ACO Newsletter No.8 Feb 2011:ACO NEWSLETTER - Ecb

ASSOCIATION OF CRICKET OFFICIALSNEWSLETTER – Number 8 – March 2011Our Cover Story…It is a pleasure to acknowledge the skill and control shownby Ian Gould during the recent South Africa-v-India Testand ODI series. What makes this particularly apposite isthat he gave of his time so willingly at the NationalConference shortly before he left for Johannesburg - andthe message he gave out was that as well as being an eliteumpire he was first and foremost “one of us”. All in theaudience were hugely appreciative of the straight forwardnature of his answers to Nick in the Q&A session, so to beable to observe him first in that modest persona on thestage at Lord’s and then soon after adjudicating soTelephone number changePlease note, the ACO telephone number has changed.Please use the following number for all enquiries 0121 446 2710brilliantly in the pressurised situation of that Test arena,was humbling. The particular decision to decide correctlythat ‘that’ ball had not hit the edge of the bat but theoutside of the off stump, and the confidence with which heturned down the loud appeals was evidence of an official atthe very top of his game. As one of the commentatorspointed out when the screen showed South African teammembers in the pavilion signalling that it was the stump -‘Well, having shoutedat him, I wonderhow many are goingto go up to him at Powerplaysthe bar after andsay ‘Sorry Ump’!Education Pathway 4/5Grading & Classification 6Officiating (a comparison) 7‘Tom Smith’s’ 22

Team SheetThe BoardRoger Knight – ChairmanNick Cousins – ACO SEOPeter Mitchell – Midlands (& Dep Chairman)Lorraine Elgar – London & EastTony Hemmings – South & WestPhilip Radcliffe – NorthDave Carter – WalesRichard Holdsworth – ICC/EuropeFraser Stewart – Laws & UniversitiesManager, MCCPaul Bedford – Head of non first classcricketChris Kelly – ECB Umpires’ ManagerPeter Willey – 1st-class UmpiresAlan West – 1st-class Scorers(Vacancy) – Independent MemberThe ECB ACO ExecutiveNick Cousins – Senior Executive OfficerBen Francis – Administrator (Lord’s)Sam Greaves – Finance & Project OfficerEddie Lunn – Education Manager (South)Glyn Pearson – Education Manager (North)Pierre Tartari – Membership ServicesOfficerJames Dexter – Business &Administration Officer (Edgbaston)Charlie Jewell – Young OfficialsDevelopment OfficerACO BoardSub-CommitteesEducationMembership ServicesScorersPerformanceAppointments and GradingACO office contactPhone – 0121 446 2710E-mail – ecbaco@ecb.co.ukAddressesECB ACO, Lord’s Cricket Ground,London, NW8 8QZ.ECB Offices,Warwickshire CC Ground,Edgbaston,Birmingham, B5 7QXNewsletter EditorPierre TartariEDITORIALGrowth, progress,and changesOne of the most heartening aspects of our early years has been thesuccess of our two National Conferences. Aside from the quality ofthe presentations, the last Conference did really feel like a familyget-together with much smiling and a general acknowledgementthat we are all moving in the same direction. This represents a giantstep forward, and one of which we should all be proud because ithas not been an easy transition. It seems a good moment to remindus all, and especially the 2,000 or so new members who have joinedus – the details of the journey we have taken in the last four years.Since our formation after the agreementsreached by the members of the ECB-ACU&S Working Party in late 2007,there were but four people involved atthat time; Chris Kelly; Frank Kemp, thethen head of non-1st class cricket operations;Dan Abbott, the ECB FinanceManager, and Sam Greaves, who wasparachuted in from another ECB Department.Then, from 1 January 2008 theECB ACO was established and inheritedabout 5,000 existingACU&S members who agreed to betransferred to the new association.A few months later, Nick Cousins whohad recently become the Independent(non cricket) Member on the Board, wasappointed Education Manager and at thebeginning of the following year, 2009, Ijoined as Membership Services Officerand shortly afterwards Fergus Guppyjoined as a volunteer, sponsored by theYouth Sports Trust, as the first YODO(Young Officials Development Officer).By the end of that year, the team hadcleared; the back-log of database additionsand corrections, activated thousandsof new direct debits, and tackledthe vast number of e-mail enquiries thathad been inexplicably diverted into theether during the changeover. In addition,courses were created for the 1500 or socandidates entered for the new Level 1and Level 2 qualification. To furthersupport the Board, a volunteer workforceinfra-structure of sub committeeswas created - Membership Services(representing the views and needs of thegeneral membership), and Education (itselfsupported by the Scorer Committeeand the three task-force units which hadworked on the new courses).Which brings us to 2010. The Executivewas strengthened not just by NickCousins’ seamless transition to the roleof Senior Executive in charge of theACO, but with the addition of two parttimeEducation Managers- Glyn Pearsoncovering the North and Midlands andEddie Lunn covering London & Eastand South & West. The ACO took ownershipof the database from the externalprovider, and James Dexter joined theteam with specific responsibility for this.Ben Francis replaced Fergus Guppy asYODO, and we had first Rebecca Pikeand then Krishan Solanki acting as ACOadministrators.And so to 2011. The ACO has takenresponsibility for the activities of the RegionalAppointments Coordinators andwelcomed a newly appointed ‘NationalScorers Administration Officer, GeoffTrett to join them on the newly-createdAppointments and Performance subcommittee.The development of an assessmentteam to manage and monitorperformance and the introduction of acompletely new grading structure whichis inclusive of all umpires and scorers,has further enhanced the volunteerworkforce infra-structure. In addition,ACO Membership Services has been integratedinto the newly-created ECBBusiness and Administration departmentat Edgbaston (to which James has re-located),which also runs the equivalentparts of the Coach Association; CoachEducation and Twelfth Man. An additionalopportunity in this exciting newoperation will be that we can at last developthe members’ portal to include ondemandcourse applications andappointments, as well as being the storagefacility enabling each member toview his/her personal data.Finally, within the team at the core,Ben Francis has become the ACO Administratorand Charlie Jewell is the newYODO. More change is imminent becausein March both Sam and I will beleaving – Sam to take over the runningof the family business in Banbury, and Ito concentrate on the Editorship of ourgrowing Magazine. More of this in thenext edition, but in the meantime pleasenote the advert on the back page. Whatwe can be sure about is that whateverpersonnel changes occur, the Associationwill retain its independence; continueto become a firmly established partof ECB, and continue to give value andservice to its membership.e-mail us at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk 2 contact us on 0121 446 2710

Tech-Tactic #005Fit for Play?The change in the Law relating tothe fitness for play in October 2010provides a clear message relating tothe management of the suitabilityof conditions for play and the responsibilityfor the decisions to bemade.One of the clear objectives behindthis change is to ensure thatplaying time in cricketmatches is maximised, butat the same time to be trulyeffective the umpires needto be seen as being decisivewith their application of therevised Law. The decisivenessmust be evident in theactions and communicationof the umpires and in themanner that any decision isreached.The change applies to alldecisions relating to thesuitability of the conditionsfor any match to be continued or tostart. Whereas the umpires havebeen able to manage this process inrelation to the fitness of ground effectivelyin the past, the main areaof adjustment that will need to bemade will be with regards to themanagement of light and its suitabilityfor play.The responsibility for assessingthe condition of the light is nowsolely with the on-field umpires.Neither the fielding side nor thebatting side has any right of appealagainst the condition of thelight at any time and are not to beincluded in the decision makingprocess.The on-field umpires will need tobe decisive in their decision makingand not be seen as hesitant. Theperception created in such incidentsis all important and clear explanationsare to be given to both captainsat the appropriate times. Itneeds to be emphasised that the battingand fielding sides have no rightof appeal with regards to the conditionof the light, and such decisionsare to be made according to Law3.8.Tech-Tactic TipsUmpires should ensure that:The on-field umpires are facedwith just one judgement - the pointat which the conditions are suchthat to continue play would constitutea risk to the safety of players orthe umpires themselves. If the conditionswere such that either sidewas merely disadvantaged alone,play is not to be suspended. As a resultof the application of this revisedLaw it is expected that playwill continue beyond the time whenin the past light would have beenoffered to the batting side and assuch what was a multi-stageprocess has been reduced to a singlestage. The outcome of this revisedLaw will result in there beingmore cricket with the players unableto accept (or not accept) theoffer of light for tactical reasons.The umpires are required to usetheir experience and judgement todetermine the point at which conditionsare such that it is too dangerousfor play to continue and shouldconsider suspending play whenthey are finding that it is nolonger possible to follow theflight of the ball, whetherfrom the bowler’s hand orthe bat or from returns byfielders to the wicket.However, the context ofany such decision changesconstantly throughout eachmatch and any decision tosuspend play will be specificto conditions at that time andthat time only. This meansthat no comparisons shouldbe made with previous occasionswhen play had been suspendedas justification forsuspending play or not.Play is only to be suspendedwhen both umpires agree thatconditions are too dangerous tocontinue and play will continueuntil both umpires are in suchagreement.■ Within the parameters set out above that playing time is maximised■ Play should not be suspended as soon as conditions become lessthan perfect but only when the conditions constitute a risk to thesafety of players or officials.■ Through their actions and communication they are decisive in theirdecision making in this regard.■ They endeavour to apply their judgement in context and in aconsistent manner.What’s in a name?Finding a name for our newsletter has proved to be a controversial topic, and we are still searching for that pithy titlethat will satisfy the majority. You have seen at least 20 offerings (we have published them regularly), and we also rana poll at the National Conference. Many people take the same view as Alan Fox, of Trowbridge who wrote to us asfollows:“My copy of the ‘ACO Newsletter - Number 7’ has just arrived and I notice that “How’s That?” is not to be revisitedas a title for our journal. I am surprised that is so because cricket is a game of tradition and such a title wouldacknowledge the debt that we owe to the work accomplished by those pioneers who banded together to provide abetter service to players, both professional and amateur”.The fact is that ‘How’s That’ (or various derivations of it) is already the title of at least three other journals, one anestablished ECB Coach Association publication. We cannot claim it even if we want to.Current favourites are Pebbles and Pens or A flick through the covers. Nick has asked the Membership Services Committeeto make a firm recommendation which we will then go with – this is your last chance to express any views.e-mail us at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk 3 contact us on 0121 446 2710

Education and TrainingEducation and training is one of our core priorities - not just providing courses andencouragement for newcomers, although this remains our highest priority, but alsothose that serve as refreshers and as continuous professional development for allofficials whatever their experience.We need more new tutors and assessors to provide for this supported developmentand below, Eddie Lunn, one of our National Education Managers sets out the completeprogramme which shows both the pathway and the qualifications currently available.Education and Supported Development for ECB ACO Assessors,Scorers, Tutors & UmpiresThe flowchart entitled Education and Supported Development for Officials is primarily intended to provide a representativeoverview of the progression for all ECB ACO officials.It shows:• The formal Education elements at each stage• County or Regional Supported Development linked to these Education stages• Progression based on match experience and performanceThe opportunities for Performance can also provide opportunities for observation and assessment leading to gradingand re-grading based on that performance.Assessor and Tutor requirements are determined by the County and the Region depending on the stage being observed/assessedor educated.Relevant Level certificates are issued to ECB ACO members and valid for the duration of membership.Education and Supported Development for OfficialsEducation and Supported Development for OfficialsEntry PointsNo prior experiencerequiredEntry PointsLevel 1 certificate +match experienceEntry PointsLevel 1A certificate+ performanceEntry PointsLevel 2 certificate +performanceIntroductory &Young OfficialsAwardLevel 1AwardLevel 1AAwardLevel 2AwardLevel 3Award2- 4 hoursWorkshopSupportedDevelopment12-16 hourscourse +AssessmentSupportedDevelopmentVerification of thebest practice,performance andexperience.SupportedDevelopmentFieldcraft andTechniquesprogrammeSupportedDevelopmentMulti-dayprogrammeECB ACOCertificateECB ACOLevel 1CertificateECB ACOLevel 1ACertificateECB ACOLevel 2CertificateECB ACOLevel 3Certificatee-mail us at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk 4 contact us on 0121 446 2710

