What Are Cricket Sight Screens and Why Does JMS Cricket Supply Them?

Cricket sight screens are large, usually white or dark panels placed directly behind the bowler's arm at each end of the pitch. Their job is to give the batter a plain, contrasting background so the ball can be picked up quickly against the crowd, trees, buildings or advertising boards behind it. JMS Cricket lists sight screens as the first item in its product range, alongside mobile covers, batting cages, flat sheet covers, indoor netting and scoreboards, which places them among the core ground equipment the company supplies to clubs and ground managers.

Why sight screens matter

A batter has roughly half a second to read the line, length and speed of a delivery. If the background behind the bowler is cluttered — spectators moving, a scoreboard, a dark pavilion wall, low sun through trees — the ball is harder to track and the risk of a misjudged shot or a blow to the body goes up.

A sight screen solves this by creating a uniform surface at both ends:

• Contrast: a white screen against a red ball, or a dark screen against a white ball, depending on the format and conditions.
• Consistency: the same background for every delivery, rather than one that shifts with the sun or crowd.
• Safety and fairness: both teams bat and bowl with the same visual conditions at each end.

This is why sight screens are treated as standard ground equipment rather than an optional extra at any level where hard-ball cricket is played.

What JMS Cricket supplies

JMS Cricket describes itself as a supplier of cricket ground equipment and lists the following in its range:

The company's stated position is as "leaders in cricket ground equipment," and its site invites clubs to make contact to start improving their ground. Sight screens sit at the top of that list, which suggests they are one of the main products the business is built around.

How to judge whether you need one

Ask these questions before contacting a supplier:

1. Does your ground have a clear, uniform background at both ends? If not, a screen is the standard fix.
2. Is the screen fixed or mobile? Mobile screens can be repositioned for different pitch ends or shared between grounds.
3. What colour suits your conditions? White is the traditional choice for red-ball cricket; dark screens are used where a white ball is in play.
4. Where will it be stored and moved? Screens are large, so access, storage and handling matter as much as the screen itself.
5. Does it need to meet league or governing-body requirements? Check your competition's ground regulations before ordering.

Getting specifics from JMS Cricket

JMS Cricket's site does not publish dimensions, materials, colours or prices for its sight screens. Those details — along with installation and delivery — need to come directly from the supplier. The site provides two contact routes:

• Phone: 01925 853803
• Email: via the "Click to Email Us" link on the site

When you get in touch, it helps to have your ground dimensions, the number of ends you need to cover, whether you want fixed or mobile units, and any league requirements to hand. That way the supplier can match a screen to your ground rather than you working backwards from a catalogue.

Where sight screens fit in a ground upgrade

If you are planning a broader improvement, sight screens are usually one part of a package. Clubs often combine them with mobile covers to protect the pitch, batting nets for practice, and a scoreboard for match days. JMS Cricket supplies all of these, so a single enquiry can cover several items — useful if you want consistent equipment and one point of contact for delivery and support.

The practical starting point is simple: identify which ends of your square lack a clear background, decide whether you need fixed or mobile screens, then contact JMS Cricket with those details to get specifications and a quote.