CCUA Newsletter  -  January 2005

The next full meeting of the Association is at Truro Cricket Club on Wed. 2^nd February, at 7.40 p.m. 

      Rule Changes

The CCL Annual General Meeting was held yesterday.  League and ECB rule changes, as they
affect us, are as follows:

     1)     Law 40.2, relating to wicket keeping gloves, is to be implemented in the coming season.            
       It is now illegal to use a keeping glove which has a “pouch” (see your Laws of Cricket      
       for an official wording of the Law).  If either keeper uses an illegal pair of gloves, and if a              
       legal pair is not available, this fact must be noted in the comments section of the result
       sheet at the end of the game.

      2)   Official ECB team cards are required for ALL games which you umpire, not just League          
       fixtures.

      3)    There will be no rearrangement of fixtures due to bad weather or playing conditions.

      4)     If overs are reduced due to any delay or interruption to the innings of the side batting first,        
        they can now be reduced to a minimum of 20 per side.

5)     The expenses for official umpires shall be £20 per match for CCL fixtures.   Where umpires     
        are requested by the competition organisers for Hawkey & Vinter Cup matches, a payment      
        of £12 shall be made to each Official Umpire. 

      6)     Fielding restrictions to apply to Twenty Over KO Cup Competitions from the Quarter 
         Finals onwards.  (Applicable to Vinter, Hawkey & Edwards Cups.)

          a)  Two semi–circles will be drawn on the field of play. The semi-circles will have as their centre the         
         middle stump at either end of the pitch.  The radius of each of the semi-circles will be 30 yards.
         The ends of each  semi-circle wiall be joined to the other by a straight line drawn on the  field on
         the same side of the pitch, marked by white dots.

         b)   At the instant of delivery, a minimum of four fieldsmen (plus the bowler and wicket-keeper) must be
         within the ‘circle’ marked on the field

         In the event of an infringement of any of the above fielding restriction, the square leg umpire  
   must call and signal "No-Ball".

      7)     For 2005 the Premier League teams will play each other on three occasions.
        Teams will play each other twice in 110 over ‘Time‘ matches and will play each other once in
        50 overs per side win or lose ‘Overs’ matches.  All other playing conditions will be as for
        ‘Time’ matches. 
 
        '50-Overs' matches to be played on 17 & 23 April; 02 & 30 May; 26 June;
                                                                           24 July; 29 August; 03 & 11 Sept.

      8)     In 2005, for ECB Cornwall Premier League, Dukes 'County International’ ball to be used.

      9)     Rules regarding fielding circles, and the limitation of fielders (as per the Premier League)      
         now apply to Division 1 games. 

   10)     There is to be voluntary Sunday League competitions for County Division 1 & 2 clubs and             
        also, for Division 3-8 clubs. It is not yet known whether “Panel” umpires will be required               
        for any of these games.  I suggest it should be voluntary – let me have your feedback please.

   11)     Premier League rules have changed slightly. 

            13.1.d – the phrase “or after 35 minutes ……..” has been deleted
                  13.1.g – the time has been changed from 6.00p.m. to 6.30p.m.      

      Insurance

The CCUA will not be providing insurance for umpires in the 2005 season.  Those of you
who are not at least Associate members of the Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers   
will not be insured unless you have made other arrangements.  For those who have notified me
that you are not members, I have enclosed a ACU&S membership application form.   If you choose
not to join the ACU&S, please write to me explaining either that you understand and accept that
you have no insurance cover, or indicating that you have made other arrangements.
[One distinct advantage of the ACU&S policy is that cover is provided for any form of cricket, be      
it schools, Vinter or Hawkey cup, village or town knockout cups, winter indoor cricket, friendlies, etc.,
whereas the 2004 CCUA Yorkshire C.A. cover was only available for games played under the
auspices of the CCUA, and with the knowledge of the appointment secretary.]

     2005 Meeting Dates

Subsequent meetings will be held at Truro C.C. at 7.40 on 06 April; 06 July; 07 September
and 02 November (AGM).  

     Training

     Umpire training will start at Truro CC on 04 February 2005, and subsequent Wednesdays.  All training
     nights will be Wednesday except for Friday 04 Feb and Friday 04 March.   Prospective trainees
     will need a copy of the new “Jubilee Tom Smith’s Cricket Umpiring & Scoring” - £9.99 from most
     bookshops or direct from the ACU&S.   New GL6 and GL5 examinations will be held in April.

