Making the Call - Round 2
I hope that everyone enjoyed umpiring in the first round of the season.
For new umpires, umpiring your first game will give you some experience and allow you to better prepare yourself for your next match. The first game is always a bit tricky as you are doing something that you haven’t done before and it will take a few games for you to develop your umpiring routines. I don’t expect new umpires to all umpire perfectly, but I do hope that you try to do your best and that you learn from your experiences as an umpire.
For our experienced umpires, I hope that the first round was a chance to get back into the role of being an umpire and that you are back in swing of things and ready for the season ahead.
Feedback from Round 1
Innings Timing
What happens if the team batting first does not receive all of their overs on time?
There will be times when teams don’t get through their overs on time. When this happens, the over in progress at the scheduled finish time for the first innings is to be completed and then the innings is finished. The team batting second will then bat and will bat for the same number of overs that they bowled in the first innings. This is set out in paragraph 4.2(d) of the General Rules that can be accessed from the links at the bottom of the page at:
Please also note that in MJCC matches there are no penalty runs awarded for slow over rates.
Match Reports
The issue affecting match reports from Round 1 has now been resolved. You should be able to submit your match reports as normal moving forward. Please note that OfficialsHQ may display two match reports for the same game. If this occurs, only one match report needs to be completed and submitted. If you experience any issues, please first review the instructions available here.
If you are still experiencing issues after following the guide, please contact comp.admin@wacricket.com.au
Round 2 Focus – Pre-match Preparation
This week I want to focus on pre-match preparation and ball counting routines.
A good pre-match preparation will help you to perform at your best.
Here are some tips:
The day before:
Have a good meal the night before a match and make sure you are well hydrated.
Have a good night’s sleep and work out what time you will be getting up and how and when you will be getting to the game.
Have a bag packed with all of your umpiring equipment and make sure your umpiring clothes are ready.
It is a good idea to go over the playing conditions for the match that you are going to umpire. This is particularly the case if you end up umpiring in competitions with different playing conditions. Tip: I have a notebook for each competition that I umpire in. I also write a brief list of the key playing conditions for that competition at the back of the pad, that I can read when I want to refresh my memory about what I need to know. It also acts as a safety net if I get confused between Stage 2 and Stage 3 on an issue. If I am not sure when I am umpiring as I can check my notes and make sure that I get it right!
Match day
Be on time!
Make sure you get to the match at least 30 minutes before it is due to start. (In WACA Premier grade cricket, umpires are expected to arrive at their matches 1 hour before play starts).
Getting to the ground on time allows you to mentally prepare and also gives you time to look at the pitch, look at the outfield and identify any issues that you might want to talk about with the coaches. It also makes a good impression on the coaches, as it means that they don’t have to worry about whether you will turn up or not and if they will need to organise someone to do the umpiring if there is no appointed umpire.
Meet the coaches
It is always a good idea to meet with the coaches and captains before the game. You can talk to coaches about things like:
Specific playing conditions;
What you expect of parents filling in as square leg umpires; and
How you will be dealing with wides or waist high no-balls etc,
If you want to talk to the coaches, it is a good idea to talk to the two coaches together. By talking to both coaches at the same time, it will clear up any issues before the match and will always make a good impression.
You will also need to supervise the coin toss. Normally the coaches will be keen to have the coin toss so they will know whether they need to start preparing their teams to field or to bat.
Umpiring tip:
On Playcricket, the coach’s names will generally be listed. I normally write the names of each club in my match on a page in the notebook as well as the name of the coach and the captain. It makes a good impression on the day if you can call the coach by his/her name. Also, if you are like me and sometimes forget names, you can just look it up in your notebook to remind yourself and it will still appear that you remember their name!
(Prior planning prevents poor performance).
Meet the scorers
It is always a good idea to introduce yourself to the scorers. You can ask them about how much experience they have scoring and whether they understand all of the umpiring signals. You can also mention that you need them to acknowledge your signals, before play can continue in a game.
