Cricket players now need a dedicated place for cricket batting practice in the OC.

Between the OCCA running competitive hardball leagues since 2007, SCYCA developing youth players across Irvine, Buena Park, Lake Forest, and Yorba Linda, the SoCal Women's Cricket Association fielding the country's only co-ed hardball team, and USA Cricket pushing the sport at the national level, there are hundreds of active cricketers in OC looking for somewhere to train.

And training has always been the hard part.

Finding a proper outdoor ground for a weekend match is one challenge. Finding somewhere to get quality net sessions during the week, work on your batting technique against pace and swing, or put your bowlers through their paces on a rainy Tuesday evening?

That's been nearly impossible in Orange County up until very recently.

This guide covers everything a cricketer in OC needs to know about getting meaningful practice time, including how batting cage facilities designed for baseball are quietly becoming one of the best indoor cricket training resources in Southern California.

The Indoor Net Problem in Orange County

If you've played cricket in OC, you already know the frustration. Most practice happens outdoors on shared public grounds.

SCYCA holds sessions at Lake Forest Sports Park, Heritage Park in Irvine, Hope School in Buena Park, and Yorba Regional Park. OCCA teams practice on whatever permitted field they can book. The SoCal Women's Cricket Association trains at rotating locations.

All of this is weather-dependent, daylight-dependent, and permit-dependent.

When the parks department reschedules your field, when it rains for three days straight in January, when sunset kills your session at 5:15 PM in December, you lose critical training time that you can't get back mid-season.

The solution is indoor nets. But dedicated indoor cricket facilities in OC are scarce. Sixers & Stumps in Lake Forest is currently the only purpose-built indoor cricket venue in the county, and while they've done good work building that community, one facility can't serve the entire OC cricket population.

Their hours run 3-9 PM on weekdays and 9 AM-6 PM on weekends, and lane availability gets tight during league season.

That's the gap we're filling at On Deck.

Why Batting Cages Work for Cricket (Better Than You'd Think)

Here's something that might surprise cricketers who've never set foot in an indoor baseball facility: a well-equipped batting cage is functionally identical to an indoor cricket net, and in some ways it's actually better.

The dimensions match. A standard cricket pitch is 22 yards (66 feet) from stump to stump. Our cage lanes at On Deck HB are 70 feet long and 15 feet wide. That gives you full-length deliveries with room to spare on both sides. You can set up at a proper crease distance and face balls arriving at genuine pace with realistic flight time.

The netting is the same concept. Cricket nets exist for the same reason batting cages exist: to contain the ball and let you focus on repetitions. Our retractable netting system creates enclosed lanes that keep balls from going everywhere, exactly like the nets at any cricket ground or academy.

The turf works. Our black turf surface provides consistent bounce, which is actually an advantage over many outdoor practice wickets in OC that can be unpredictable depending on recent weather and maintenance. A consistent surface lets you isolate your batting technique without worrying about whether the next ball is going to keep low off a crack or rear up off a length.

The real difference-maker is the machine.

The TRIPLEPLAY PLUS: A Bowling Machine in Disguise

This is the part that gets OC cricketers genuinely excited when they visit.

The TRIPLEPLAY PLUS is a three-wheel pitching machine manufactured by Sports Tutor. In the baseball world, it's used to throw fastballs, curves, sliders, cutters, and drops at speeds from 40 to 90 MPH.

In the cricket world, it does something no standard bowling machine can match at this price point: it replicates pace, seam movement, and swing with real balls at adjustable speeds, all through a digital control panel.

Here's what matters for cricketers:

Eight delivery types at the push of a button. The machine throws fastballs (stock pace deliveries), curves that move both ways (simulating off-spin and leg-spin), sliders (the cutter/seam movement that gives batsmen nightmares), and drops (yorker-length deliveries that dip late). A left curve mimics the trajectory of a left-arm orthodox spinner or a ball swinging into a right-hander. A right curve replicates off-spin or away-swing. The slider settings create the kind of lateral seam movement off the surface that you'd face from a quality seam bowler at club or district level.

Speed range of 40 to 90 MPH in 5 MPH increments. That's roughly 65 to 145 km/h. At the low end, you can simulate medium-pace bowling to work on timing and footwork against military-medium deliveries. At the top end, you're facing genuinely quick bowling. An 85-90 MPH delivery arrives at the crease with the kind of pace that only the quickest bowlers in OCCA or SCCA leagues can generate. For context, international fast bowlers typically operate between 85-95 MPH (140-155 km/h). You can train against pace that's well above anything you'll face in a weekend league match, which means match-day bowling will feel that much slower.

Three-wheel design for accuracy and variation. This is the technical detail that matters most. Two-wheel machines change the ball's trajectory by adjusting the speed differential between two spinning wheels. They're limited in the types of movement they can produce. The TRIPLEPLAY PLUS uses three wheels arranged in a triangle, which means it can independently control topspin, backspin, and sidespin. That's what allows it to throw genuine swing, seam, and dip rather than just speed changes. For cricketers, this is the difference between a throwdown machine and something that actually simulates what you'll face in a match.

Digital readout means no guesswork. You select your speed and delivery type on the control panel. No paper charts, no radar gun, no manual dial adjustment between overs. You can switch from a 75 MPH inswinger to a 60 MPH off-spinning delivery in seconds. That kind of rapid variation is exactly what batsmen need to develop shot selection under pressure. Can you play the quick bouncer off the back foot and then get forward to the slower, spinning delivery on the very next ball? The machine lets you train that sequence.

