AIBU to think school cricket in 37 degree heat is dangerous?

[Worriedmummy1244]

DS prep school have just sent a letter about a cricket match 2-3pm on Tuesday with another school (we’re in south east it’s currently predicted 37 degrees) this is first we’ve heard of it and the letter says it is going ahead.

Their sports day is going ahead tomorrow

Are they insane?!

I don’t want to be that mum but I don’t want my child playing

But even if @TheCurious0range does live by the coast… the temperatures for example Leigh on Sea are hitting 37 degrees

no need to for kids to play sport at 2pm in these temps. they should have the match first thing in the morning or scrap it. not worth the sunburn

I've played cricket for many years. A good hat, water and sunscreen along with cricket whites, and sensible umpiring, all will all be ok.

And I hope there's a nice tea involved if it's a prep' school. They should know how to do things properly, both on and off the field.

I've never been called off a game because of sun and played in some searing heat.

I, and other, are still here to tell the tale.

You are an adult, correct?

I mean I am still alive (and officiating) after my experience a couple of years ago. It wasn’t ok tho. Govt guidelines are not to be active or outside between 11am and 3pm. A nice tea and white trousers are not going to make much difference.

Correct, and been playing and umpiring since I was 7.

Sensible precautions needed and they're unlikely to be playing all day in junior cricket.

I'd turn up, there might be a conversation between the umpires, teachers, captains and go from there.

Awesome.

And I bet that when you were 7 was many decades ago…. Maybe 6 decades ago?

Now we know that young children like the elderly can’t balance their body temperature the way adults can, hence taking a more precautionary stance to playing in 37 degree heat.

It’s apparently well over 40c in Qatar right now. Which is why when they hosted the World Cup 4 years ago they did so in December and not June. It was still hot as fuck but alternative arrangements were made. That seems to be quite common in countries hotter than ours.

OP, I agree with you. So glad my son’s school is relaxing uniforms all this week. They also stopped holding sports day during the summer years ago and now do it between Easter holidays and May half term. Sunny days aren’t as hot then.

Ever seen the ways batters dress?

It'll be interesting to see what happens with the Test Match due to be played right on the edge of the red alert zone on Thursday.

It will go ahead, as normal. The players will cope, as will the fans, as has always been the case.

Take the right precautions, hydrate, dress accordingly and the game will go on.

'Many decades ago' - ouch! Steady on. A few, thank you, kindly 😆

If that games goes ahead, I'm sure those running it will take into account the conditions. If parents want to pull their children out, that's a call for them to make too.

It won't be 'as normal' though will it?

If it wasn't cancelled, I'd keep my kid home. You guys aren't acclimated to those kind of temps and it's a good way to get heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

When I lived in Texas, they started football practice in the summer heat and there were cases of heat exhaustion and heat stroke and a kid would die every year or so. It's preventable. Also, having heat exhaustion or heat stroke can leave you more vulnerable to it in the future.

But the right precautions are not to be active in full sun between 11am and 3pm.

And to take regular shaded breaks - like, 15 mins every hour. At least.

Well, until we get to the day in question, we don't actually know, do we?

I know a little about these things, both on and off the field. The event and game planning will be taking all likely scenarios into account, from a players, officials and spectators perspectives.

The aim is to put a safe event on.

My life and professional experience says I trust the experts who rely on data, experience from event planning and subject matter experts and on evidence to allow clear decision making, not based on emotion.

So if you were in charge…. You’d be sending an email to say that the cricket match for these 8 year olds will be going ahead in midday heat of 37 degrees? Interesting

These professional players are adults and will have trained in intense heat so they can acclimatise quickly if the need arises.

These 8 year olds… will not

Hmm... I rather imagine the data is coming from the Met Office.

Btu what would I know? Because apparently you are the assigned Cricket Expert of the thread.

There will certainly be many many water breaks. They will have to think how they are going to keep the people in the full sun stands safe from harm. I wouldn't want to be them right now.

Rather easier to call off a kids' match.

No but they know how to handle hot weather and live with it, schedule events in the coolest parts of the day, have regular hot weather kit around, have schoolrooms built to keep the heat out...we have none of that.

Running about in the hottest part of the day in PE kit made for cooler weather, coming from a hot classroom no doubt, no real knowledge of extreme heat risk, kids with a DNA for way cooler countries so more likely to get heatstroke and we are all required to just 'get on with it' as our strategy. Bit piss poor!

the comparison people are making between an international fixture that involves professional adult players, millions of pounds in revenue, hundreds of thousands of spectators, livelihoods of all the related services and a completely inconsequential prep school pairs game, players max 12 years old, is hilarious.

sure the kids could play, but why bother. play at 9am if you must but 2pm is just unnecessary

Not without having all the information I need to hand. That would be ridiculous.

I'm assuming there are two teams of youngsters and staff who are keen on the game.

IF the game is scheduled 2-3pm, it's an hour that needs to be managed. That's not hard to do.

If it starts at 2 or 3pm we're already past the midday heat and can also be managed.

My inclination would be to see what the data looks like the day before, ask opinions of those who are going to be involved and put any necessary mitigations in place to safely make it happen for them.

Sensible, emotion free and evidenced decision making, with a working assumption that it takes place, safely, and what's needed to make that happen, for those who want to play or officiate.

Not 'interesting' and doesn't need to be, just real life, professional experiences.

So the information to hand for a school 8 year match would be…. The weather forecast?

Always intrigued what brings a man in his sixties to mumsnet

and then I see that most of your posts are on the sex forum or taking about fact your a naturalist and I think “ah, yes, it’s that’s poster”

Neither comment is true. Thousands of people do die of heatstroke and heat exhaustion around the world each year. It’s a massive and increasing problem that generally affects the poorest.