Association of Cricket Officials Issue 29 | Page 3

If one looked at a single driver for this change agenda in the management and organisation of sport, then the influence of sponsorship and commercial broadcasting rights would be top of most people’s list. Certainly, cricket needs to look no further than the Kerry Packer affair and the founding of World Series Cricket as the first major game-chang er in this respect. But at that time the broadcasters held all the cards: not so now and thus it seems that the extraordinary £1.1billion TV deal struck by ECB has been correctly described by Tom Harrison (Chief Executive of ECB) as the next ‘game-changer for cricket in this country which is not just about increasing revenue, but building partnerships and reach’. There is plenty of planning time to ensure that the money is spent appropriately for the good of all in the game (there has already been a clear commitment to ensure that the top end does not benefit disproportionately to the bottom) and to ensure that both broadcasters and the governing body share responsibility for growing the game. Barricades installed around Lord’s in the light of recent terror attacks in London remind us that cricket is not immune from the terrorist threat that lurks in the background, and neither is it immune from ICC’s inability to manage conflicting interests as demonstrated by the absence of a cohesive international schedule that recognises the importance of all forms of the game in all parts of the world. Thus, the main T20 competitions now played on four continents, whilst being great events in their own rights continue to undermine Test cricket by pulling both fans and players away from that genre. Having said that, ICC deserves great credit for overseeing the growth of the women’s game globally, with the Women’s World Cup exemplifying this as it competed on equal terms with such iconic events as the Wimbledon fortnight, the Tour de France and The Open (golf), not to mention the small matter of an England v South Africa Test series. A sell-out final at Lord’s would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. It was also a huge success from an entirely selfish ACO perspective, as Sue Redfern became our first female official in the modern era to umpire in this competition – many congratulations to her. Also, receiving less publicity, but equally noteworthy was the fact that in the World Cup final the scorebox was managed and run entirely by a cohort of ACO women scorers – Sue Drinkwater (scoreboard data output); Su Klyne (scoreboard data input); Sue Jones (DLS Match Manager); Lynn Allen and Carol Bryant (match scorers); Jo Potter and Helen Meardon (manual scoreboard operators). Our congratulations to them all - and yet this cannot disguise the fact that cricket has lagged way behind other sports in terms of promoting women in officiating – a fact mirrored here in the UK by the fact that Sue (and other equally talented women officials) have yet to feature in our main (women’s) domestic competition, which up to now has been played exclusively by women and umpired exclusively by men. Whilst celebrating the performance of some of our leading women officials, may I also highlight the performance of some of our leading Young Officials (who happen to be young men) in the form of Paddy Brown, Ben Peverill, Sam Hollingshead and Ben Cousins (umpires) and Nathan Bradley (scorer) who were exceptional at the recent ECB Bunbury Festival which showcases the best Under 15 players in the country. I am also delighted to say that in another new initiative, we will be promoting our best young women umpires at the National Youth Games and I wish them a happy and successful tournament. I am equally confident that as we approach the finals of the other ECB competitions that all our appointed officials will do equally well, whatever their age or gender, and I look forward to reporting on that in the next issue. is editor, this remains your magazine and as such it should reflect the passion, enthusiasm and strong opinions that permeate officiating in recreational cricket particularly. There will always be a comprehensive analysis of your opinions and a willingness to act on your observations and suggestions, so please keep them coming in. Whilst reflecting on change it is vitally important to keep in mind the rich traditions and cultures that light up the history of the game and point us forward in the right direction. It is important to recognise that many essential facets of the game are the same as they were 200 years ago. Cricket is one of life’s great survivors and one of the factors in its longevity is the constancy of culture and tradition, as well as the willingness to adapt to a new age. This adaptability must lead to more engagement with young people particularly, showing them that it is a great time to be a fan, a player or an official in cricket. There are more ways to be involved than ever before and I want the ACO to be at the forefront of the growth and participation agenda evolving, informing, challenging and celebrating all aspects of umpiring and scoring. As always, I wish you well in your officiating, wherever that may be. Change is happening in this magazine too. Ben Francis has stood down as Editor and it would be quite wrong not to recognise his contribution in raising the quality and standard of this publication. Thank you, Ben! Hamish Grant, the recently appointed ACO Finance and Project Officer takes over the mantle from this issue; he has a hard act to follow with the bar set high, but he is up for the challenge. Nevertheless, whoever email us at [email protected] contact us on 0121 446 2710 3