Suffolk County Cricket Board

Umpires standing in the Marshall Hatchick Two Counties’ matches have been issued with new guidelines over the reporting of players who contradict the Spirit of the Game.

At their March meeting at Ipswich and East Suffolk's Chantry Park pavilion, more than 40 members received a document and were given a presentation by the chairman, Mick Blows, with regard to the disciplining of captains and players should the matter arise.

However, he made it clear that the new directions were there to help all umpires should an incident occur during a game or continue after the match has finished.

He told the meeting: "As an umpire who sits on the disciplinary committee, I see at first hand problems with our reporting procedure. This new document is aimed at making things simpler and helping those who find themselves in the unfortunate position of having to report a captain and/or player."

Should an incident occur which warrants a report, both the offending club and their opponents will be notified in writing by the umpires at the end of the game.
A full report will then be sent by both umpires to the league secretary and depending on what action the offending club takes, the person or persons responsible may then be asked to appear before the disciplinary committee.

The action was backed by Mike Thew, chairman of the Two Counties’ disciplinary committee, who told the packed meeting: "It is our hope that such incidents will be few and far between and the Spirit of the Game will be upheld by the players, with the captain leading from the front.

"Often, a quiet word is all that is needed to defuse potential situations and it is hoped that most umpires will never be in the position of having to make a report."