Suffolk County Cricket Board

If an injured batsman with a runner hits the ball and the runner and the non-striker have crossed for the third time before the former is run out, how many runs are scored?

Unless time has been called, the incoming batsman must be in position to take guard, or his partner to be ready to receive the next ball within how many minutes, before an appeal for Timed Out can be made?

How many Laws of Cricket are there?

In order, the answers to these questions are 0, 3 and 42. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg and so many more questions – along with the answers – can be found during the specifically designed training courses for would-be umpires.

Organised at present by The Association of Suffolk Cricket Umpires and Scorers, the 12-week sessions from October to February are held mostly on Tuesday nights at the Woolpit Institute and run from 7.30pm to 9.30pm. Led by training officer Terry Snell and helped by assistant training officer Barrie Phillpotts, would-be umpires are taken through every one of the 42 Laws and at present are assessed as to their competency following a series of mock examinations.

The current course, which costs each individual £25, will be completed by the middle of February, but for those wishing to take part in 2010, new details of the course will soon be made available. New umpires will be trained to qualification standards ( ECBACO Level 1) using oral and visual course material as provided by ECBACO and our own experiences. 

Another course for scorers is run by Jean Quennell, and is also held on the same night at the same venue. In the past, both courses have seen good pass rates and they can also be used as refresher courses for existing umpires and scorers. The umpires’ course is invaluable towards gaining accreditation at the various levels now available and it has been proved in the past that even those who have never played cricket can understand the Laws of the game and pass the exam with flying colours.

Another aim is to improve people’s knowledge of the Laws and equip them with the skill and confidence required to officiate in matches. The course comprises a PowerPoint presentation and discussion of each Law with practical input of actual umpiring incidents and demonstrations. At the end of the course, qualification as an umpire is the goal and this can lead to progression up the ladder to higher qualification.

As part of our commitment to improving the umpiring standard in the whole county we also run a “20-minute Umpires” course for club cricketers.

The training officers and fellow umpires will visit clubs who ask for this presentation and the exercise is designed to help players who are asked by their captain to go and umpire for a few overs in games to which panel umpires are not appointed.

The session for clubs last around two hours, while the “20 minutes” refers to the time players will usually be out in the middle carrying out the duties of an umpire.

Practical training on the more common of the Laws, such as no balls, lbw decisions, bat/pad catches and consultations with your colleague where necessary, is where the main accent of the club session is placed.

In games to which independent umpires have not been appointed, captains have to rely on their team-mates to perform this duty and the session is specifically designed to help them as much as possible.

Our aim is to attract those who feel they have reached the end of their playing days but wish to continue contributing to the game, fathers or mothers who have seen their sons through youth levels or those who have never played the game but feel they could cope with understanding the Laws and deal with the various situations which arise on the field of play.

Isn’t it time for you joined? The Suffolk association is always on the lookout for new members and anyone interested should contact Terry Snell, the training officer for umpires on 01449 760574 or Jean Quennell, the training officer for scorers, on 01473 710553.