Cricket: Clubs need to strike back for umpires.

Byline: BY PAUL EDWARDS Liverpool Competition

VERY FEW Merseyside cricket fans will return from watching a game this afternoon and say how good the umpiring was.

The very large amount of highquality officiating in the Business Assistance Liverpool Competition and other leagues is rarely noticed, whereas an occasional controversial decision is endlessly debated.

"The umpire cost us the match," thunders the omniscient pavilion pundit blessed, apparently, with 20/20 vision and the wisdom of Solomon. Yet if a current trend is maintained over the next few years, the men in white coats will be noticeable by their absence. For Merseyside is fast running out of umpires.

Many cricketers are already aware of the problem. Some matches in the Merseyside and Southport Cricket Alliance and the leagues below the MSCA in the game's recreational pyramid have to make do with one umpire and some clubs only see a white coat when the bread-man makes a delivery.

Few people are more aware of the problem than Mike Dixon and Ray Rigby, two members of the elite panel of 16 who look after ECB Premier League games and also the Appointment Secretaries of the Merseyside Cricket Umpires Association.

"I have to find 54 umpires each Saturday and I regularly fail to do so because there are not enough umpires to go round," said Dixon simply.

Rigby allots umpires to Sunday and midweek games and he echoes his colleague's comments. "There is a real shortage of umpires and those we have are all getting older," he said, "We recently worked out that the Association has five umpires under the age of 40."

So what is to be done to prevent the MCUA becoming one of the few organisations in the country whose members' average age is higher than that of the Conservative Party ?

Both Rigby and Dixon are clear that it is now the clubs' responsibility to encourage their ex-players and supporters to train as fully-qualified umpires.

"Unless clubs grasp the nettle now and start putting people though training, you'll get to the stage where you'll have Premier League games with only one umpire," said Dixon.

" I have been to Liverpool Competition and MSCA Committee meetings and played merry hell with both of them because they've got to do something positive about bringing people forward," said Rigby added vehemently with a passion rooted in his deep love of the game. "And when they've been trained, they've got to stand with us in games. We have to have that commitment."

Some people might argue that it would concentrate the minds of officials at the biggest clubs on Merseyside and beyond if their own games were affected by the umpire shortage.

Few would argue, though, that tomorrow's high-profile matches in the last 16 of the Cockspur Cup between Kibworth and Northern, and West Indian Cavaliers and Lytham, should not have some of the best officials in the Midlands looking after them.

The days are also gone, thanks heaven, when clubs provided one of their own members to stand in the early stages of such competitions and one "neutral" umpire congratulated his team on their remarkable progress with the priceless comment, "Good luck in the next round lads, I've got you as far as I can."

These days training for umpires makes full use of video technology, Hawkeye and on-field advice.

Tedious book-learning and chalk and talk have been replaced by applied, practical tuition. Courses are inexpensive and the cost is often met by the clubs. Exams are of the multiple choice variety.

And at the end of it all there is the opportunity to have what David Wright, an umpires' assessor, described as "the best seat in the house", the opportunity to watch, say, Debasis Mohanty bowl to John Armstrong or Marcus Sharp attempt to outwit Steven Mullaney.

"The overall standard of umpiring is very high" said Wright, whose assessments, along with those of the captains, help umpires to progress to higher levels. "It's remarkable that four members of the MCUA have stood in finals at Lord's."

Contact Mike Dixon on 07939-738163.

Business Assistance Liverpool Competition ECB

Premier League: Colwyn Bay v Lytham; Fleetwood Hesketh v Hightown; Huyton v Maghull; New Brighton v St Helens Recs; Northern v Leigh; Ormskirk v Firwood Bootle; Southport and Birkdale v Wallasey

First Division: Ainsdale v Northop Hall; Orrell Red Triangle v Formby; Prestatyn v Newton-le-Willows; Rainhill v Highfield; St Helens v Liverpool; Southport Trinity v Wigan; Wavertree v Sefton Park

Tomorrow Cockspur Cup Last 16: Kibworth v Northern; West Indian Cavaliers v Lytham

Business Assistance Knockout Trophy: Bootle v Wavertree; Colwyn Bay v Maghull; Ormskirk v Newton-le-Willows; Ranhill v Formby

CAPTION(S):

Merseyside is facing a shortage of umpires throughout the leagues