The following Awards and related notes are intended to apply to all ECB ACO Assessors,Scorers, Tutors and UmpiresIntroductory and Young Officials AwardCourse registration: ECB ACO via CEO and REOEntry:No previous experience requiredDuration: 2-4 hoursTutor:Approved County or YO TutorAssessor: Not requiredAssessment: No formal assessmentAwards:Certificate of AttendanceYoung Officials Award after 3 matchesCertificated by: ECB ACO – confirmation of names from theTutor or CEOCounty Grading: UngradedNominations for Introductory or Young Officials• Potential Scorers and Umpires; will be self-nominated for thisprogramme• Assessors; will be nominated by their County ACO or CPO toattend County or Regional Assessor workshops for guidance oncriteria, assessor and observation training plus bench marking.• Tutors; will be nominated by their respective County ACO orCEO to attend County or Regional Tutor workshops forfamiliarisation with the resources and materials plus bestpractice guidance and sharing.ECB ACO Level 1 - County ACO course –managed by the CEOCourse registration: ECB ACO via CEO and REOEntry:No previous experience requiredDuration: 12–16 hoursTutor:Registered County Tutor (an ECB ACOmember)Assessor: County appointed - ECB ACO AssessorAssessment: Multiple choice question paper – CPOadministeredAwards:Certificate of Attendance or…Pass:ECB ACO Level 1 CertificateCertificated by: ECB ACO (on receipt of names from the CPO)County Grading: Automatically 6Re-gradingPost course to 5 or 4 based on observedperformanceNominations for Level 1• Potential Scorers and Umpires; will be self-nominated for thisprogramme• Assessors; will be nominated by their County ACO or CPO toattend County or Regional Assessor workshops for guidance oncriteria, assessor and observation training plus bench marking.• Tutors; will be nominated by their respective County ACO orCEO to attend County or Regional Tutor workshops forfamiliarisation with the resources and materials plus bestpractice guidance and sharing.ECB ACO Level 1A - County ACO course –managed by the CEOCourse registration: ECB ACO via CEO and REOEntry:Level 1 certificate + match experienceDuration: 12–16 hoursTutor:Approved ECB ACO Level 1A TutorAssessor: County appointed AssessorsAssessment: (Umpire)Workbook + experience + ProfessionalDiscussion – CPOAssessment: (Scorer) Scoring Records to be verified by a Countyappointed officerAwards:ECB ACO Level 1A certificateCertificated by: ECB ACO (on receipt of names from the Countyor CPO)County re-grading: Post course to 4 or 3 based on observedperformanceECB ACO Level 2c - Regional ACO course –managed by the CEOCourse registration: ECB ACO via CEO and REOEntry:Level 1A certificate + match experienceDuration: 12–16 hoursTutor:Approved ECB ACO Level 2c TutorAssessor: Regional appointed Assessor(s)Assessment: Completion of the 2-day workshop – see alsoRegional Level 2Awards:ECB ACO Level 2c certificateCertificated by:Re-gradingECB ACO (on receipt of names from the CPO)Post course to 3 or 2 based on observedperformance(The level 2c award is the workshop-only element of the full Level 2regional programme. Any nominee wishing to complete Level 2c andsubsequently achieve the full Level 2 award will be able to do so bycompleting the additional elements. These include the courseworkbook, match summary for the season(s), the self-evaluations,external or independent observation and assessment, plus the finalprofessional discussion.)Nominations for Level 1A award• Existing competent Scorers and Umpires; will be nominatedwithin County for this programme• Assessors; will be nominated by their County ACO or CPO toattend County or Regional Assessor workshops for guidance oncriteria, assessor and observation training plus bench marking.• Tutors; will be nominated by their respective County ACO orCEO to attend County or Regional Tutor workshops forfamiliarisation with the resources and materials plus bestpractice guidance and sharing.Nominations for Level 2c• Experienced Scorers and Umpires; will be nominated withinCounty for this programme.• Assessors; will be nominated by their County ACO or CPO toattend Regional Assessor workshops for guidance on criteria,assessor and observation training plus bench marking.Tutors; will be nominated by their respective County ACO or CEO toattend Regional Tutor workshops for familiarisation with theresources and materials plus best practice guidance and sharing.e-mail us at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk 5 contact us on 0121 446 2710

ECB ACO Level 2 - Regional ACO course –managed by the REOCourse registration: ECB ACO via REOEntry:Nomination to REO by County with Level 2ccertificateDuration: 2 day course and up to 2 seasons’ experienceTutor:Approved ECB ACO Level 2 Lead TutorAssessor: Regional appointed Assessor(s)Assessment: Workbook or Scoring Records, self-assessment +independent observation/assessment ofperformance + a final Professional Discussion,(PD)Awards: ECB ACO Level 2 certificateCertificated by:Re-gradingECB ACO (on receipt of names from the RPO)Post course to 2*, 1 or 1* based on observedperformanceECB ACO Level 3 - National ACO course –managed by the SEOCourse registration: ECB ACO by SEOEntry: Nomination to SEO by REO/RPO with Level 2certificateDuration: 4–6 modules over 12–24 months + multi-dayexperienceTutor:Approved ECB ACO Level 3 Lead TutorAssessor:Assessment:Awards:Certificated by:Re-grading:Nationally appointed Assessor(s)Workbook, self-assessment + independentobservation and assessment of performance +Professional Discussion, (PD)ECB ACO Level 3 certificateECB ACO (on receipt of names from the SEO)Po st course to 1 or 1* – subject to performanceNominations for Level 2 award• Experienced Scorers and Umpires; will be nominated to theREO or RSO for this regional programme.• Assessors; will be nominated by their Regional Education Officeror Regional Performance Officer to attend the national Assessorworkshops for guidance on criteria, assessor and observationtraining plus bench-marking.• Tutors; will be nominated by their respective REO or RPO toattend national Tutor workshops for familiarisation with theresources and materials plus best-practice guidance andsharing.Nominations for Level 3 award• Experienced Scorers and Umpires; will be invited to theRegional or National programme.• Assessors; will be nominated to the Senior Executive Officer ofECB ACO by their respective REO or RPO. Applicants may beinvited to attend the national Assessor workshops for guidanceon criteria, assessor and observation training plus benchmarking.• Tutors; will be nominated to the SEO of ECB ACO by theirrespective REO or RPO. Applicants may be invited to attend thenational Tutor workshops for familiarisation with the resourcesand materials plus best practice guidance and sharing.Classification and Grading – UpdateAn important up-date provided by Nick Cousins, our SEO...Further to the explanation in the last newsletter, your County officers have been working extremely hard to fulfil ourplans, and we are delighted to announce that all County ACOs have graded as many umpires as they are able in therange ‘C1’ to ‘C6’.These 2011 grades are based upon the standard of league cricket to which umpires were appointed in 2010. In addition,the County officers decided which individuals were to be given the additional * or + category (* indicatingthe umpire has the potential to make immediate progress; + indicating the umpire has umpired previously at a higherlevel - and could do so again if called upon).The national breakdown of all umpires Graded C1 to C5 is as follows;Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 TotalNo % No % No % No % No %751 19 833 21 806 21 567 14 961 25 3918We have a further 3,000 umpires who are graded at ‘C6’ or who remain ‘ungraded’. It seems probable that manyof these are active, probably standing as club umpires or in schools and youth matches, but it is also clear that withinthis number are many that County ACOs simply do not know about. It is a challenge to ensure that we ‘know’ whothese umpires are, and an objective for 2011 is to be in touch with them and explore what, if anything, we can do forthem. Education and continual professional development are for all – not just the province of those umpires whoare upwardly mobile through the leagues. We have an education programme and an emerging assessment, and performancemanagement programme, that together provide for the development of all of our members and that developmentmust be available to all.A small number of umpires are also graded ‘D’.The Umpires’ Manager, Chris Kelly has selected umpires for the first class list; the reserve panel; and those fromthe list of C1s that he wishes to use for other senior ECB appointments - and these umpires alone are graded as D.The Minor Counties also has a selected panel.(Ed: The lists of these umpires will be published in the next issue)CRB Process still ‘live’It is absolutely the case that the current CRB process isstill on-going, and all ‘Full’ members are required tohave a valid confirmation on file that they have completedthe ECB vetting process before we can completea new application or confirm renewal of membership.Yes, there is much debate at the moment as to whatchanges the Government might make, but this is all inthe future. So, if you need a check, you must obtainone. Call 0845 251 3000 for a CRB application form, orfor clarification of your current status with them.e-mail us at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk 6 contact us on 0121 446 2710

Officiating –A Comparison between sportsPerhaps unsurprisingly, the elements of officiating in our main national sports are, similar – and closeto identical when consideration is given to the issues of ‘spirit of the game’, ‘respect’, and‘discipline’ –at least in theory if not in practice.The respective training and fast-track pathways particularly for Young Officials may not howeverbe so similar so the question was posed, what can we learn from each other?This then is the topic for the next mini-series of features to run in the four issues of the Newsletterthis year. We shall be following the training and progress of not just one of our Young Officials butalso of his peers in rugby, football, hockey and tennis.We begin with a summary of the early experiences of two young officials in cricket and rugby.Our Cricket young official is…Nathan Hewitt, a 22 yo from Peterborough…Location; though he hails fromCambridgeshire, his BSc at ImperialCollege London gave him residencyin Leicester, and his current MScmodules find him in Cambridge-shire, so he has been umpiring inboth counties.His current grade, and expectation;He is ACO Level 1, taken atEaling in winter 08/09, and this ishis second full season now but hadbeen umpiring before in an ‘enthusiastic’capacity – which was one ofthe reasons he decided to follow theECB ACO pathway. He hopes totake the Level 1A this season. Hesays he started out by searching onthe ACO website for courses nearby,and it all spiralled from there. TheYoung Officials scheme was notaround when he first started but itwas pretty simple to get involved inone of the courses.What does he like about umpiring?Enjoying the responsibilitywhich comes with the observations,man-management and decisions,and being an umpire out in the middlerather than umpiring whilewatching the tv at home.What challenges is he expecting?Though there is still somestigma around about young officialsand the ‘he’s too young to be an umpire’factor that can be part of someplayers’ mentality, he sees this attitudeas the challenge – and then toofficiate well and prove otherwise.Where does he plan to be in5yrs? To progress as far as possible,and in 5yrs maybe to be umpiringmulti-day cricket. “I would love tobe a first-class umpire” are his finalwords.On behalf of Rugby Football… wewelcome David Jones, a 19 yofrom south-west London, who waskeen enough to start at 16 yo , andgranted his first ‘senior’ match at 17(the age corresponding with theminimum for playing at ‘senior’level).Location; currently studying a master’sdegree in chemistry atKingston University, London – andbelongs to the London Society ofRFU RefereesWhat is his current grade? ‘Level7’ – which enables him to referee upto and including London Div 2Matches (all matches are rated from‘premiership’ (L1) to ‘lowest’ (L15)What courses/exams has hehad to pass so far? to become areferee he took an ‘Entry Level RefereeAward’ (ELRA) stage 1 and 2.Then, after joining the society hewas assessed, and was passed toELRA stage 3. The ELRA courseteaches the skills required to refereerugby.What is next? He is currentlybeing mentored by a coach whowatch him 3 or 4 times a month, andadvise ‘improvement’ points. Thereis also a formal monthly assessment,and then a report is sent in to theAppointments and Grading Committee(A&G) who decide on thepace of progression. He is also sentto places around the country (in hiscase, Gloucester and Northampton)to experience the game outside London(as at higher levels, the teamscompete nationally rather than regionally).He hopes to reach L6 bythe end of the season and be promotedto the Development Squad.The ‘DS’ is comprised of referees atL6 who are trying to gain promotionon to the RFU Group of officialswho referee at L5 (National League3 matches).How is their officiating structured?The RFU Group is staged,where each official has a definednumber of seasons before the RFUdecide whether each is good enoughto progress to the RFU NationalPanel of Referees (PNR), which iscomprised of the top 60 referees inthe country. The PNR referees officiateat L4, L3 and L2 (NationalLeague 2 matches) up to the RFUChampionship. The highest level ofreferees in the country is part of theElite Referee Unit (ERU). Refereeson the PNR may gain promotiononto the ERU after constant assessments.ERU referees officiate in theEnglish Premiership, the highestlevel of rugby in the Country, andEuropean Cup matches.David Jones at the Dubai-7s(Ed: We shall be introducing theFootball and Tennis candidates inthe next issue)e-mail us at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk 7 contact us on 0121 446 2710