                                                                             
      Dave Davis - CCUA Secretary

CCUA Newsletter  -  February 2005

The next full meeting of the Association is at Truro Cricket Club on Wednesday 6th April, at 7.35 p.m. 
You are requested to attend to receive your fixtures for the 2005 season.

      Administration

Enclosed with this newsletter are your preliminary fixtures for the first half of the forthcoming season. 
The idea behind this early notification is to ensure that there are as few as possible amendments
to the final fixture list, which will be handed out at the next full meeting in April.  Please look
through this preliminary list carefully, and let me know as soon as possible of any difficulties,
which you might have with any of the listed games.   I have attempted to schedule your appointments
so that you only make one or two visits to any particular venue, and have tried to get most of
the long journeys in this half of the season, before holiday traffic makes journeys more difficult. 
If you are without transport, be prepared to contact your designated colleague to discuss pick-up
points, etc..  If you and your colleague are travelling long-distance, be prepared to discuss shared
travel and expenses with them.  This should then keep your costs to a minimum.

I have enclosed, on behalf of Malcolm Roberts, an availability sheet for the Non­Premier Sunday
Cup competition.  The CCUA Management Committee has decided that we will not be making
panel appointments to the preliminary "league" part of this competition, but panel umpires will be
appointed to the Quarter & Semi finals and final.   I (or Malcolm) will publish a list of available umpires
to the clubs involved in this competition, who will then contact you direct to ask you to umpire for them
at a particular fixture.  Any match fees will be subject to negotiation between you and the club making
the request. 

As well as publishing your contact details in the 2005 CCL handbook, your details will, unless I am
instructed by you to the contrary, be published on the new CCUA website (under development).
Malcolm Roberts, who will be the CCUA webmaster, also wishes to include pen portraits of each of
the members, containing information on clubs played for, career highpoints, etc., and, if you agree,
your photograph.  Contact Malcolm for more details, or complete the enclosed form & send direct it
to him.

CCUA Newsletter  -  April 2005

The next full meeting of the Association is at Truro Cricket Club on Wednesday 6^th July, at 7.35pm. 
The next committee meeting will be at Blaythorne on Wednesday 8^th June (the May committee
meeting will not take place).

      Fixtures

All fixtures for the first half of the forthcoming season have been circulated.  The final (I wish!) fixture
list is printed on BLUE paper.  Even though, on the preliminary fixtures, I attempted to schedule
the appointments so that you only make one or two visits to any particular venue, events have
conspired to cause me to make several amendments already.  If I have time, all revised fixtures will
be notified to you (and the clubs involved) by either post or e-mail, but I will, on occasion, contact you
by phone.   If any member who has access to e-mail has not advised me of the address, please
send an e-mail to one of the two addresses below.

I am looking for volunteers for the following fixtures:-

1.    Bunbury Festival (National U15 competition), to be staged at Newquay & St. Austell between
 18^th & 22^nd July – Full ACU&S members only

2.    Throwing the Cricket Ball Challenge (Centenary celebration) – 1 umpire for each of the following 
 venues on the evening of Thursday, July 7^th ; Tintagel, Liskeard, Newquay, St. Austell, Camborne,
 Helston, Penzance and Falmouth.

3.    Cornwall Over 50 championship fixtures (both home and away) – see below for the fixture list.  
 Match fees may be payable – G. Husband will arrange transport to away fixtures.  Qualified ACU&S members only

                        Tuesday 17th May    ISLE OF WIGHT          at  Ventnor
                       Thursday 26th May    WILTSHIRE                 at  Warminster
                          Sunday   5th June   SOMERSET                at  Taunton Deane
                  Wednesday   8th June   HAMPSHIRE               at  Bashley
                         Sunday 19th June    DORSET                      at  Bude
                         Sunday   3rd July     DEVON                         at  Gunnislake
                 Wednesday 20th July     CHANNEL ISLANDS at  Menheniot

    Please contact me to offer your services for any of the above.

 Congratulations

Well done to Mike Murray, Trevor Johns and Mal Roberts, who have recently passed their ACU&S
Oral examinations, and to Roy Strout, Mike Thurgood, Mike Collier, David Wynter and Blair Williams, who have all passed GL5, and to Geoff Preece, who passed GL6.  We also welcome David (Daisy) May to our ranks for the coming season.

