Buyers’ Advice – Dimension cricket nets reviewed and compared

Choosing the right home cricket net system …

Dimension Sport, an Australian owned business founded in 2000 and the market leaders in home cricket net systems, supply a range of pop up, cage and folding net options as well as several “paceman” bowling machines which are great for younger players who wish to develop their cricket skills at home. For several years now Flicx UK have been selling the Dimension range of nets and bowling machines alongside our top quality 2G Flicx Pitch surfaces where we have 4m, 7.5m and 10m batting end options which are increasingly popular for home use.

Our home academy which comprises of a pitch, net, bowling machine and stumps is everything you need to practice your shots without damage to the lawn, garden whilst achieving a consistent bounce and meaning your child can practice alone and all year round – the ideal product for the cricket enthusiast! Check out our Build your Own Bundle for all the options and to create your bespoke home cricket academy.

The advice and guidance below are based on our experience of using the nets to date as well as customer feedback and the manufacturers advice. Let’s start with the positives …

• Very competitive price points making them affordable backyard cricket nets.
• Systems are well designed especially the new folding options for 2023 (SP3, SP6, AP6)
• Nets all perfectly compliment the Dimension Bowling Machines
• All the netting used across the range is UV Treated
• One year manufacturer’s warranty. Dimension have been good to quickly and efficiently replace faulty parts or damage in our experience.
• Fairly quick and easy to put up (it’s definitely a 2-person job and takes around 15/20 minutes per net)

NB – The SP3, SP6 and AP6’s can also all fold down very quickly too, so these are perfect if you want more of a temporary net to put up and down for each use. You can keep the net round the frame too but it will then not fit in the carry bag so a cover should be found.

With the competitive price points we believe the SP3, AP6 and SP6 nets especially and to a lesser extent the GS3 and GS5 nets are mainly geared towards softball cricket or more specifically use with Dimension bowling machine products so are not in our opinion robust enough for hard ball cricket / use with a leather cricket ball. This makes the target market very much junior players and youngsters developing and learning the game rather than older players say U11’s upwards wanting to play hard ball cricket at home. If this is your intended use, then we would recommend you plump for the FS5 net or more premium options from other suppliers.

Purchase Considerations

Usage – Dimension Sport do not recommend these nets for club or school use and we would advise against using with real leather cricket balls / for hard ball cricket except for the FS5 net which is the most robust net in the range.

Artificial Lawns – Those with artificial turf lawns have limited options as the GS3, GS5 and FS5 are all ground secured with guy ropes and pegs (this also means the space needed to erect the nets is around 1m larger the net size itself. The SP3, SP6 and AP6 being freestanding could all sit on top of a synthetic lawn however consideration needs to be given to how to enclose the structure as balls struck will all exit under the net. You could use bricks or other weights to hold the net down and try to keep balls inside.

Hard Ball Cricket – If you do choose to use heavier balls / real leather cricket balls in the SP3, SP6 folding systems, you will likely dent the stands of the frame. This means that they wont collapse down but could still be usable with dents in. You could reinforce the frame itself with a pipe covering to offer more protection against firmer shots or shots that hit the frame.

If your son or daughter is playing hardball cricket and you are looking for a garden net system, Flicx do also have various other options to suit your space / budget from a Tildanet or Hinton net right up to a club level batting cage. Do visit our website for more information or to discuss your requirements with our helpful team. We can help you create that perfect garden cricket / home academy set up to take your cricket skills to the next level!

Weather – The great British weather can be unpredictable even in the summer cricket season. The GS3 and GS5 nets are especially lightweight so in heavy wind, rain, and storms, they should not be left outside. With the other systems too in poor weather, consider taking the net down and storing it inside to prevent rust or damage and to extend the life of your net.