Report to Leinster Cricket Union/Cricket Leinster
The LCU&SA is pleased with the co-operative and mutually supportive relationship which exists between the Association and the LCU/CL and especially that with the committee which is of most significance to us, the Open Competitions Committee. There follows a summary review of the main activities of the Association over the past year.
Umpiring appointments, 2011 season
With 921 appointments in total, we think 2011 was a record year. This is gratifying for us, indicating that we are managing to recruit new umpires to replace those who retired or were significantly less available. Even more important is that we honoured our commitment to provide full coverage for ‘senior’ matches (League Divisions 1-2, LHW, AMC and BKISC cups). Of 167 matches in this category, only one did not have full coverage, and that had one umpire (we never appoint umpires on their own, but a last-minute eventuality can prevent an appointed umpire from attending). Then, of 98 matches in Divisions 3-4, 91 had full coverage and in only one match was no official umpire present. On 62 occasions we were able to provide full coverage in Divisions 5-6 and 16 matches were fully covered in Divisions 7-9. Of the 49 matches in the Storm, Middle and Middle 2 cups, 41 had full coverage and only 5 had no official umpires. We shall continue our efforts to extend coverage to lower divisions and the earlier rounds of the more junior cups, but this depends entirely on our ability to recruit new umpires and to obtain extended availability from our existing members. Of particular relevance here is the need to induce retiring players to take up umpiring and all members of the LCU are asked to do their best in this regard.
Training
In addition to the regular programme of workshops for umpires and scorers which we run during the close season, the LCU&SA conducts the normal schedule of instruction, examination and assessment needed to train our umpires and scorers according to international standards (using trainers and assessors from the UK as well as from local resources). During the 2010-11 close season, 9 took the Level 1 umpires’ course, with 8 passing, 11 took the Level 1a course with 8 passing, and 9 took the Level 1 scorers’ course, with 8 passing. Since the end of the 2011 season, 6 have taken the Level 1a course, with results not yet available. Five members took the Level 2 umpires’ course prior to the 2011 season. Examination at this level is by way of interview and portfolio: at the time of writing, 2 had had their final interviews, with 2 to be held shortly and one has dropped out.
Discipline
The activities of the disciplinary process are not for the Association to report on. The only points we would like to make here are (a) we are grateful to the Disciplinary Committee for the way it dealt with our reports and with the hearings over the past season, and (b) as already communicated to the LCU, we would give a welcome to any practicable and fair proposal which allowed relatively minor (Level 1) offences to be dealt with without the need for a mandatory hearing.