Young OfficialsDeveloping cricket officials under the age of 25This will be a new feature of the ACO Magazine but cannot be done without all of youyoung officials. If you have any suggestions or anything you would like to be includedthen we would love to hear from you.Lord’s Young Umpires Awardand the London Youth GamesOn January 22nd, the ECB ACO held a Young Umpires course in theboardroom of Lord’s cricket ground. Tutored by Alasdair Shaikh, 22 keenyoung cricketers were led through the guidelines and principles ofumpiring. The thing that made this course special, other than the fantasticvenue, was the teamwork between the ACO and the London YouthGames (LYG).The London Youth Games is the biggestannual youth sports event in Europe with33 London boroughs and over 50,000young people competing in over 30different sports. The cricket competition isheld over five days and therefore requiresa large number of officials and volunteers.This was therefore a good opportunity forthe ACO to train young umpires and allowthem to gain practical experience withinweeks of the course’s conclusion.Claire Larbey, LYG GamesForce Coordinator,was invited to the course todiscuss the opportunities available and hasnow recruited 12 new young officials tothe London Youth Games cricket events.One of the main challenges we face isensuring that newly qualified umpires aregiven the opportunities to gain thisexperience. This course was thereforeextremely effective and highlighted theadvantages of developing relationshipsbetween cricket competitions and thecourses we run.“The ECB has provided a fantastic settingfor young people to get involved inumpiring and bringing a new generationof officials in sport. I hope that thevolunteers that umpire at the London Youth Games Cricket events willcontinue with the enthusiasm that has been built up by a brilliant tutorand venue.” Claire Larbey (GamesForce Coordinator)Calling AllYoungScorers!Here at the ACO we arecurrently creating a new scorers’qualification for any cricketersunder the age of 25. Similar tothe Young Umpires course, itwill be approximately 3-4hrs induration and include thenecessary skills to score gamesat local club level. The coursewill include; role of the scorer,preparation, understanding thescorer’s record, scorer sheetsymbols, umpire signals andequipment.We are hoping to have the coursecompleted in the near future andtherefore begin running pilotcourses soon. The first coursewill be running here at Lord’sand we are therefore keen to getsome youngsters in to try it out.If you are interested in takingpart in the Young Scorers’ coursethen please send Charlie Jewellan email here at ECB ACO onyodo.cricket@ecb.co.uk.e-mail us at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk 8 contact us on 0121 446 2710

Women are underrepresented inofficiating - particularly at the toplevel of the game. The fact is thatthe 2007 Women’s Football WorldCup was officiated exclusively bywomen – and this year’s 2011tournament will have the samearrangements. The 2010 Women’sRugby World Cup was officiatedhalf by men and half by women (awoman did the final) but in therecent Women’s Cricket worldcup there was not an on-fieldwomen’s official to be seen.Let us take the debate forward –first starting with an apology fromNick Cousins to Anne Roberts, followedby an appraisal of the currentsituation by Sue Redfern, ECBLead Developer for Women & Girls’Cricket, to set the record straight…“Anne Roberts was quite right totake me to task – she was not alone– for writing inaccurately about UKwomen umpires officiating in theWomen’s World Cup”. I apologiseunreservedly for the unintendedslight - not least to Sheila Hillwhose immense contribution towomen’s cricket and officiating isdetailed elsewhere. However, if itwas this ‘faux pas’ that promptedAnne to write her letter, then I hopeshe will forgive me a little smile becauseher subsequent chronicling ofthe demise of the WCA panel andthe consequences for aspiringwomen officials, made the most importantpoints far more eloquentlyand powerfully then I could.Sue Redfern from ECB has replieddirectly and it is my sincere wishthat between us, we will be able toraise the profile of women’s officiatingand, as Anne pertinently observes,ensure that the glass ceilingis removed”.“In the last ACO newsletter, AnneRoberts rightly made the correctionregarding the use of female umpiresin international matches. Anne, youare correct that two females, JaneAyres and Sheila Hill, officiated inthe first Women’s World Cup in1973, which, incidentally, was thefirst-ever cricket World Cup, male orfemale. The theme itself is hot inthe media at the moment with SianMassey proving that talent and commitmentin any field should and willbe recognised and celebrated. Sowhat about cricket?Women in cricketDevelopment for women as players and officialsECB became the governing bodyfor women’s cricket in 1999. Itspredecessor, the Women’s CricketAssociation (WCA), had managedand supported female cricket since1926. Women’s cricket has much tothank WCA for during this time; developinginternational teams, growingclub and county cricket,providing volunteer support and assistingofficials, including umpires,many of which were female.Like Anne, I am concerned by thelack of female umpires throughoutEngland and Wales. Over the next 4years we want to reverse this declineand change perceptions aboutthe ability of females to umpirewithin cricket, and indeed the accessibilityto do so. The new DevelopmentStrategy for Women’s andGirls’ Cricket contains a specific actionplan to promote, encourage,and supportthe numberof femaleofficials,both withinumpiringand scoring.Having femaleumpiresisessential todemonstrateto our nextgenerationof cricketers,maleand female,that cricketis truly awhole community sport. A sportwhich genuinely supports all membersof our community to participatein whatever role and at whateverlevel they want to. Just as we wantto support more female coaches inthe game, our Development Strategyshows that we are serious aboutwanting to see more females scoringand umpiring. We currently havefewer than 50 qualified ECBACOfemale members and the aim is toincrease this annually through to2014 to hopefully see more than250 female ECBACO registeredumpires nationally.How are we going to do this?• We want to raise awareness to allthat females can officiate and reducethe stigma that can still beattached to being a female incricket• We want to provide safe and welcomingenvironments for our newofficials to learn and develop,providing quality tutors and female-onlyofficials’ courses• We want to ensure females areconsidered for female games –whilst still obviously maintainingthe requisite standard of the officialsfor the level of matchThe ultimate vision in the years tocome is to see numerous females officiatingat every level of the pathway;in club, county, ECBrepresentative, and internationalmatches, and in the men’s andwomen’s disability game.If you are aware of any femalesthat might wish to officiate, pleaseensure they are made aware of theopportunities that are available tothem.”Enthusiasm, commitment, and athleticism are nowthe norm in women’s crickete-mail us at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk 9 contact us on 0121 446 2710

‘By-the-Byes’Sheila Hill is awardedan MBE in the New YearHonoursSheila Hill, seen here collecting aNatWest-ECB OSCA last yearfrom Charlotte Edwards, the EnglandWomen Team Captain, hasbeen honoured again – this timewith an MBE for services towomen’s cricket.MCC Honorary Life MemberSheila Hill has been awarded anMBE for her services to cricket, inthe New Year’s Honours list. Shewas nominated for her tireless workon the Laws of Cricket as well as indeveloping the women’s game.Miss Hill has played a major rolein developing the junior women’sgame at club and county level andhas been involved with theWomen’s Southern Cricket Leaguesince its inception.Famously, she also umpired thefirst Women’s World Cup Final in1973 when England defeated Australiaby 92 runs, under the captaincyof Rachael Heyhoe-Flint,No ‘post-code lottery’required, thank youherself now a member of the MCCCommittee.A former Oxford University,Kent and East of England player,Sheila Hill was one of the first tenwomen to be elected to Membershipof MCC in 1999. Since thenshe has become an influential figureon the MCC Laws sub-committeeand was the driving forcebehind the 2010 re-draft of theLaws.Her recognition follows RachaelHeyhoe-Flint’s appointment to theHouse of Lords as a Life Peer inNovember 2010.President of MCC, ChristopherMartin-Jenkins, said “I am delightedpersonally and on behalf ofthe Club that Sheila Hill’s outstandingcontribution to cricket –women’s cricket and the Laws ofCricket – has been recognised bythis national honour. Sheila hasbeen a mainstay in the MCC Lawssub-committee for many years, andher work in relation to drafting theLaws cannot be overstated. I amsure all members would like tocongratulate her on this achievement.”But, of course this is only whatthe public at large know of her ‘visible’works – we could fill a bookwith her tireless enthusiasm overthe years for the ACU&S, havingtriumphantly ascended to beingChairman of various Committeesand then the Association itself,when it was enjoying its zenith.(Ed: In the next issue, we will publisha ‘laudate’ written by Keir Hopley,the Middlesex PremierLeague Panel Chairman, about herfascinating career in cricket!)It has been another week when thistopic has been raised in the nationalnews – this time for the cost of Councilsproviding carers to residents inneed – and one example given wasthat in Derby the hourly charge was‘£0’ compared to Surrey at ‘£21.66’.The point obviously is that such differencesalso exist in… school-preferenceselection, availability of certainexpensive drugs, social housing,health screening, and so on.So, in one way, it is no surprisethat we too suffer from this, but, unlikethe immense size of the task forcentral government and then regionalauthorities to try to find a pattern thatcould provide the level-playing-fieldsthey need, we could start off byshowing that at least the ECB cancome to sensible terms on the ‘lottery’that causes so much concern –our own match expenses! So why isit that we have so much trouble onsuch a minor aspect? One view isthat the clubs are too ‘tight’ and resistpaying any more for officials. Theopposite view is that all they need isexplanation and direction, and wouldfall into line quite happily if encouraged.Only snowflakes onyour doormat?Though we were at least a weekahead of ourselves with the Christmasissue compared to 2009 – wewere undone by all that beautifuland bad ‘white stuff’ as Royal Maildecided on Friday 17 th to suspend allbulk ‘mailsort’ distribution as theywere then so far behind with 1 st and2 nd class normal deliveries. Assumingthey did resume about 29 th /30 th ,the record seems to have gone toGlyn Roberts in Cheshire who receivedhis on Wed 19 th January –so, just over a month after we gavethem for posting!For 2011, we are going to bringthe publication date forward by acouple of weeksDo Elite umpires turntheir backs?Every week, one or two of you askwhy it is that the ICC Elite Umpiresappear to set a poor example throughnot apparently taking interventive actionwhen there seems to be an infractionof the spirit of cricket. A pointmade by many correspondents is thatthe new best-practice amendment tothe Law concerning not ‘pitching’ anew-ball hard into the ground to anadjacent player before coming on tobowl (is this a fair interpretation ofthe amendment?) has simply been ignoredin international cricket.However, although the Laws ofCricket should be applied in allmatches there can be exceptionswhen a playing condition to amendthe laws is written for a particularcompetition. Perhaps this is the casehere with regard to the apparent contradictionsraised by Law 17 3 b(Bowler deliberately bowling the ballonto the ground) and Law 42.3(Changing the condition of the ball).The question then arises, that if thisis the case, should competitions inrecreational cricket follow suit?Perhaps more controversially, inthe recent test between New Zealandand Pakistan in Hamilton, a mildconfrontation between bowlerSouthee and batsman Hafeez, escalatedto the extent that Hafeez appearedto offer Southee the chance tolick the end of his bat! A classic exampleof inappropriate behaviour –or not? If you saw it, what do youthink? It is not our place to e-mail theMatch Referee to ask his opinion, butit would be interesting to know if anysanctions were taken against theplayers - or any advice given to theumpire.e-mail us at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk 10 contact us on 0121 446 2710

