Association of Cricket Officials Issue 27 | Page 16

Best Practice Gloucestershire cricket officials Ken and Roy Palmer help with umpire and scorer recruitment at Cheltenham Cricket Festival. The Brewin Dolphin Cheltenham Cricket Festival is fertile ground for umpire and scorer recruitment. Two Gloucestershire Association of Cricket Officials, Peter Sawyer and Doug Oakey, were delighted to be joined in the drive by two famous cricketing brothers, Ken and Roy Palmer. ‘Ken and Roy kindly took time out from the Professional Cricketers’ Association’s Past Players’ Day to support the recruitment drive,’ said Peter Sawyer. ‘They both had great careers, firstly as Somerset players and later as First Class and Test umpires. Ken scored over 7700 runs and took nearly 900 wickets, before becoming a respected umpire, taking charge of 22 Test matches. Roy scored over 1000 runs for Somerset and took over 170 wickets, before a First Class umpire career which included nearly 450 matches and several Test matches.’ Umpire trainer, Doug Oakey said: ‘The Cheltenham Cricket Festival is the oldest cricket festival in the world, attracting over 20,000 visitors, so it is an ideal venue for our ongoing recruitment campaign and for publicising the work of Gloucestershire’s cricket scorers and umpires.’ This is the second year that the Gloucestershire Cricket Officials have had a recruitment stand at the festival. The campaign is designed to recruit and train cricket officials across the county. Training courses are designed for all levels. An umpire introductory course is aimed at players, coaches, parents, and anyone who just wants to know more about the key role umpires play in the game. For those who want to gain formal qualifications, a Club Umpire course equips people to be appointed as independent umpires, able to stand across the county. Similarly, for those interested in the vital role of scoring, there are Introductory and Club Scorer courses available. For those with ambition and ability, the training pathway can lead to First Class and even Test-level appointments for both umpires and scorers. Peter Sawyer added: ‘Every Saturday we are asked to provide over 40 umpires to league matches. Additionally, we have been asked to find umpires for 17 county youth and cup matches, so we need to keep persuading people of all ages to come and join us, get trained and enjoy the best seat in the house!’ Tony Lucas Publicity Officer Gloucestershire Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers Expansion of White-Ball Cricket in 2017’s Recreational Competitions Last season, the Royal London U17 County Cup A Division matches used white balls, coloured kit and black sightscreens for the first time. The positive feedback from each County involved has led to an expansion for the 2017 season, where white-ball cricket will also be played within ECB’s Boys County Age Group competitions. This means that all of 2017’s Royal London U17 and U15 County Cup matches (both A and B Divisions) will be played using a white ball, coloured clothing and black sightscreens. Therefore, umpires will be required to wear coloured umpires’ clothing when standing in any of these fixtures. ECB Competitions Department 16 email us at [email protected] contact us on 0121 446 2710