Association of Cricket Officials Issue 28 | Page 13

Umpiring Under the Winter Sun It was early June, when I heard through the grapevine that Barns Green CC were planning a tour to India in mid-February 2017, so I decided to enquire and find out more about it. competition in the state. The first fixture was between State Bank of Travancore and AG’s Office Staff Recreation Club. This game was one of the highest quality I have ever had the privilege to umpire. All the players had represented Kerala State and 18 of them had played First Class, two had played in the IPL. The tour was organised by Geoffrey Clements who is a club member and regularly works in Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram), which is the capital of Kerala state, the furthest south-western state in India and well known for its ‘back waters’ and rubber industry. We flew out with Emirates, via Dubai, on 17 February (58 people on the tour altogether including families) and would return to ‘Blighty’ on 26 February. There were five days of cricket planned – two games per day – which including two games of Veterans and two games of Under 19s. All the matches were played at the St. Xavier’s College Ground, Thumba. It is a newly established ground in Kerala and has hosted three First Class matches in this season’s Ranji Trophy. The games themselves were rather one-sided to start with as it took time for Barns Green to adjust to the conditions and for the KCA to gauge the standard of Barns Green. However, as the week went on, Barns Green CC did improve and managed to win a match. It was an incredibly tense match; fast bowling of over 85mph, fielders knocking down the stumps from 30 yards and long, hard hitting. All this, and the ferocious appealing kept me very much on my toes. It was a low-scoring game with all 20 wickets falling. After setting 140, SBT bowled AGOSRC out for 120, including some magnificent catches on par with any you would see in an IPL match. The second match was between Muthoot Yamaha Masters Club and Kerala Cricket Association Academy. This game was equally as intense with The Masters Club setting a small total of 120. The Academy looked on course to win when, with seven wickets down, the non-striker was run out, backing up off a free hit after the stumps were smashed out the ground from 30 yards by the mid-off fielder. Then the opening fast bowler, who had just returned, bowled 10 and Jack middle stump and the Academy were all out for 92 off 20.5 overs. Overall, the experience of umpiring cricket in a country where everyone is so passionate about the game was fantastic, and having the opportunity to umpire high-level trophy matches at the end of my time in India was truly awesome and something I will never forget. I found the conditions challenging; first of all because I had not umpired an outdoor game since September, and, secondly, because every day the temperatures were 35+ degrees with high humidity (doing two games of 20–25 overs a side a day did require a great deal of stamina). The pitches were also challenging as, although very green, the ball skidded through and had low bounce. Finally, I would like to thank Barns Green Cricket Club and Kerala Cricket Association for allowing me such an experience. The highlight for me was to be asked by Kerala Cricket Association to umpire two semi-final matches of MPS India Celestial Trophy, which is the most prestigious club knockout Matt French Sussex Premier League Umpire A New Zealand Experience Umpiring in Taranaki, New Zealand, this February was a terrific experience, especially as I had never officiated a two-day, two innings, cricket match before. Standing for 105 overs in a day in hot, steamy conditions and piercing sunlight (New Zealand has virtually no ozone layer) was certainly a challenge. A wide brimmed hat and factor 85 suncream are essential! So how did I get this opportunity? I emailed the Vice- President of the Central Districts Umpires Association, Dave Patterson, to find out if I could do this. To my surprise, the answer was a definite ‘Yes’. Experienced umpires are always welcome as there is a shortage. Taranaki fixtures secretary and umpire, Tony Boshier, a man of few words but a real diamond, and his flamboyant colleague, Phantom, went through local regulations on the Monday and I was let loose on the Saturday. I must have done OK as I officiated my last match on my own. the fact that Kiwis are a pretty laid back bunch. The nicknames are just as strange. I still can’t fathom why one of the opening bowlers was called ‘Quack’. The respect afforded to me, the umpire, was very pleasing as I doubt my declaration that I represent the league where Joe Root started cut any ice. The beers and the chat at the end of the day’s play highlighted the sociability of cricket in Taranaki. I have to say, the standard of club cricket was pretty high. Watching ex-Black Caps international, Peter Ingram, drill the ball to and over the boundary on his way to a century was an education. The opposition were not too chuffed when I turned down a close LBW decision in his favour. I was impressed with the standard of spin bowling. On Taranaki’s hard wickets, the amount of bounce and turn made life problematic for batsmen. Would I go back? Definitely. Umpiring with Mount Taranaki, a magnificent volcano, in the background is an experience I will never forget. The banter was similar although not as aggressive as some I have come across in South Yorkshire. Perhaps this is due to Kevin Lennox South Yorkshire League Umpire email us at [email protected] contact us on 0121 446 2710 13