How many ‘1’s in ‘2011’?From Pete Rogers, of Westbury-on-Trym, on any number with a ‘1’ init…“To those of you I’ve not spoken toor seen since the turn of theyear…Happy New Year and lookingforward to meeting up with some ofyou at the Taunton Level 2 nextmonth.‘2011’ could be a momentous yearin the history of our Association. Onthe other hand, it could be like anyother year, though with a quirky difference…This year we will experience atleast 4 unusual dates.... 1/1/11 -1/11/11 - 11/1/11 – and not forgetting11/11/11.(Ed: as we shall not be playing anythingexcept indoor cricket on any ofthese, our ‘Shep’ need not rotate inhis ground – but Pete is always goodwith numbers, so thanks Pete!)‘Don’t park it… justmove it around a bit!’Since the large 4x4 was parked on apitch on the Isle of Wight (#6-Sep),we now have this, from Derek Laud,of Banbury…“The article referred to reminds me ofa match I was officiating at a fewseasons ago. The match was beingplayed on the village green at Evenley,near Brackley in Northants, thegreen being surrounded by housesand a road on all four sides. There arenumerous obstacles on the wholeplaying area - trees, benches, a warmemorial and, of course, spectators.The opposition were batting andwith the score at 21 for 3, we had toleave the field, due to a heavy rainfall.We took shelter under the usualtree (no pavilion) and as we did so,there was a collision on the road onthe opposite side of the green, betweena scooter and a car. Helpfulpeople rushed from surroundinghouses and someone had called theambulance and air ambulance services.In due course, both arrived, andthankfully, only the former was required.The air ambulance had circleda few times and eventuallylanded on the green as close as possibleto the incident. The crew of 4waited around for 15 minutes. Duringthis time, more in jest than anything,I asked the pilot, if he would assist indrying our pitch out (no covers) byhovering? Generously then, on takingto the air again, he did, up and downit 3 or 4 times. Unfortunately to noavail, and eventually the match wascalled off.Surrey Championship ‘Lions’ grab a ‘Dragon’The Surrey Championship haslured straight-talking Theo Paphitisfrom his Dragons’ Den and persuadedhim to invest in sponsoringcricket throughout the county inwhich he lives.Jamie Freeland from the SurreyChampionship committee commented“We are delighted to go into bat with Ryman. It’s a perfectpartnership, and with nearly 200teams, a total of 8,000 adultcricketers - not to mention 10,000youngsters - playing every weekfor our clubs, we really feel wecan do them proud on and off thepitch.”The three-year sponsorshippackage will raise the profile ofthe Ryman stationery brand to ahighly sought-after target audience.The League will be known as‘The Ryman Surrey Championship’and Ryman branding willappear on all Surrey Championshipstumps, official cricketballs and the website as well as onthe shirts of various representativeteams and clubs who have historicallyexcelled in televised nationalcompetitions.As you will appreciate, the wholeepisode caused a lot of interest at thetime from the surrounding householdsand local press. Most importantof all, the scooter rider was notseriously injured, but taken to hospitalfor a routine check and discharged.Jamie Freeland with Theo PaphitisRyman Chairman Theo Paphitissaid, “Ryman is 13 years intosponsoring the Isthmian FootballLeague, so this relationship acts asa perfect complement. The excellentpackage offered by the SurreyChampionship represents an effectiveway of reaching a specific targetaudience. We are delightedwith our commitment and lookforward to working with theChampionship for the benefit ofboth the clubs and our customers.”Billy hits 150 not-outin ODIsNew Zealander Billy Bowden joinedthe exclusive club of six umpireswho have officiated in 150 or moreOne-day Internationals when hestood in the Australia-England matchin Melbourne recently. Bowden (47)made his international debut onMarch 29, 1995 in a match betweenNew Zealand and Sri Lanka inHamilton, and since then has gone onto become one of the game’s mostrecognisable officials, also standingin 65 Tests and 19 T20 internationalsso far. “Wow! 150 ODIs. Where hasthe time gone?” he said .“Umpiring still gives me a buzz,even goose bumps, when I walk outto officiate an ODI. I have to pinchmyself now and again to realise whata privilege it is to be part of such awonderful game and to have the opportunityto challenge my skills at theinternational level. To umpire thebest players in the world and to standwith some of the best umpires in theworld cannot get any better really“Bowden said in an ICC release.“It’s not always a bed of roses but tome a tough day on the field beats anygood day at the office. 150 is only anumber but in saying that, it’s aproud moment for me as a NewZealander and ICC cricket umpire.ECB DirectivesJust another reminder that as theauthority for all our PlayingRegulations it is the ECB cricketdepartment that produces thesedirectives not the ACO. At hebeginning of each season, abatch of about 2,000 of each willbe sent to your County Boardcontact, whose task is then todistribute to all relevant parties-including their officials.e-mail us at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk 11 contact us on 0121 446 2710

ST LUCIAWe are delighted to welcome to ourpages, our colleagues – and soon tobe, friends – from the West Indies!And we start the ball rolling with acontribution from Roland Cox, ofGros Islet on St Lucia, who tells usof their own forthcoming ‘National’Conference in July….!“Well over 200 participants fromtwelve umpires associationsthroughout the Caribbean, USAand Canada will be in St. Lucia inmid-July, when the St. LuciaCricket Umpires Association - incollaboration with the CricketUmpires Associations of the WindwardIslands - will be hosting the25th Biennial Convention of theWest Indies Cricket Umpires Association,from Saturday 16th toSaturday 23 July 2011.According to the Secretary of theSt.Lucia Cricket Umpires AssociationJohn Mathurin, “The majoraims of the Convention are to discussthe highest level of officiatingin cricket development, the latest additions/amendmentsto cricketinglaws, and other matters affecting theregional associations.”Mathurin went on to say, “Approximately200 participants are expectedto attend. Among theanticipated visiting delegationsare… the Executive of the West IndiesCricket Umpires Association,and representatives of the UmpiresAssociations from the USA,Canada, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago,Bahamas, Turks & Caicos,Barbados, Guyana, Windward Islands,Leeward Islands, Bermuda,and the Cayman Islands.” Interestingly,he said, “From September2009, a Local Organising Committeehas been meeting for planningand organising a series of activitiesincluding fund-raising to ensure thesuccessful hosting of such a prestigiousconvention. This includes engagingthe private sector, certainindividuals, the general public, andhaving a grand car raffle.”The LOC is made up of personsfrom the St. Lucia CUA, and representativesof the Taxi Association,the Ministry of Youth and Sports,the National Volunteers Group, theOECS Sports Desk, and the Ministryof Tourism.*“We are confident that with the assistancefrom the Government of St.Lucia, the private sector, interestedindividuals and the general public,hosting the 25th biennial Conventionof the West Indies Cricket Umpires’Association will be a rich,rewarding and successful experience.”he asserted.”Roland himself is both a cricket umpireand a statistician – and our contactcame from a query he had whenhe was the stat-man for the ICCWorld T20 in the West Indies lastyear… and it was a question of whowas the ‘authority’ for the recordingof the final stroke and winningrun(s)… the Match Referee afterconsultation with the Official Scorer,or the TV scorer/statistician who referredto tv footage to argue the result?As ever it was the old chestnutof a ‘winning hit’ where they needone and run one – and the ballcrosses the boundary… and didanyone see the umpire signal‘boundary 4’?!(*Ed: it would be fantastic if wecould count on this level of externalinterest and support when we organizeours!)KENYAAs another form of ‘close-encounter’we have a story aboutumpire training in Kenya – whenBen Francis, our ‘YODO’ visitedthere for a couple of weeks workingon a project for the ‘CricketWithout Boundaries’ Foundationhe met David Odhiambo, aKenyan umpire, and this is histale…Umpiring, the Kenyan way…“During one of our nail-bitingdrives (loosely termed) throughNairobi, David – with his passionfor umpiring - seized upon the opportunityto tell me all about hisumpiring history, and, in return, Iasked him additional questions…So, when and how did he start…It was in 1997 when David Odhiambotook a three-month course inumpiring under the tutorship ofVinod Raval. He passed both thewritten and oral exams quite convincingly,which inspired him to tryhis hand at umpiring - in tandemwith his playing commitments.He soon caught the umpiring bugand found that it was eating intomore and more of his playing time.Therefore, in 2001 he finally madethe decision to fully commit to hisDuring his moments inDar-es-Salaam in 2008, umpireOdhiambo stood in Jersey,Tanzania, Afghanistanand Italy matchesumpiring duties. A tough decisionindeed because he loved to play, buthe felt he was a more competentumpire than player. However, thedecision paid off as during the sameyear he enjoyed his first taste of1st-class umpiring during the SriLanka ‘A’ tour of Kenya, when hestood in one of the matches with histutor Raval.From then on there was no lookingback. David went on to umpirewithin several African tournaments- such as Africa Women’s CricketWorld Cup Qualifiers, U19 AfricaQualifiers – and internal tours byvisiting state sides from India andPakistan, Bangladesh ‘A’, andWorld Cricket Leagues within thecontinent.His real breakthrough came whenhe represented Kenya in the 2003African U19 qualifiers in Namibiaduring which, he says, this waswhere he realised the experiencehad opened his eyes to the potentialhe might have.His proudest moment then camein November 2008 when he officiatedin the World Cricket LeagueDivision 3, which included the thenhigh-flying Afghanistan team, togetherwith Hong Kong, Italy, Jerseyand, hosts, Tanzania, amongstothers. Here he was lucky enoughto have the opportunity to umpirealongside greats such as Karl Harterand Ian Howell from South Africa.David clearly is a confident andambitious man; and with hisachievements to date he could verywell match his dreams of becomingan ICC Panel Umpire, and to standin an ODI – and he hopes toachieve his dreams before retiringfrom the game altogether. His umpiringidols are David Shepherd andPeter Willey.”e-mail us at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk 13 contact us on 0121 446 2710

