SOS for new umpires

The Barbados Cricket Umpires Association (BCUA) is lamenting its most serious shortage of personnel.

And recently re-elected BCUA secretary Hensley Robinson feels it is a problem the new executive will have to urgently address.

'People are just not coming forward to umpire cricket. I don't know why,' he told Weekendsport.

'We have a major shortage. It seems a little more acute (than before). This year is about the worst I have seen it for a little while.'

The BCUA has been able to comfortably allocate umpires to the Division 1, Intermediate and Schools' competitions, but several matches in the Division 2 competition have had to do without qualified officials.

'At my last check, we needed about 12 to 15 umpires in the Second Division,' Robinson said.

He was uncertain what could be done to encourage potential umpires.

'It is something about which the committee will have to sit down and put our heads together and try and come up with a solution,' he said.

'We need to have it sorted out fairly urgently.'

While admitting there were reasons which prevented some umpires from consistently officiating, Robinson was somewhat at a loss why others were not making themselves available.

'I don't know if it is the whole image of the association,' he said.

Robinson was, however, pleased at the response the BCUA generated during a pre-season seminar.

That seminar was preceded by training and Robinson is asking junior umpires to make themselves available for further training sessions.

'We're going to have training again next month because we are preparing about 12 people to take the West Indies exam,' he said.

Most of these relatively-unknown umpires were on duty in the opening round of Division 1 matches.

'Those new names in Division 1 are persons who are completing their qualifications,' Robinson said.

'In addition to writing an examination they would have written their examination and passed them last year they are now doing the practical part.'

There was some debate about whether these umpires should have been immediately slotted in for Division 1 matches.

'These are all decisions which you take,' Robinson said.

'You win some and you lose some, but we thought we should expose them at the highest level to put them under a little bit of pressure, which is normal for a cricket umpire.'