Umpiring: Best seat in the house
‘You’re watching cricket from the best seat in the house.’
That’s the view of Paul Evans who this season joined the Shropshire Association of Cricket Officials’ (SACO) group of panel umpires.
It has seen him officiating in a number of games in the MSG Shropshire County League Division One as part of the panel and also county disability and age group games.
Paul has been involved in the game for a number of years in Shropshire after moving to the county following a career in the Navy, playing for Acton Reynald and Sentinel along the way.
With his family also playing in Shropshire, Paul has always enjoyed being part of the game and wanted to stay involved.
He has played a couple of games for Sentinel’s 3rd XI this season, but admits: “I’ve just got too old to play cricket these days!”
In recent years he had often found himself umpiring during club games, so decided to do the Umpiring Course with SACO’s Tim Barber last Winter.
“After doing a few games, SACO asked me to go on the Panel to do some league games.
“It has been really enjoyable – it’s a great way to stay in the thick of things and you are right in the middle of the action like when you’re playing. You just don’t hurt when you get up on a Sunday morning!”
He’s hoping to go again next season with the chance to stay on the panel and do some Shropshire Premier League games, and perhaps looking further ahead the progression is to umpire in the Birmingham League.
But he admits: “I am happy to say in the Shropshire League. It’s a big county and you get to travel around.
“I have seen some very good cricket, and some very bad cricket and everything in between, but that is all about the ebbs and flows of the game we all enjoy.”
There has been the occasional incident to deal with along the way – but nothing to put him off doing the job.
“I have heard a few choice words and there is a mechanism for dealing with anything like that. But the vast majority of the players respect the game and play it in the right spirit.
“You want it to be competitive – it’s the top divisions in Shropshire after all – so there will always be the odd confrontation. The job of the umpire is to make sure it remains within the laws and regulations that are in place.
“It is certainly not as bad as some people think.”
It is a job he would recommend to anyone who may be coming to the end of their cricketing careers but still wanting to be involved in the game.
“For someone who likes cricket, it is a great way to stay involved and at the same time you are enabling others to play the game.
“The top divisions are obviously more competitive than those lower down, and I think we can all appreciate it’s a huge help for the game to have impartial umpires.”
To find out more and sign up for the Umpiring Course in Shropshire CLICK HERE.