Friends Afar …Neville Kent, from Crewe, is writing a ‘blog’ while he is on his busman’s holiday inAustralia… and we include just this piece as an extract…“G’day! I’m Neville Kent, 36 yearsold and from Cheshire. I’ve beenumpiring now for 2 full seasons inthe Meller Braggins CheshireLeague and last year in the SaracensHertfordshire League. My career asa player was nothing special and Ieventually retired through both injuryand incompetence. Now thatI’m in my new role, most playersreckon that I should consider the latter.(No, I’m not that bad!)This winter I’ve been down toLord’s twice to use the Hawkeyesystem, once with some colleaguesfrom Beds and Herts and once witha friend of mine, Andy Gosling, afair batsman for Wolverton. Andyused the day as a net session whilst Iacted as umpire. Former Barbadosand Somerset player Hallam Moseleyoperated the bowling machine.Andy was instructed to treat the sessionas a normal net session but toleave some deliveries that wouldgive me a decision to make. Upabove was Ash Gusani, who wassurrounded by the latest technologythat would either prove that I knewwhat I was doing or would supportthose players that believed that Ishould retire through incompetence!Sadly for those doubting players, I’llbe around for a while longer!On 12 th January, I flew out toSydney. On the 14 th , I headed downto the SCG to umpire a match in the2nd Charity Cricket Marathon runby the Primary Club of Australia.The Primary Club is a well-runcharity that benefits disabled sportsmenand women in continuing toenjoy their chosen sport. My gameat the SCG was at 8.30pm, whichmeant the floodlights were on andwe used white balls and blacksightscreens. All of the games wereshown live on the two big screenswithin the ground as well.My colleague was a gentlemancalled Graham Reed, who hasstood in 18 Sheffield Shield gamesduring his career. He has also actedas a match referee and as an umpireassessor. Indeed, in the Ted Wykesumpires room in the Members’stand, there is an umpires honoursboard listing umpires from NewSouth Wales that have gone on toumpire 1 st -class cricket. Some veryfine umpires are on it - includingDarrell Hair, Simon Taufel andRod Tucker. On the opposite wallthere is a white board that severaltop umpires from around the worldhave signed, including Dickie Bird,David Shepherd and most top umpiresin recent years. Graham’sname is on both boards!The umpires’ room at the SCG isnamed after Ted Wykes, the AustralianTest Match Umpire who wasnevertheless born in Northampton.Ted was very involved with theNSW UA and was their presidentfor 22 years. He died about 2 yearsago and his ashes are actually buriedat the SCG.Stepping out onto the playingarea, Graham offered me the choice,so I chose the Randwick end. Wewere just two of forty umpiresneeded to officiate the CricketMarathon. It was played over twodays; starting at 7am and continuingnon-stop until 10pm. There were 10matches each day and 12 overs perside. There were also 12 players perside; each pair of batsmen was at thecrease for 2 overs before makingway for the next 2 batsmen. If abatsman was dismissed, he remainedat the crease, but 4 runswere deducted. Every player exceptthe wicketkeeper had to bowl atleast one over.It was a truly memorable occasionfor me, and one that I will rememberforever. There will be manyprofessional umpires who won’t getto stand at the SCG, so as an amateurumpire, I feel very lucky.Special thanks goes to DarrellHair and to Jim Cameron, who waskind enough to arrange the appointment,and making me feel so welcome– and of course to Graham.”This was taken at the recent 40th Anniversary of the Queensland CU&SA at the Gabba – full story in the next issue.e-mail us at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk 14 contact us on 0121 446 2710

An over withHawkeyeWelcome to an exclusive offer designedto give you better knowledgeof the Hawkeye system, and moreconfidence in your own decisions!This opportunity was initiated bythe ACO with the MCC IndoorSchool, to enable umpires fromaround the country to visit Lord’s andhave a first-hand look at the Hawkeyetechnology in action in the MCC IndoorSchool.This is what computer screen displays - just afteryou said ‘Not out'!You can come as an individual,with friends, or with your UmpirePanel/Association. There is a ‘special’rate for the ACO, of £130 p/hourfor up to 6 officials, or £90 p/hour forup to 3 officials. This includes… theintroduction to the unit and the system,a detailed explanation of howHawkeye works, and an hour’s feedbackafterwards. Participation Certificateswill also be provided. (Pleasenote that the maximum capacity is 18officials per half-day) Umpires willalso be given the option of going on atour of Lord’s, which includes theworld famous pavilion and the iconicmedia centre.This is a ‘first’ for us working withthe Indoor School, and initiatedspecifically to cater to the increasingdemand from the umpiring world toknow more about the technologywhich has revolutionised 21st centurycricket.To register an interest, or for moreinformation about the session, pleasecontact Ashish Gusani. (email:analysis@mcc.org.uk - phone: 0207616 8731). This is for ACO membersonly.“The Umpires of the Bedfordshire Associationof Cricket Officials had awonderful Sunday afternoon testingtheir skills against Hawkeye, I recommendit to all umpires to go & have ago. Would be nice if some of the teamcaptains tried it too!” – Ian Smith –Chairman, Beds County CricketLeagueFees &ExpensesHAVING OPENED the ‘bidding’in issue #6 (Sep10) withNick Cousins (ACO thoughts)and John Wadsworth (DevonACO) and then adding more inissue #7 (Dec10) from BrianShepherd (East Anglian PremierLeague), we have hadcontributions from three differentviewpoints: the ACOSenior Executive; a CountyACO Officer and a PremierLeague Umpire.A further correspondent suggeststhat it is reasonable to expectthat “over the season,umpires all cover roughly thesame mileage” – Do you agree:read on…From Nigel Fisher, GeneralSecretary of the Scunthorpe &District CUA, adding their corporateview to the ‘remuneration’debate….“The above Association held itsJanuary meeting and decided toaccept the ACO’s open invitation,made through the Newsletter,to submit views on umpires’expenses across the country. Wefeel it better to do this collectively,rather than as individualssending their thoughts to you.The Scunthorpe Associationwelcomes the fact the ACO, atnational level, is seeking to addressthis issue. Our membershipbelieves it is high time we created“a level playing field”across the UK, rather than therebeing worrying differences betweenmany leagues and certaingeographical areas.We would suggest that thesystem operated in northern Lincolnshireis the preferable optionfor you to recommend. Here,umpires receive match expenses– no fee, no mileage. The expert‘local knowledge’ and commonsenseof the officers who makethe appointments ensures that,over the season, umpires allcover roughly the samemileage. For example, if someoneis sent 40 miles from hishome one Saturday, the followingweek he can be appointed toa game only a couple of milesaway. This approach is fairer tothe clubs, which do not moanabout the mileage of an umpiresent 40 miles to officiate at agame, when they know severalother umpires live in their townbut were sent elsewhere. Tenderingthe same expenses to thematch umpires every week, regardlessof distance travelled, isalso much easier for team treasurers/captainsand is better forevery club’s cash-flow purposes.Finally, our Association truststhe ACO officers will ensure thatthe term “expenses” is adoptedthroughout when this issue is debatedand decided. It has beenstated in the Newsletter that nooneshould be left out-of-pocketwhen umpiring. Surely, thisshould be the prime considerationin the on-going debate.”The follow-up from the originalcontributor, Brian Shepherd, ofthe East Anglian League…“If it needs a ‘follow up’ inNewsletter No 8, you can counton me to provide it!Even by Nick’s standards inNewsletter No 6, a £30.00 basicfee to officiate recreationalcricket’s upper echelons (withthe next step for many playersbeing First Class County) for120 overs (minimum) in a day(being on the ground from 10amand finishing at 7.30pm) is meagrein the extreme. Some clubs,via alleged sponsorship arrangements,are paying ludicrousmoney to certain ex-test pros forexample, allegedly of up to£1,000 per match – and we arerequired to adjudge them ‘in-orout’for £30? This is nonsense,yet these are the extremes we arefaced with.ACO need to get across tothose organising ECB-accreditedleagues that senior umpires capableof officiating at that level ofcricket need ‘retention and fairtreatment’ – and we are seeingtoo many competent seniormembers, those unwilling to takepotential abuse or unfoundedcriticism along with excessivetravelling, just packing it all insaying the whole process is justnot worth it. This simply cannotgo on.”Clearly we will have manymore contributions and willhope to summarise them all inthe next issue.e-mail us at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk 15 contact us on 0121 446 2710

Admin matters“To be, or not to be....a Card”The question of membership cardshas been questioned frequently.Do we use them? Do we needthem? Are we ever asked to producethem? Do they just sit in our wallets?Would it be better if it was alifetime card, not annually replaced?In the last two years, we have triedto be consistent by issuing a cardonly when the member had paidand we had notification of the receiptof a CRB disclosure.The debate has continued; theMembership Services Committeeparticularly has discussed the issuein light of your comments, andthese are their conclusions:• Most of you have expressed a wishto have a membership card.• We agree that it gives you bothstatus and accreditation• We agree with those who thinkthat it should be annual• We think it could be a marketingopportunity – for either a sponsor ora product or a location, so we are finalisinga design which will becomea ‘series’ lasting for 4 or 5 years.Membership Increase andpaymentYou will know that we havechanged all memberships to be startand end with the calendar year of 1January - 31 December.You were advised that Direct Debitswould be triggered after the 15 thof January –and they have been. Asconfirmation, the new 2011 membershipcards are being processedand will be distributed in duecourse.You will be interested to knowthat during January, we processed6,200 Direct-Debits of which anextraordinarily high figure of 800were declined. (If yours was one ofthese, we will be contacting you tohelp sort the problem out). In addition,we processed 460 cheques andcard payments.We are now focusing on issuingthe 2011 membership cards alongthe lines outlined above.Currently our total membershipstands at 8,427 - of whom 1,148have yet to renew, and 1,191 haveno current CRB disclosure on file.(Again if you are one of these peoplewe will have issued a reminderwith .this newsletter).ACO PortalAs for the portal, if you have not yetregistered, please do so… use yourACO number and e-mail address,and the system will respond by e-mailing a password, which you canchange when you first log-in – andthen you can update your details ifnecessary, and see exactly what is onrecord.Insurance ClaimsAs an update, you will be pleased tohear that claims have been very few,and those that were made, have allbeen successfully settled (bar onewhich is still finalising).In terms of numbers, there were 7only in 2009, and, again, 7 only in2010; mostly for damaged spectacles– averaging out at about £100 each,and a few for physical injury -mostly legs – averaging out at about£500 each.We speak regularly to Kerry London,our brokers, and we are alwaysseeking to improve and/or extendcover within the industry norms, butyou should know that we haveceased to attempt to cover compensationfor loss of match expenses.There is cover for ‘loss of paid em-Blind Cricket Englandand Wales (BCEW)The Blind Cricket England andWales (BCEW) Umpires Panel islooking for some new members tostand in the 2011 season. Visuallyimpaired (VI) cricket is interestingand enjoyable, and playedwith an amazing spirit. One of the2010 panel members said “Ifound the co-operation of theplayers to each other within theirteam, to the opposition and to theofficials absolutely first class.EVERY level of Cricket shouldbe made to learn for these players,as they respect their teammembers, their opponents, the officials,everyone involved withthe game and the game itself.”All members of the 2011BCEW Panel must be active ECBACO members with current CRBclearance. Matches this year willtake place from Hampshire in thesouth, Durham in the north, Essexin the east and South Wales in theployment’ – which is somethingvery different and a properly existingpart of the standing cover.‘168 times around theboundary then...'Not many umpires prepare for thenew season by training for the LondonMarathon but Surrey ACOmember, John Flatley, is one ofthem. John said "My level ofphyscial fitness has been decliningfor some years now, and I felt that Ineeded a challenge to help mefocus on improving my fitness. Istarted traning last October andhave been running 4 or 5 times aweek over the winter months,slowly building up my distances. Ithas been really tough at times but Iam now two-thirds of the waythrough my training programmeand the big day is looming fast. Ihave joined up with the Lord's Tavernersmarathon team and will beraising money for this fantasticcharity."If anyone would care to sponsorJohn, you can donate online byvisting his fundarising page athttp://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JohnFlatleywest so it is important that wehave a good geographic spread ofumpires to minimise travelling.Field kit will be supplied andmatch expenses will be paid.The panel is restricted to a maximumof 25 umpires, and if youwould like to be considered forselection please complete theform you will find on our websiteand return to; bcewumpires@aol.comClosing date forapplications is Friday 25 March,and successful candidates will beinformed soon after.For further information on blindcricket see www.bcew.orgAll applications to be sent tobcewumpires@aol.com by 4thMarch.Thanking you for your kindsupport.Pete MarshallBCEWe-mail us at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk 16 contact us on 0121 446 2710

