitch and turns average bowlers into absolute menaces.
Some people call it cheating. We call it the only way to get the 16-year-old out after they’ve been batting for 45 minutes straight and refusing to retire.
This is how legends are made.
House Rules Make the Game
Every campsite has its own laws.
Into the kitchen awning is six and out. One hand, one bounce counts. Caught off the side of the caravan is fair play. Hit the recovery boards and it’s automatic retirement.
House rules are part of the magic of camping cricket. They change with every location, group and mood, and they’re what turn a simple game into a story that gets told for years.
Whether you’re parked up at a quiet bush camp or pulled into a packed campground after a long day on the tracks, a good game of cricket brings everyone together.
So pack the gear, set the rules early and protect the windscreens.
What’s your most controversial camping cricket house rule? You know, the one that causes arguments every single trip.
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