Introducing yourself to the scorers will make a good impression. Scorers are parents who will be trying their best. If they can see that you take an interest in them, it will be appreciated.
Personal preparation
Make sure you have done the following before you walk out:
Have a counter for counting balls;
Bring a water bottle! It is very important that you stay hydrated, especially on the very hot days so make sure you bring enough water along to the game!
Applied sunscreen and insect repellent;
Notebook and pen. In your notebook, you should write down start and finish times of each session. You can also write down what over teams should be on at the drinks break so that you can give the bowling captain/coach some feedback during the innings about whether they are on target to get through their overs. You can also write a brief summary of the key playing conditions if you are worried that you might forget them, especially when you are new to umpiring;
Spare bail (optional). If a bail breaks and you have a spare bail, it always reflects well on your preparation for the game and will also help prevent time being lost.
If you are umpiring with a partner, have a talk about what signals you are going to use, including signalling to each other when there are 2 balls left and 1 ball left.
At the end of each match think about some of the things you did well and also think about whether there was any decision that you might have gotten wrong. If you think that you might have made a mistake, I want you to think about what you could have done in order to make a better decision and see if you can learn from that experience so that you become a better umpire in the future. Even the best umpires have issues in their umpiring that they work on!
Other General Umpiring Tips:
Wide balls
When you decide a ball is a wide, you need to call and signal wide ball so that all the players know. Once the ball is dead, you then need to signal wide ball to the scorers and have them acknowledge the signal.
When you signal wide to the game, the scorers will see your signal and will be ready for you to signal to them when the ball is dead.
This is a common technical issue with new umpires, but it is important. Imagine if you had a game where there was one ball left and a team needs 1 to tie and 2 to win with 1 wicket left. If the umpire does not call and signal wide, the batters will take off for a single in an effort to at least tie the score and possibly be run out. If you were to wait until the ball is dead and then signal wide, the batting team will be frustrated if there was a run out because they weren’t aware that they were going to receive an extra ball and still have a chance to win the game!
Bowler’s end umpire judging run outs
If a ball is hit into the field, after making a decision on any appeal, you should be moving to the opposite side of the pitch to where the ball has been hit. The aim is to be in line with the popping crease if a runout attempt is made. Sometimes you can walk into position, but sometimes you need to run if the batters are trying to take a quick run. Part of this is about being aware of the match situation, as this is more likely to happen at the end of an innings.
Ball counting routines
In community cricket, overs are limited to a maximum of 8 deliveries, regardless of how many wides and/or no balls have been bowled.
When I started umpiring in Community cricket, I found it a bit tricky to get used to the 8 ball over counting. When counting balls in an over, it is good to get into a routine. That way if something happens in a game and you are not sure whether you have clicked the ball or not, you can hopefully back your routine to help determine what ball you are up to. If you are still unsure, you can always call out to the scorers from time to time.
My routine:
I wait until the ball is dead before I click my counter. I know some umpires who click when a bowler is just about to bowl a ball and then put their counter into the opposite hand if a no ball or wide is bowled. When it comes to counting balls, you need to work out what works best for you.
In Community cricket games, I use my counter and two marbles. Initially I would start the over with 2 marbles in my side pocket and move them to my back pocket if there was a no-ball or a wide. At the end of the over, I would move the marbles back to my side pocket. This worked quite well, but I sometimes forgot to move the marbles back to my side pocket. I then fine tuned my routine to moving the marbles from my side pocket to holding them in one of my hands. I find it annoying to hold the marbles in my hand and find that I am much better at remembering to move my marbles to my pocket at the end of the over. I know some umpires hold their counter with 1 finger and then 2 fingers in a different position.
The key here is to find a system that works for you. Developing good umpiring routines is an important part of becoming a good umpire. Good luck in working out what works best for you and I hope that one of these ideas might be useful for you.
Good luck with Round 2!
Paul Henwood
MJCC Umpiring Coach