Your letters…From Russell May, of Yeovil, on thesending-off of abusive players…“I read with interest StuartGranger’s letter (in #7-Dec) regardingthe sending off of players, andhis list of suggestions to inhibitplayers’ transgression of the rules.Quite frankly where violent conductis concerned; No1… “Send theplayer off and not allow him to takeany further part in the game” has tobe the action taken. Stuart is right ofcourse when having to explain topeople that there is nothing in theLaws that allows umpires to dismissplayers, but surely something has tobe done to change this outdated tolerance.There are many things wrong inthe world of soccer but at least theofficials have always had the powerto dismiss players who, in theirview, have transgressed to such adegree they should no longer takeany further part in ‘that’ game.Having played for some 50yrs,and being a qualifiedcoach, and umpire, I’vewitnessed almosteverything that canAnother piece on‘Disciplinary Procedures’,from KeithHealey, CEO forStaffordshire….“Proposed Disciplinary Schemefor use in the leagues for 2011Season…This is a suggested means to help todeal with the unruly behaviour ofplayers. It is not meant to replacethe existing system, but to supplementit. It has been suggested thatmany umpires are reluctant to godown the route of reporting playersbecause it takes too much time, orthey ‘can’t be bothered’. What issuggested here is a scheme of intermediateaction which umpires coulduse without the need for reportingall but the most severe instances ofmisconduct.What I propose is a system basedon that used in hockey – a 3-cardscheme. Umpires will carry threecoloured cards: green, yellow andred. The severity of the offence willdetermine which card is to be shownto a player.(In all subsequent dialogue, the useof the word he/his may be consideredto include she/her…There have been instances this seasonwhere a captain has been spokento, regarding the behaviour of aplayer, and yet no-one else wasaware that this course had beentaken. The use of cards would makethis less likely.The Green card: is shown to aplayer whose behaviour is borderingon unacceptable or if allowed to gounchecked, is likely to become so.It is simply a way of informing theplayer – and all other players – ‘Behaveyourself – I will be watchingyou from now on!’ There is no reportwritten or other sanction necessary.The umpire’s colleague,batsmen and fielding side’s captainto be informed. The batting side’scaptain to be informed as soon aspracticable, in keeping with otherlaws. Repetition/persistence of theoffence, or other subsequentprovocative behaviour or unseemlyconduct, would see the use of theYellow Card.The Yellow card; is shown to aplayer whose behaviour has becomeunacceptable.The player is “sin-binned” for afixed period* of playing time (notincluding the tea interval or drinksinterval.) If play is suspended forhappen in cricket and it is my viewthat the behaviour of players in allforms of the game has reached anall-time low. Sledging/chirping isrife and indeed encouraged, applaudedand confirmed by commentatorsand pundits as ‘part of thegame’. Friendly banter is now supersededby swearing and cursingand the fine line between that andviolent conduct will naturally becrossed more and more frequently.Had I been in charge of the matchdescribed by Stuart, the stumpswould definitely have been removed- but I do admire the toleranceshown by both officials. The laws ofthe game should protect them frombeing confronted with such a difficultproblem.There are a number of reasonswhy I would remove the responsibilityfrom the captain of sending offendingplayers from the field ofplay and give that power solely tothe umpires and list them below:- A captain will always shy awayfrom dismissing one of his own particularlyif that player happens to behis star man.- A team often reflects ‘their’ captain’saggressive encouragement, soreally it’s the captain who sets thetone of discipline his team takeson to the field.- What happens if the captain himselfis the offender - does he dismisshimself? Not likely I think!- finally; how can it be right that aplayer who has offended to such adegree and is to be reported to theleague and suspended, be allowed tocontinue playing in the match inwhich the offence took place andpossibly have an influence on the result?Frankly the present law is a nonsenseand is blatantly unfair, outdated,and has to be changed. Inever thought I would ever feel soagitated as to put my feelings inwriting, but I still love cricket butplayers are changing the spirit of thegame, so administrators must meetthat change with a stronger attitudeand give umpires the power to dealwith this change. Yellow and Redcards I wouldn’t necessarily want tosee but bookings and sending-offadministered by umpires is longoverdue.”reasons of weather etc, the playermay use this stoppage to offset hisperiod of suspension.(* The fixed period to be decided bythe Executive Committee; I suggest30 minutes – or 10 overs?) If acarded player is actually part-waythrough bowling an over, the overwould have to be completed by anothermember of the fielding side, inthe same way as applies to bowlerssuspended for contraventions ofLaw 42. Furthermore, the playerconcerned would have to serve awaiting penalty before being allowedto bowl again, as per Law2.5c.If the offender has yet to bat, hemust still serve his suspensionpenalty before being allowed to bat.He would be allowed to come out tobat at the fall of a wicket after hissuspension penalty has expired. Ifall other wickets have fallen beforethis time is reached, the offender isnot allowed to bat and his side willbe deemed to be ‘all out’.If the offender is a batsman at thewicket, he must leave the field, inthe same way as if he was ‘retiredhurt’ and may only return at the fallLetters … continued on page 18e-mail us at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk 17 contact us on 0121 446 2710

Letters … continued from page 17of a wicket after his suspensionpenalty has expired, as above. If allother wickets have fallen before thistime is reached, the offender is notallowed to bat and his side will bedeemed to be ‘all out’.It is not necessary for a player tohave received a Green card beforereceiving a Yellow one. If the offenceis committed without priormisconduct and the umpire considersthe action to be sufficiently serious,a Yellow card may be issued asthe first course of action.As with the Green card, all interestedparties are informed.If the player continues to misbehaveafter having been shown a Yellowcard, a second Yellow card,immediately followed by a Red cardwill be shown to the player.No report is necessary in caseswhere a Yellow card is issued onceto a player.The Red card; is reserved for offenderswho continue to misbehaveafter having been shown the Yellowcard (as above) or for other totallyunacceptable behaviour (e.g. use ofoffensive language, threatening behaviour,violence - this categorycould be decided by ‘the Exec’).On being shown a Red card, aplayer is immediately debarredfrom any further part in the gameand must leave the field of play.This means that his team is now reducedby one player, with obviousconsequences for the number ofwickets to fall, number of fielders,number of players from which to selecta bowler, number of fieldersoutside the fielding circle etc.If a player is red-carded beforehaving batted (or his innings is currentlyin progress), his team willonly have nine wickets to lose beforebeing deemed to be all out.It is not necessary for a player tohave received a Yellow card beforereceiving a Red card. If the offenceis committed without prior misconductand the umpires consider theaction to be sufficiently severe, aRed card may be issued as the firstcourse of action.As with the Green and Yellowcards, all interested parties are informed.A written report to the LeagueManager, on the standard disciplinaryreport pro-forma is requiredfrom the umpires immediately followingthe match.Q&AWhich umpire shows the cards?This could be decreed by League di-From Douglas Miller, of Princes Risborough, on Injured batsmen’s runners…and‘that’ incident…“Last season I was involved, as a bowler’s end umpire, in a match where aninjured batsman, not for the first time, set off down the pitch after strikingthe ball. On this occasion to the last ball of an over, he had come so fardown that he perceived safety lay at the bowler’s end. I was not altogethersurprised that the fielding side appeared to share the batsman’s view that hewas now inviolate – and, for good measure, in position to take strike for thenext over. I nevertheless waited, perhaps too long, until my colleague hadcome in from square leg to the stumps, before calling over, by which time itwas quite clear that no-one was going to do anything to claim the injuredbatsman’s wicket.In the light of my recent experience, I was particularly intrigued by theactions taken by the umpires on the last ball of the Friends Provident T20final. I was interested, too, how long it took the Sky commentators to appreciatethe idiocy of D an Christian in charging down the pitch, and the ignoranceof the Somerset team as to what they could have done about it. Inoticed that the umpire – I think it was Rob Bailey, who was standing withRichard Illingworth – appeared to allow a short time to elapse before acknowledgingthat the match was over.Was he right to pause? Some doubt would appear to have been thrown onthis by the statement from Fraser Stewart of MCC in the December newsletterthat a match result, and specifically one obtained by the non-striker andthe runner making their respective grounds, curtails the opportunity for arun-out. Was it wrong to have given the Somerset players a few moments topull themselves together and remove the bails at the wicket-keeper’s end?The answer is that the umpire acted wholly correctly, and I think it is thegreatest pity that, amid all the verbiage and undoubted logic, Fraser Stewart’sexplanation of the Laws avoided reference to the situation in this highprofileincident.On the face of it, his explanation appeared to fly in the face of what hadbeen written in the October edition of the ‘Wisden Cricketer’, a magazinewith four times the circulation of this organ. In the section of the magazinedevoted to the Laws, it was stated that ‘a Somerset fielder simply needed toput down the wicket at the wicket-keeper’s end. If he had done so, Christianwould have been run-out and no runs would have been scored. As no suchrun-out was attempted, even after the umpires deliberately paused beforecalling time, the run counted.’All too easily, by making no reference to this incident, Fraser Stewart willhave begun the circulation of a false doctrine that a mistake was made in theT20 final. Had Somerset broken the wicket at the wicket-keeper’s end afterthe completion of the run, who would have won the match? The answer isSomerset. The point is that, under the Laws of cricket, Hampshire hadmerely levelled the scores. It was the competition regulations that decreedthat, having lost fewer wickets, Hampshire had won. A regulation of thiskind is designed as a last resort when the Laws fail to identify a winner. Hadthere been the opportunity to run two, Hampshire would have won the game‘properly’ without resorting to the regulations, and the umpires would havebeen wrong to call ‘Time’ at the completion of the first run. Had there beena further ball to be bowled, Hampshire would have been obliged to face it.This distinction is critical, and I think it is important that ACO and MCCshould openly clarify the whole matter. Umpires Bailey and Illingworth areowed as much as a matter of courtesy.Whether what I am saying is right or wrong, then let us all hear the correctversion?”(Ed: see Fraser Stewart’s reply at top of p19)rective. Personally, I don’t have aproblem with this being the umpirewho actually witnesses the misconduct,as long as one of them does it!What if a player refuses to obey therequirements of a given card?Very simple – the colour of the cardis instantly increased to the nextlevel – and if this is a ‘Red’, his captainis informed that if the playerdoes not immediately comply, theumpires will interpret this is a refusalto play and will award thematch to the opponents.This may seem to be a Draconiansolution, but desperate measures areneeded to deal with desperate deeds.Clearly, many of these suggestionsare open to modification, at theLeague’s discretion.I am more than willing to devise anumber of scenarios to illustratee-mail us at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk 18 contact us on 0121 446 2710