Local OCCA and SCYCA players who've used the TRIPLEPLAY PLUS at our facility have told us it's the closest thing to facing a quality net bowler that they've experienced from a machine. The lateral movement, the ability to change pace without changing the machine's physical position, and the consistent line all combine to create a net session that actually translates to match performance.

What a Cricket Net Session Looks Like at On Deck

Book a 30-minute or 60-minute cage session online. Walk-in to the TRIPLEPLAY PLUS set up at one end of a 70-foot lane. You take your guard at the other end.

Start with some looseners: 50-65 MPH straight deliveries on a good length. Get your eye in. Find your rhythm. Feel the bounce off the turf. Play some drives through the V.

Then start working. Dial the pace up to 75 MPH and ask the machine to move the ball. Inswingers that shape into your pads, testing your ability to clip off the hip or work into the leg side.

Away-swingers that hold their line outside off stump, demanding you either leave cleanly or drive with full commitment through the line of the ball.

Mix in some variation. Drop the speed to 55 MPH with a left or right curve setting to simulate spin. Practice getting to the pitch of the ball, using your feet, and driving through the covers.

Then crank it back up to 80 MPH with the slider setting for seam movement off the surface. That's the ball that gets you nicking off in a match if you're not watching the ball all the way onto the blade.

Finish with a spell of short-pitched stuff at 80-85 MPH. Practice your pull shot. Work on your back-foot defence. Get comfortable against pace that's faster than anything you'll face on a Saturday.

Thirty minutes of that, and you've faced more quality deliveries than most club cricketers face in a month of outdoor net sessions where half the overs are bowled by part-time trundlers who spray it both sides of the wicket.

On Deck HB: The Facility Details That Matter for Cricket

Nine cage lanes, 70 feet long by 15 feet wide. Multiple lanes mean your team can run a proper net session with three or four batsmen rotating through simultaneously, just like a real training night at any cricket club.

Retractable netting opens into nearly 7,000 sq ft of turfed space. Pull the dividers back and you've got room for fielding drills, catching practice, throwing drills, and short-form fitness work. This is space that no other cricket training option in OC currently offers.

Indoor means year-round, weather-proof, daylight-proof. Book a 7 PM session in January and train under full lighting without worrying about sunset, rain, or morning dew on the outfield. OCCA runs winter and summer leagues. Your preparation shouldn't have a dark season.

Location: 7442 Vincent Circle, Huntington Beach, CA 92648. Central to the OC cricket corridor. Accessible from Irvine, Fountain Valley, Westminster, Garden Grove, and the rest of the HB area without the 405 crawl that kills your evening.

Who This Is For

OCCA league players who need midweek net sessions that don't depend on weather, daylight, or field permits. Whether you're in the Winter League or Summer League, consistent batting practice between matches is what separates sides that improve over a season from sides that plateau.

SCYCA youth players (ages 6-19) who want to supplement their weekend coaching sessions with additional batting time during the week. The TRIPLEPLAY PLUS speed range starts at 40 MPH, which is appropriate for younger players working on fundamentals, and scales all the way up for under-19 players facing genuine pace.

SoCal Women's Cricket Association members and Cali Crushers players looking for a training venue that welcomes everyone. Cricket is growing fastest among women and girls in the US right now. Having an accessible, well-lit, indoor facility with professional equipment removes one more barrier.

Individual cricketers who aren't attached to a club but want to maintain their batting during the off-season, prepare for a tournament, or simply get back into the game after time away. You don't need a team booking. You can walk in, book a lane, and hit.

Teams preparing for tournaments. Book multiple lanes for a full squad net session. Batsmen rotate through the cages while bowlers and fielders use the open turf space for drills. Run your entire training night under one roof.

The OC Cricket Training Landscape: Your Options

To be fair, here's what else is available:

Sixers & Stumps (Lake Forest) is the only dedicated indoor cricket facility in OC. They offer batting cages with bowling machines, box cricket, team practices, and coaching. Located at 22600 Lambert Street, Lake Forest. Open weekdays 3-9 PM, weekends 9 AM-6 PM. Memberships available with a 4-month minimum commitment. If you're in south OC, they're worth checking out. Their focus is 100% cricket, which means the environment, the equipment, and the community are all cricket-specific.

Outdoor grounds through OCCA and SCYCA remain the backbone of cricket practice in OC. Lake Forest Sports Park, Heritage Park in Irvine, Hope School in Buena Park, and Yorba Regional Park all host regular sessions. These are great for match simulation, bowling practice, and fielding work. But they can't offer the controlled, repeatable, weather-proof batting reps that indoor nets provide.

On Deck HB fills the gap between those two options.

We're not a cricket-only facility, and we don't pretend to be. What we offer is nine professional-grade indoor lanes with a machine that local cricketers have already validated as an excellent tool for batting development, plus the space and equipment to run a complete training session for your squad.

How to Book

Check ondeckbattingcages.com for booking and current pricing. Lane sessions are available in 30-minute and 60-minute blocks. Team bookings for multiple lanes are available.

If you're an OCCA team captain, SCYCA coach, or cricket club organizer and want to discuss regular training slots or group rates, reach out to us directly. We want to support the cricket community here, and we're open to building something together.

On Deck Batting Cages 7442 Vincent Circle Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Mike Rogers is the co-owner of On Deck Batting Cages and has operated sports training facilities in the Long Beach and Orange County area for 18+ years. On Deck HB is the only facility in Huntington Beach offering indoor cricket batting practice alongside baseball and softball training.

Cricket Batting Practice in Orange County: A Complete Guide