Acute Effects of Cricket Fast Bowling on Bone Turnover and Signaling Markers

The goal of this study is to investigate the acute effects of cricket fast bowling on the bone turnover and signaling markers in healthy young males.

The main question aims to answer:

• Does a single bout acute fast bowling change serum C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-I) and other bone turnover and signaling markers levels?

Participants complete both the bowling and control trials, with a minimum washout period of one week between trials. During each trial, blood samples are collected at three time points: pre-, immediately post, and 2-hour post bowling/rest.

Study Overview

• Status: Enrolling by invitation
• Conditions: Health Adults
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Exercise

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 14
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • Leicestershire
    • Loughborough, Leicestershire, United Kingdom, LE11 3TU
      • Loughborough Univeristy

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy male
• Aged 18 - 30
• Cricket fast bowlers (a ball speed of ~100kmh) playing for a university team or above, such as British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) or University Centre of Cricketing Excellence (UCCE)
• Injury free for the last 3 months

Exclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosed with any disease or use of any medication that affects bone turnover
• Fracture experienced within the previous year/season

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Arm Bowling + Control; Participants first perform the bowling trial, followed by the control trial, with a minimum interval of one week between the two trials.	Behavioral: Exercise; During the bowling trial, participants perform 8 sets of 6 deliveries (bowl at match intensity throughout), followed by 2-hour rest. Each set is interspersed by a 3-minute randomized fielding simulation. During the control trial, participants rest throughout instead of bowling.
Experimental: Arm Control + Bowling; Participants first perform the control trial, followed by the bowling trial, with a minimum interval of one week between the two trials.	Behavioral: Exercise; During the bowling trial, participants perform 8 sets of 6 deliveries (bowl at match intensity throughout), followed by 2-hour rest. Each set is interspersed by a 3-minute randomized fielding simulation. During the control trial, participants rest throughout instead of bowling.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Serum C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-I) concentration	Serum CTX-I concentration is measured using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) and reported in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL).	Blood samples are collected at baseline, immediately after the bowling or the corresponding rest period, and 2 hours after the second blood sample collection.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Serum N-terminal propeptide of type I collagen (PINP) concentration	Serum PINP concentration is measured using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) and reported in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL).	Blood samples are collected at baseline, immediately after the bowling or the corresponding rest period, and 2 hours after the second blood sample collection.
Serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentration	Serum PTH concentration is measured using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) and reported in picograms per milliliter (pg/mL).	Blood samples are collected at baseline, immediately after the bowling or the corresponding rest period, and 2 hours after the second blood sample collection.
Serum sclerostin concentration	Serum sclerostin concentration is measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and reported in picograms per milliliter (pg/mL).	Blood samples are collected at baseline, immediately after the bowling or the corresponding rest period, and 2 hours after the second blood sample collection.
Serum dickkopf Wnt signaling pathway inhibitor 1 (DKK1) concentration	Serum DKK1 concentration is measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and reported in picograms per milliliter (pg/mL).	Blood samples are collected at baseline, immediately after the bowling or the corresponding rest period, and 2 hours after the second blood sample collection.
Serum osteoprotegerin (OPG) concentration	Serum OPG concentration is measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and reported in picograms per milliliter (pg/mL).	Blood samples are collected at baseline, immediately after the bowling or the corresponding rest period, and 2 hours after the second blood sample collection.
Serum irisin concentration	Serum irisin concentration is measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and reported in picograms per milliliter (pg/mL).	Blood samples are collected at baseline, immediately after the bowling or the corresponding rest period, and 2 hours after the second blood sample collection.
Bowling speed	Bowling speed is measured using a radar gun during the 8 overs of bowling and reported in miles per hour (MPH).	Bowling speed is measured during the bowling trial.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Loughborough University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Katherine Brooke-Wavell, Loughborough University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 20, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 14, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 20, 2025
• First Posted (Estimated): December 3, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): December 3, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 20, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Bone turnover; Cricket; Fast bowling; Stress injuries
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena; Exercise
• Other Study ID Numbers: 11201 (DAIDS ES Registry Number)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No