The reply to the ‘result’ query, explained by Fraser Stewart, of the MCC…“The answer to Clive Loverock’s concern was just that. It expounded the Law and showed how it applied to hisobservations and examples. More would have been superfluous. There was full comment on the Somerset–Hampshire incident in ‘The Wisden Cricketer’ October edition, including an indication of why the umpirespaused. It carried no implication that they were at fault. It will appear again in less detail in the ‘Wisden Almanack’,where certainly the fact that they acted correctly is specifically noted. In both the full article and theshorter version, the thrust of the text was to point out that knowledge of the Laws could have made a big difference,not to dissect the actions of the umpires.Since, however, Mr. Miller has stated so strongly that there is an implication by MCC that there was a mistake –which there was not – further analysis of that pause may be appropriate. It is a little complicated. At the completionof the run by the non-striker and the runner, a result had not been reached under the Laws. Law 21.4 makes itclear that a regulation in a match in which innings are limited to a number of overs can be applied only when atthe conclusion of the match a result has not been reached under Law, by one side scoring more that its opponentsor in the unlikely situations of Awarding or Conceding a match. Under Law 16.9(c), this match was not concludeduntil the over was completed, which could not happen until the ball was dead. A result had not beenreached under the Laws and there were no circumstances such as a dismissal or a boundary, under which it wouldbecome automatically dead. There were no situations in which an umpire could call it dead. The only way thatthe ball could become dead was under Law 23.1(b). The short pause gave the umpires the necessary information– that the fielding side and both batsmen at the wicket had ceased to regard the ball as in play. The actions takenby the umpires were entirely correct.how such a system could be usedto deal with a variety of situations,or to present this idea to any workingparty detailed with the task ofaddressing disciplinary matters.From Ian Mather, of Retford inNotts… on his Conference joy…“What a treat; a day at Lord’s. Idecided to try and do it ‘on abudget’. This entailed rising at4.30am to catch an early train andsave money on the fare. I also decidedto walk from King’s Crossto Lord’s – a small matter of 3miles or so, probably through RegentsPark, as I had plenty of timefor a 9.30am start. All this workedvery well, except I had decided to‘dress up’ (what I call my ‘BritishLegion outfit’; blazer, flannels,etc.) but this entailed ‘weddingshoes’ which are hardly conduciveto London pavements or my feet!I shall also take the bus to CamdenTown and walk on the RegentCanal towpath which is brilliant. Iarrived at 8.30am and so spent themoney I had saved on the tube bybuying coffee at St. John’s Woodprices. Hey ho, we were there.The first fellow umpire I met outsidethe hallowed ground hadflown in from Glasgow sporting aScottish cricket blazer. I canrecognise umpires at a great distance;most of them look like me -white hair, red faces and a limpfrom years of abuse as players.The Lord’s Nursery Pavilion wasvery welcoming with warmingcoffee and tea as some 360 umpiresand scorers gathered for theECB ACO Annual Conference andbun fight. Great fun; instructiveand entertaining. Well-organisedalthough I think a trifle ambitiousin its overall content. Too much ofa good thing, which meant thatsome events had to be rushed, butwhat a treat. To visit the LongRoom; the Visitors dressing room;the Museum and the Media Centre– all in an hour. I could havespent all of that time looking at thepaintings in the Pavilion alone. Iwill have to go again and take mytime.Back at breakneck speed to hearthe Dons – Messrs Duckworth andLewis - explain their method andhow it came about. They werevery entertaining and generous intheir acknowledgement of the helpand support they received in puttingtheir masterpiece together.I’m glad the chap, whose name I’mashamed escapes me, who did theresearch received his PhD as a result.It was undoubtedly well deserved.They had taken their bookand managed to sell-out of signedcopies at the special price. What abunch of anoraks we all are!Even lunch was entertaining witha very professional ‘after-lunchreminiscence’ from ‘Blowers’, whoexplained that Ian Fleming reallydid use his family name of Blofeldfor his villain against James Bond,but that the abiding memory of hislife has nothing to do with cricket,but was as an after-dinner entertainmentin the home of Noel Cowardgiven at the piano by the Masterhimself. What a memory indeed.Two umpiring sessions completedthe day’s instruction and entertainment.Ian Gould was‘interviewed’ by Nick Cousins, themost capable of gentlemen whoanchored the day. It is easy to seehow Mr Gould has ended upwhere he is. Confident, sure ofhimself, and ‘easy’ with people,but steely underneath. It gave methe confidence that he is and willbe very good at his job of umpiringtest matches in the most inhospitableof circumstances from timeto time.John Holder completed the dayof instruction. He has seen it alland comes across with great dignityand humility. He rounded offhis philosophy of cricket by recountingwhat is obviously one ofhis favourite stories. He was umpiring‘here’, of course. It was aCup Final with a more than fullhouse. It must have been the secondinnings. A fired-up and bristlingAlan Donald (6ft 4ins) ofWarwickshire and SA was bowlingto Justin Langer (5ft 4ins) of Somersetand Aus. The first ball at90mph was dispatched to the coverboundary. Donald’s run up almostreached Langer’s nose, but nomore than a glance was exchangedbetween the two adversaries. TheLetters … continued on page 20e-mail us at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk 19 contact us on 0121 446 2710

Letters … continued from page 19second ball received exactly thesame treatment, and the third! Theglances became glares but not aword was exchanged. The battlecontinued for ten overs or so untilDonald was removed and dispatchedto long-on, next to thepavilion steps. Langer had reachedabout 70. Donald’s replacement almostimmediately dished up a widehalf-volley which Langer managedto put straight down Donald’sthroat. As Langer passed him onthe way to the dressing room Donaldspoke for the first time to say‘well played’. That, as JH commented,is what cricket is all about.Roger Knight, OBE, Chairman ofACO, former Secretary of theMCC - and visiting member ofClumber Park CC, where I havemany friends - completed thefarewells and we all trudged offhome. Let us hope it is repeatedbefore I can’t manage the trudge!”DAVE TODDPeter McKenzie, RAC for Midlands,has sent the following:‘Nottinghamshire Cricket wasdeeply shocked and saddened bythe sudden death of Dave Todd on28 December 2010 at the youngage of 58. The brother of formerNottinghamshire batsman Paul,Toddy was widely respected in allhis sporting connections in thecounty and beyond.‘Leaving the Crease’A long-time member of Collinghamand District CC, his service tocricket was exemplary. David,with his long-time friend and umpiringpartner, Len Jones, was ahighly regarded umpire in the Bassetlawand District Cricket Leaguewhere he was well-knownthroughout. He was soon appointedregularly to County SecondEleven games and it wasnatural that he should become amember of the inaugural umpires’panel when the NottinghamshirePremier League was formed in1999. He then also enjoyed a successfulperiod umpiring in MinorCounties cricket.He was compelled to give up activeofficiating when an industrialinjury enforced his retirement fromwork in 2004. Umpires were delightedwhen he then accepted theinvitation to become the boundaryassessor for umpires in the NPL.They were genuinely pleasedwhenever they arrived to findDave at the ground. His commentswere supportive and constructiveand he did much to enhance thereputation of the league’s umpires.Following the establishment ofECB ACO, he became the Level 2Assessor in Nottinghamshire andwas often called upon by othercounties. Dave was also very activein local football. He wasChairman of the Newark Alliancefootball league and a representativeon the NottinghamshireCounty FA.Dave is survived by his wife Ericaand son Jonathan to whom we extendour deepest sympathy.’BRIAN PAGEThis remembrance has been writtenby Deborah Burns, TrainingOfficer, Ealing & District ACU&S‘It is with regret that we report thedeath of Brian Page at the age of68 on 19th December 2010 losinghis fight against cancer after ashort illness.Brian was most recently theChairman of the Ealing & DistrictACU&S in West London, but hadbeen involved with cricket withinMiddlesex for much of his life.In his playing days Brian was a‘damaging bowler’ for Acton CCbut dodgy knees led him to considera less strenuous way ofbeing involved and he joined theumpires training course at EalingCC in 1990. Passing with flyingcolours he went on to do his oralexam and gain his full membershipin December 1992.Whilst spending the next severalyears umpiring for Acton CCand on the local umpires Panel, healso remained involved in thelocal Ealing & District umpiresassociation and was elected to theCommittee in 1995 becomingSecretary in 1996 and only its 3rdChairman (since the Associationwas founded in 1970) in 2001.Brian was fully involved withthe Ealing Association, as indeedhe was with other pursuits in life,and he tutored on the umpires’courses at Ealing for over adecade, along with all his otherCommittee duties.When he found his knees preventedhim from standing as anumpire, he became a qualifiedScorer and continued to score forhis club, Acton CC until the endof the last season.Despite all his involvementwith the Umpire Association,Brian was often to be found atLord’s watching Middlesex CCC,where he was a member and,when not at cricket he spent manyhours pursuing other interests includingwalking, swimming,yoga, and watching his daughterand son–in-law rowing both in theUK and in Hong Kong where theylive. Brian was also very involvedin his local church wherehe served as a Church Warden.Brian lived a very full life andwill be sadly missed by his familyand all his friends in Middlesexand beyond. Brian is survived byhis wife Bridget, their two daughtersand respective families.’e-mail us at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk 20 contact us on 0121 446 2710

‘Cricket4Change’After our photos in the last issue,we are pleased to give some backgroundto them – provided by thecourse coach, Danny Baker…“London cricket charity ‘Cricket forChange’ and the Croydon Umpiresand Scorers Association ran acourse for those from disadvantagedor disabled backgrounds overthe October half-term. The group ispart of the Charities ApprenticeshipScheme which helps aspiringcoaches make a difference to Londoners’lives using a combinationof external courses and intensivevolunteering.The group didn’t however followusual protocol, as the charities indoorschool was able to host a practicalelement as the first part to thecourse – which was a ‘hit’ for the20-strong group of apprentices. TheUmpires Association, lead by ColinWilson, had decided to use this as amore practical way, replicating thepressures and speed of decisionsneeded to umpire in a competitivesituation. The session was a hugesuccess, and was the first time theAssociation had worked with disabilityand refugee groups. Onerefugee said “Umpiring being boringwas my old view, now I wouldlike to do more”. Another youngcoach with a disability said “I learntabout no-balls and was happy thatthe trainers made me feel reallygood”.(Ed: this new facility is at PloughLane, Wallington, in Surrey, andhas both internal facilities as wellas a good-sized cricket ground, includingnets. Many members withinSurrey ACO are regular umpiresthere.)‘Out – Retired’This is a new ‘view-from-the-veranda’ section, covering a raft ofshort comments and occasional lengthier anecdotes, gleaned frommembers who have asked us to terminate their memberships becausethey are ‘retiring’ – on which, generally, they are quizzed as to why,and are asked if we could re-use them in a less active mode, questioninghow they are going to put all that extra spare time to proper use(‘shopping with the missus’ not acceptable).It is no surprise that most have had fascinating lives, and manyhave ‘alternative’ interests which really do often top the boredom oftwo teams grinding through 8 hours for no sensible result! The firstone, obviously, was in the last issue, from Pamela Cranefield – andelicited an immediate invitation from the scoring ‘boss’ on the Isle ofWight imploring her not to retire, so he could use her!It is also our way of letting the member’s colleagues know that afriend (or colleague-to-be-avoided even) is now not to be seen out inthe middle!From Colin Fenning, of Sussex…“Anno Domini, I guess. At 78 Ihave long been a reject from competitiveclub cricket - in particularmy hearing is significantly impairedbut, unusually, has improvedof late, and if the NHS can get thehearing-aid sorted I might even endup with a do-it-yourself ‘snickometer’!However, I enjoy umpiring andthought I could do a better andmore useful job at my lowly localclub (the demise of their league afew years ago saw them demotedfrom the top of the old one to thebottom of the new league theyjoined, with consequent loss of foreignand local players of talent whowanted to play in better cricket forums- and of club morale) than thecoerced players who currently performthe umpiring duties.Probably the final straw was lastweek when I failed, for the secondsuccessive year, to get my EnhancedDisclosure documents authenticated,which illogically mademe think those wonders of ‘ intelligentdesign ‘, my knees, should begiven a much-needed rest and that Ishould hang up my umpire’s coat!Wishing you and the ECB ACOall best wishes for the next season(but we had better not mentionPerth!).”Burton cricket umpire Dean Groves has – allegedly - set a recordfor the longest-serving umpire in the world after notching up anincredible 55 years out in the middle. The Guinness Book of WorldRecords recently recognised the 80-year-old as the “Most Durable” umpirein the world, much to Mr Groves’ delight.“They had to go through England, Pakistan, New Zealand and the WestIndies, but nobody could top me,” Mr Groves says. “I think they are goingto be flat out unlikely to beat it.”Mr Groves took up umpiring as a 25-year-old after sustaining a leg injuryplaying for West Torrens C Grade. He retired at the end of last seasonafter umpiring for the Adelaide Turf Cricket Association for 33 years, theWide Bay Cricket Association in Queensland for 20 years and Adelaide’snow-defunct Independent Central Cricket Association for two years.(Ed: Come on – we cannot give this ‘trophy’ away so easily – there mustbe one of you out there to beat this surely?!)e-mail us at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk 21 contact us on 0121 446 2710

