Cricket can be fast, tricky and exciting! In Spid the Spider Challenges for the Cricket Cup, the players learn that being honest and fair is just as important as scoring runs. But can children make the right call? So challenge your children and empower them to play fair with Spid’s Honest Umpire Challenge!
Spid’s Honest Umpire Challenge helps children practice:
- decision-making
- honesty and integrity
- understanding rules
- empathy and discussion
- sportsmanship and fair play
How to Play Spid’s Honest Umpire Challenge
Describe the following cricket situations to your children and then ask them to decide whether a player is …
👉 OUT or NOT OUT
or whether the situation is …
👉 FAIR PLAY or CHEATING?
Can they make the right decision like a real umpire?
Why this challenge matters
A great cricket player should:
✔ play fairly
✔ tell the truth
✔ respect the umpire
✔ respect the rules
✔ be kind to teammates and opponents
Spid knows that winning feels great… but winning fairly feels even better!
Ten Honest Umpire Challenges
Here are ten cricketing situations to judge! Find the answers in our free download. Get more than eight correct and win an Official Honest Umpire Award!
Challenge #1 – The batter hits the ball and it flies into the air. A fielder catches it before it bounces.
What’s your decision?
⬜ OUT or ⬜ NOT OUT
⬜ FAIR PLAY or ⬜ CHEATING
Challenge #2 – A player says they caught the ball… but really it bounced first.
What’s your decision?
⬜ FAIR PLAY or ⬜ CHEATING
⬜ OUT or ⬜ NOT OUT
Challenge #3 – The batter accidentally steps in front of the stumps and stops the ball with their leg.
What’s your decision?
⬜ OUT or ⬜ NOT OUT
Parents/teachers can discuss the Leg Before Wicket (LBW) rule simple terms.
If the ball was going to hit the stumps, but the batter’s leg stops it, they are out whether the intention was deliberate or accidental.
That keeps it simple without getting bogged down in cricket law.
Challenge #4 – The batter hits the ball and runs. The fielders knock over the stumps before the batter gets back.
What’s your decision?
⬜ OUT or ⬜ NOT OUT
Challenge #5 – The bowler bowls the ball, but their foot is over the line.
What’s your decision?
⬜ FAIR BALL or ⬜ NO BALL
Challenge #6 – The batter hits the ball and it rolls all the way to the boundary rope.
What’s your decision?
⬜ 4 RUNS or ⬜ 6 RUNS
Challenge #7 – The batter hits the ball high into the air and it goes over the boundary without bouncing.
What’s your decision?
⬜ 4 RUNS or ⬜ 6 RUNS
Challenge #8 – A fielder stops the ball with their cap and saves runs.
What’s your decision?
⬜ FAIR PLAY or ⬜ CHEATING
Challenge #9 – The batter misses the ball, but starts running anyway. The other batter runs too and they swap ends safely.
What happens?
⬜ NO RUN or ⬜ 1 RUN
Challenge #10 – The batter hits the ball behind them and it brushes their bat before the wicketkeeper catches it.
What’s your decision?
⬜ OUT ⬜ NOT OUT
Bonus Challenge #11 – Your best friend on your team says, “Pretend you didn’t see me step over the line!”
What’s your decision?
⬜ FAIR PLAY or ⬜ CHEATING
Notes for Parents and Teachers
This fun children’s activity is designed to spur discussion on the rules of cricket and also what constitutes fair play and cheating.
For children scoring eight or more out of ten, award them an 🏅 Official Honest Umpire Award for making fair and honest decisions like a true cricket umpire!
To spur further discussion, ask – What would YOU do if your team could win by cheating?
For additional questions to help children understand what’s fair play and foul check out our Fair Play Discussion Topics.
Free to Download Honest Umpire Challenge, answers and Honest Umpire Award