      Training

      As can be derived from the above, candidates taking examinations this year were 100% successful,
      with Roy Strout passing both GL6 and GL5 on the same day!  The new ACU&S training team (John
      Middleton, Jim Stevens and Vic Hassell) did an excellent job with the new Powerpoint-based training 
      course.   Of our 37 active umpires, no less than 25 now have some level of ACU&S qualification. 
      I reckon that that is pretty impressive!

      AGM

      I know that it seems a bit premature to be thinking about the AGM (in November), but there will be a
      couple of officer vacancies to fill.  You will be needing a new Secretary and  Appointment Officer for
      the 2005/6 year.  From experience, both appointments will need access to both e-mail and,
      preferably, be comfortable using IT to assist in making their jobs easier.  Those interested in either   
      or both jobs should contact Bert Bennett in the first instance.

      Minor Counties Umpiring

      The Cornwall CCC are intending to nominate potential Minor Counties umpires to the MCCA panel. 
      Candidates must be full members of ACU&S, and be under 55 years of age on first appointment. 
      From my own experience, it takes at least 5 years of applications to get accepted onto the panel, so
      the realistic upper age limit is 50.  Anyone aspiring to umpire 3-day cricket should contact Bert
      Bennett, who will put the names of the selected candidates forward to the CCCC.

      Wicket Keeping Gloves

      The Law change with regard to wicket-keeping gloves is now in force.  Gloves which have a
      noticeable pouch are now illegal (see Tom Smith’s or Laws of Cricket for full explanation).  As part
      of the pre-match discussion, gloves should be inspected, and, if found to be illegal, this should be
      reported on the match result sheet. 

      Leg-Side Wides

      Prompted by the Premier and Division 1 clubs to be more consistent in the giving of leg-side wides,
      the Committee, in discussion with the last full meeting of the Association,  has produced the following
      “rule of thumb” for judging leg-side wides :-

            If the ball passes, without touching any part of the striker’s person or bat, on the leg
            side of the wicket, and on the leg side of the batsman standing in his normal guard
            position, then it should be called and signalled wide.

      Be prepared to instruct the captains of this interpretation prior to the start of the game.  If all umpires
      adopt this definition, it will make the awarding of wides much more consistent.  Bear in mind that a
      striker cannot make a fair ball into a wide by moving away from it, but can prevent a ball being called
      wide by moving towards it.

            Following the April meeting of the CCL management committee, at which the proposed
            "leg-side wide" issue was discussed at length, the committee decided not to introduce
            the definition outlined in the newsletter as a League rule, but to leave the application of
            the law to the appointed umpires on the day.

           The upshot of this decision is that it doesn't really improve the consistency of awarding
           of leg-side wides, unless all umpires apply the CCUA recommendation consistently, 
           whereupon there will be greater consistency in the ruling throughout top two divisions.

      Reminders for the season

·     1.     In Premier League and Division 1 games, don’t forget to time all non-scheduled
        interruptions and breaks, and calculate the over rate at the end of the game.  In the
        Premier League, points should be deducted for every over (or part) less than 17. 
        In Division 1, if the over rate is less than 17 per hour, report the actual over rate on the
        result sheet.

                 2.      If you umpire a club that does not have full facilities, as required by CCL rules, (such as
                          sightscreens, covers, adequate changing facilities, etc.) report this on the result sheet.

                 3.      Ensure that you have team lists, on official ECB cards, before the start of any game that
                          you umpire, and that they are signed on the back by a club official.  All under 19 players 
                          should have their age-group indicated.  When umpiring any game played under the
                          auspices of the Cornwall Cricket League, make sure that these cards are handed in at
                          the end of the game, as they should be sent to the League secretary together with the
                          result sheet.

         Dave Davis - CCUA Secretary

CCUA Newsletter  -  June 2005    

The next full meeting of the Association is at Truro Cricket Club on Wednesday 6^th July, at 7.35 p.m. 
The next committee meeting will be at Blaythorne on Wednesday 8^th June.