Scorer Initiatives 2011“Calling all Scorers”In many previous issues – as we have enjoyed more contributions from scorersindividually, and via ‘Notchers News’ – we have highlighted that our membershippriority for 2011 was to find all our scorers. This now is the first major attempt at doingso, and is aimed at every scorer out there whether a member of the ACO or not – soplease ask around, and invite any that you meet or know of to write in.The ECB ACO Scorers Committeehas initiated a call to all Scorersin the game….Traditionally, we have run scorerscourses for those wishing to knowmore about the game and, specifically,the tools and techniques ofscoring a cricket match.However, throughout the UK,there are many individuals whoscore for their club who may or maynot have attended courses recently,or even at all. ECB ACO wants torecruit and to recognise as many individualsas possible for their currentskills and knowledge and specificallythose who have previously undertakentraining and are now ableto meet the Level 2 criteria.Between 1 st April 2011 and 31 stMarch 2012, ECB ACO will be arrangingcounty and regional ‘dropin’workshops to which all thosewho score are invited.The aim will be to verify theknowledge, skills and expertise ofthose who, week in week out, supportthe game by scoring for theirclub or in a league. The verificationcriteria will be published, and beavailable in advance of the workshops.Existing scorers will be able todemonstrate their skill, and havetheir competence verified from theirscoring records. They will not haveto attend any further courses or topass any other assessment in order tobe graded or up-graded as a scorer.Where the verification processmay identify individual needs orqualification shortfall, the individualsthus identified will be able toprovide additional evidence to meetthe gap.Elsewhere in this edition you willfind a flow-chart showing the Educationand Supported Developmentnow being established for ECB ACOscorers, and aligned with assessors,tutors and umpires.The desired outcome for ECB ACOand Scorers is that:• ECB ACO can identify all scorersin our Community• Scorers can obtain an ECB ACOrecognised qualification at the relevantLevel• The National Scorers AppointmentsOfficer can offer additionalopportunities• From 2012, all premier leaguescorers have the opportunity to begradedAll scorers, including current ECBACO members, are requested tocontact ECB ACO to identify themselveswith full name, county andany current qualification, to the followinge-mail address:ecbaco@ecb.co.ukThe process then will be…Stage 1Individuals can self-nominate forverification, grading and the awardof the relevant ECB ACO certificatebased on their demonstrated competence,experience and records todate.Stage 2From applications received ECBACO will arrange through regionaland county scorer officers, a seriesof verification workshops and,where necessary, any follow-up activity.Stage 3Invitations will be sent to scorers toconfirm their attendance at the workshopwhich proves most suitable bytime, date and location, for thescorer.Stage 4Scorers attend workshops with theirrecords (and any achievements forverification) and are awarded the relevantcertificates and grades.If required, a notice of any furtherevidence or follow-up will be agreedat the time.Stage 5The ECB ACO Scorer Committeehas agreed an outline plan to reviewand integrate existing and new resourcesinto a suite of programmesfor use in the autumn of 2011 andthereafter.The cost to you…In order to minimise the cost of theverification process, it has been setat £30, and all scorers will, in additionbe granted free membership ofECB ACO (current fee £30)Free membership includes: Membershippack and card, insurance, CRB,magazine, access to clothing, etc.‘Tom Smith’s’ is almost ready…Good news for those who find this an invaluable support.The news from MCC is that it is almost complete, andsoon to go to print, with a hoped-for date of April for publication.A point to note is that MCC will be promoting itstrongly themselves and will be selling the book severalweeks earlier than other suppliers, at a discount from the£18.99 RRP. We are also delighted to say that DuncanFearnley, the ACO Merchandise supplier, will be stockingand selling ‘Tom Smith’s’ thereafter.Trust FundJust to say, that our talkswith the Trustees of theACU&S Trust Fund areprogressing in a muchmore positive way, and weare anticipating being ableto give you detail of thenegotiated outcome in the‘Spring’ May edition.e-mail us at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk 22 contact us on 0121 446 2710

The Christmas Challenge 2010The Third Umpire reports:‘This year, for the first time, theChallenge was published in twosources, Notchers’ News (anewsletter for scorers) and theACO newsletter, so this reportrefers to entries from both publications.There were 45 entries in all, thehighest number since the earlyyears when the Challenge first appearedin the old ACU&S How’sThat? The first of these, from AndyHodder, arrived on 4 th Decemberwhile others, held up by deliverydelays, had only two or three daysin which to submit their entries beforethe closing date of 10 th January.Since most of the entries weresent by email, I do not know wheremost of the competitors are based,but I was very pleased to receiveentries from Australia (Brisbane),Hong Kong and Italy.The correct solution is as follows:NotchersScratchers5 penalty extras1 36 382 128 453 6 14 1 05 10 1206 3 157 96 828 2 69 10 010 28 811 1 (-5 pen ex) 5Extras 15 2Total 336 327Result: Notchers won by 9 runsI have to confess that I was surprisedto receive seven entriesawarding penalty runs to theScratchers’ XI after the batsmenhad caused avoidable damage tothe pitch: this was not an extra-deviousploy on my part, but it was anoversight in that it had not registeredwith me that, as a result of therecent law amendments, the battingside now receive only one warningbefore the penalty runs areawarded. My thanks to BrianShepherd and Wesley Ellison forpointing this out.As a result, only one entrant wasall-correct, while a further six hadonly one error and seven more twoerrors. S3 proved a problem fortwenty-five entrants who all assumedthat the injured strikerwould be out and no runs scored:since the scores were level, thematch would be over as soon as thenon-striker and the runner hadmade good their ground (this hasbeen agreed with the MCC Lawscommittee). Some people will, I amsure, remember the last ball of lastseason’s T20 final when a verysimilar situation arose and Somersetfailed to run out the injuredstriker who had run to the bowler’send. In that match, however, althoughthis was the run which wonthe final, it was not the winningrun: it made the scores level andHampshire were declared the winnersbecause they had lost fewerwickets.Only two of the questions (N2 -S4) were answered correctly by all45 entrants while there were elevenwhich attracted five or more wronganswers. Apart from S3 (already referredto) with 25 errors, S1 (15 errors)and 2 (14 errors) caused themost difficulty: in S1, since thefielder who had left the field returnedwith his team-mates at 3.28,the 7 minutes while all the playerswere off would count towards thetime when he would be allowed tobowl (i.e. 17-7 = 10). In S2, however,since the fielder did not returnuntil two minutes after play had resumed,and although the elevenminutes while the players were offthe field would not count againsthim, he would still have to wait beforehe could bowl (ie 13+2 = 15).If all this seems rather complex, itmight help to consider what wouldhave happened if the players hadbeen off the field for two hours?N1 (11 errors), N5 and S8 (9 errorseach), N8 and 11 (7 each) andN3 and 4 (6 errors) were the otherquestions which brought more thanfour errors, and I hope that the correctsolution will be enough forthose entrants to see how they wentwrong.Bob Jones from Sleaford is theone who managed an all-correctentry (including 5 penalty runs)and our congratulations go to him.Those with a single error camefrom Umesh Bhasin, RichardBlomfield, Keith Healey, SteveLocke, Douglas Miller, GarryJohn BrownRank and Niven Roper, whilethose with a mere two errors wereJohn Betts, Dave Bradfield,Wendy Hardy, Anthony King,Paul Toplis, Mike Turner andAndy White. I send my thanks tothese and all entrants for their interestand for any messages and greetings.I hope the coming year is agood one for you all.’(Ed: so our hearty congratulationsto all named, but especially to BobJones, who will receive the £30book token we dangled in front ofyou all. Our thanks too to ‘headmaster’John Brown for settingthis taxing examination – at the riskof starting a war, it’s more difficultthan umpiring!)(John also reported that he had notreceived any entries after the closingdate – contrary to expectationdue to the delayed deliveries.)Interesting to report thatBob Jones, the ‘Challenge’winner is an‘RAF’ man – and umpirestheir matches, aswell as games in hislocal Lincolnshire region.Indeed, he isslightly more than that,and will not mind thatwe tell you he is a Squadron Leader in frontlineops management – so quick decisions forhim in a 3rd XI div 8 match wont be too taxingwill they!e-mail us at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk 23 contact us on 0121 446 2710

Answers to caption competition:*‘Well, I thought Boycott had retired’… by Peter Jones, from Surrey*‘Praying for Divine Inspiration’… from Ian Bagshaw, from Hampshire*‘Dear God – was that Out’… from Trevor Parry, of Banbury*‘Team of Four’ and ‘Two Balls Left’ (humorous aside)… from John M Brown*‘Did no-one tell them the game finished 3 hours ago’…*‘Hope the groundsman hasn’t locked them in’… both from John Nash, inBirmingham*‘Praying for rain?’… and…*‘Night Watchmen’… from Trevor Heeley, of Huddersfield*‘And when I snap my fingers… Bill, you will be Michael Holding, and Glynyou will be Geoff Boycott…3-2-1”. from Bob Gitsham, of Devon.’PUB SIGNS – This time ‘scoring’ is in the frame!We are again pleased to show a cricketingsign from our colleague GeoffWellsteed’s ‘Inns & Outs’ – and addhis commentary to the picture…“For scorers these days, laptops increasinglyreplace coloured pencils, but thispub sign - displayed at The Cricketersin Selby, Yorkshire, directly oppositethe imposing Abbey - shows an altogethermore primitive methodology.Famously painted by Francis Hayman(1708-76) the original shows a batsmandefending his two-stump wicket againsta white ball, 235 years before the worldwas stunned by Kerry Packer’s ‘innovation’!The pub sign artist has optedhere for the saferoption of the redball. Over theyears this picture,or variations of it,has been reproducedtime andagain, most notablyin conjunctionwith the late-18th/early-19thcentury editionsof the Laws.We can speculateaboutwhether an umpiremight betucked amongst the fielders (the gent inthe tricorn hat looks a likely candidate)but indisputably seated in the foregroundis a notcher cutting his tallysticks.This sign is the only one known to theauthors which features a scorer. Nowthere’s a challenge for those who frequentthe scorebox to disprove!(Ed: Nominated as the MCC/CricketSociety Book of the Year, copies of Inns& Outs are still available from Geoff.Email him atgeoffwellsteed@hotmail.com or callhim on 0151 625 6470. Price £15 + £5postage.)Situation VacantECB ACO wishes to appoint a full-time employee, based in the ECB offices atLord’s, to join the Executive Team: specifically to work with the Senior ExecutiveOfficer to run the ACO operations on a day-to-day basis.Although much will depend on the skill-sets that the successful candidatebrings, it is expected that the role will encompass elements of administration,budget preparation, membership services, committee liaison, and project management.A detailed job description will be available on the web site shortly as is asalary guide.To apply, please send your CV (including current package) and a covering letterto: Nick Cousins, ECB ACO, Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, NW8 8QZ (marking‘Confidential’ in top-left corner of envelope). Closing date is 21 March, and itis expected that the successful applicant will commence work in April 2011.DIARYThis listing will appear here in everyissue – but we are entirelydependent on you sending us theinformation.(All meetings start 10.00 unless shownotherwise)Sun 06 Mar – Wales ACO AGM –Metropole Hotel, Llandrindod Wells(10.30)Thu 24 Mar – Lancs ACO AGM –Bolton Arena (19.30 )Mon 04 Apr – MSC com – Lord’sWed 06 Apr – SCR com – Lord’sThu 07 Apr – APP com Lord’sFri 08 Apr – EDU com – BirminghamFri/Sat 08/09 Apr – CEOsConference – BirminghamTue 19 Apr – ACO Board – Lord’sMon 11 Jul – MSC com – Lord’sWed 13 Jul – SCR com – Lord’sThu 14 Jul – APP com – Lord’sFri 15 Jul – EDU com – Lord’sTue 26 Jul – ACO Board – Lord’sMon 03 Oct – MSC com – Lord’sWed 05 Oct – SCR com – Lord’sThu 06 Oct – APP com – Lord’sFri 07 Oct – EDU com – Lord’sTue 18 Oct – ACO Board – Lord’sSat 19 Nov – 3 rd NationalConference – Lord’sMagazine ‘final’ copydates:Winter = 31 January, for FebruarydistributionSpring = 03 May, for June distributionSummer = 09 August, for SeptemberAutumn = 29 November, for DecemberPublished by ECB © – Printed by Premier Print Group – G Photo courtesy of Getty Images