Cricket umpires and scorers needed in Sussex

The West Sussex Association of Cricket Officials plan training courses for aspiring umpires and scorers over the winter.

They hope clubs will support them as the number of officials available is never sufficient to meet the demand.

Two ECB ACO level-one umpire training courses are planned – at Horsham CC on Sundays October 30, November 6 and 13, and at Arundel Castle CC, on Sundays January 29, February 5 and 12. On the three consecutive Sundays, each day starts at 9.30am and finishes about 5pm.

The fee for each course is £90, which includes tuition material, a year’s membership of the ECB ACO, membership of the West Sussex ACO plus a copy of Tom Smith’s book Cricket Umpiring and Scoring.

Upon completion of the course students can, if they wish, sit the ECB ACO level-one umpire examination, which takes place on the third Sunday. No dates for scorers’ courses are yet fixed.

A number of clubs have found useful an evening visit by the association’s officials to make a short presentation on the laws of the game.

The presentations, with a question-and-answer session, last about two hours and can be arranged to suit your club’s requirements. The association asks for a donation towards travel.

For more on courses or presentations, call Derek Knight on 01243 582578 or Trevor Drake 01243 263917.