     Fixtures

     All appointments for the second half of the season have been prepared, and will soon be circulated. 
     To avoid any reprints, rearrangements, etc., please let me know if there are any changes to your
     stated availability from the beginning of July to the end of the season.  I need to know of any Saturday,  
     Sunday or Bank Holiday Monday when you are NOT available. The final appointments lists will be  
     posted during the first week of June.  I am still trying to stick to my intention to schedule appointments 
     so that you only make one or two visits to any particular venue, but I am also trying to avoid difficult
     journeys up and down or across the County in the school holiday period.  Please bear with me if you
    end up going to the same (local-ish) club on a few occasions.   The notification of revised fixtures
    seems to be working reasonably well, with all but a handful of clubs, and the majority of umpires, now
    contactable by e-mail. 
    If any member who has access to e-mail has not advised me of the address, please send       
    e-mail to one of the two addresses below.

    Thanks to those who volunteered for the various fixtures advertised in the last e-mail ; by now, the team 
    managers for each competition should have contacted you with details of the matches they want you to
    officiate.

    Vacancies

    There still have been no volunteers for the Secretary or Appointment Officer posts, which will be vacant
    from this October.   From experience, both appointments will need access to both e-mail and,
    preferably, be comfortable using IT to assist in making their jobs easier.  Those interested in either or
    both jobs
    should contact Bert Bennett in the first instance.

    Wicket Keeping Gloves

    Keep reporting the use of illegal gloves on the match result sheets.  Notification of illegal wicket 
    keeping gloves are arriving at the League Management Committee and they are compiling a register
    of offenders.  Clubs will be advised by the CCL that they are in breach of the Laws of Cricket, and that
    repeat offences may be penalised.

    Leg-Side Wides

    In an attempt to standardise the awarding of leg-side wides, the Cornwall Cricket Umpires Association
    (CCUA), in consultation with the Cornwall Cricket League (CCL), have decided to introduce a standard
    definition of what constitutes a leg-side wide.  This definition is based on the competition rules played
    in the MCCA knockout cup, Cockspur cup and CCL Centenary Sunday knockout cup competitions, 
    and is in response to the requests of many of the club captains.

    If the ball passes, without touching any part of the striker’s person or bat, on the leg side of
    the wicket, and on the leg side of where the batsman would be standing in his normal guard
    position, then it will be called and signalled wide.

    This interpretation is not based on a set linear measurement, and therefore does not penalise batsmen
    of large or small stature, and does not, in any way, prevent accurate bowlers from adopting a strategy
    of bowling at, or just outside of, the leg stump.

    This interpretation MUST be applied by all CCUA panel umpires throughout the remainder of
    this season, in both Premier League and CCL Division 1 cricket matches. 

    It will have the effect of ensuring that umpires who currently umpire strictly to the "Laws of Cricket", and 
    those who call anything down the leg-side a wide, adopt a consistent and fair interpretation.

    Bear in mind that a striker cannot make a fair ball into a wide by moving away from it, but can prevent a
    ball being called wide by moving towards it.  If the striker moves his feet towards the off side of the 
    wicket, away from the line of the ball, it cannot make a ball which might have hit his pads into a wide!

    The application of this interpretation will be reviewed at the post-season meeting between the 
    Premier/ Division 1 clubs and the CCL, and its continued use next season will be decided at that
    meeting.

    Examples

• If a batsman takes guard on middle stump, it is likely that his legs will be 9-12” outside leg stump.  
  Therefore, a ball will only be called wide if it passes more than 9-12” outside leg stump.
   

• If a batsman takes guard on leg stump, it is likely that his legs will be 18-20” inches outside leg  
  stump.  Therefore, a ball will only be called wide if it passes more than 18-20” outside leg stump.
   

    Reminders for the season

• In Premier League and Division 1 games, don’t forget to time all non-scheduled interruptions and 
  breaks, and calculate the over rate at the end of the game.  In the Premier League, points should
  be deducted for every over (or part over) less than 17.  In Division 1, if the over rate is less than 17
  per hour, report the actual over rate on the result sheet.
   

• If you umpire a club that does not have full facilities, as required by CCL rules, (such as sight-
  screens, covers, adequate changing facilities, etc.) report this on the result sheet.

• Ensure that you have team lists, on official ECB cards, before the start of any game that you 
  umpire, and that they are signed on the back by a club official.  All under 19 players should have
  their age-group indicated.  When umpiring any game played under the auspices of the Cornwall
  Cricket League, make sure that these cards are handed in at the end of the game, as they should
  be sent to the League secretary together with the result sheet.

         Dave Davis - CCUA Secretary

CCUA Newsletter  - August 2005