Cheshire Scorers Update
Ready, steady…..play!
Issue 5
Spring 2016
JAMES EMMERSON, CHESHIRE COUNTY SCORERS OFFICER
A handy scoring app
Yes, we’re almost there for the
start of another season, always a
time for optimism (which is often
a dangerous thing!) But it will be
great to be involved scoring again
after what seems like a long lay
off. However, given all the wet weather of late, the later
than usual start to our season could help. I was at a
Greater M’cr Cricket League ground on Thursday 7th
giving a presentation and their outfield had large quantities
of surface water visible – they were hoping to play a
friendly on the Saturday and kick their league off on April
16th, which seemed optimistic – so, starting a week later
I managed to persuade Mrs
Emmerson that it was entirely
necessary for me to watch many
of the World T20 games live for
the purposes of research….which
was actually time well spent
trying out the ‘NX Cricket’ app. It
provides an intuitive and very
easy set-up system, a variety of
options for scoring a game and a
good editing facility to deal with
corrections. You can also email a
comprehensive PDF report with
an impressive array of detail.
Available in the app store for
£4.99 it is well worth the space
on your device.
in Cheshire could prove to be an inspired decision. It has
been an active winter nonetheless, culminating in two
scorers courses being run for the first time in Cheshire. The
new-look ‘Club Scorer Course’, a one day event for new
and/or inexperienced scorers was very well received, as was
the ‘Advanced Scorers Course’, an umbrella title to cover
two half day sessions on linear scoring techniques and using
Total Cricket Scorer. A well attended day, it was great to
see so many scorers together learning from each other and
developing their skills.
One footnote – the Lancashire ACO had almost 50 people
attending 3 separate ‘Club Scorer Courses’ over the winter!
Amazing numbers and clearly a challenge for Cheshire to
follow suit, as the need to nurture and develop more
scorers is ongoing - so, please keep spreading the word!
Which pens to use?
I often get asked about pens. No, I don’t advocate using lots of different colours,
and yes, I get through quite a number in a season (as I’m fussy like that) - my last
two season’s worth are pictured. Having tried many different types, I now only use
Edding 1800 drawing pens; a 0.1 black nib for linear tally sheets or box scoring
detail, and a 0.3 black nib for summary sheets. I also use 0.3 red, green & blue nibs
for extra detail with names, wickets, and extras. I strongly recommend the ‘Cult
Pens’ website to you where you’re bound to find something you like – amazing
selection and very speedy service: www.cultpens.com
C
Cheshire Scorers Update
cont.
NEW RAIN RULES
Last minute preparations
Is your club’s Play-Cricket site up-to-date?
The Play-Cricket website is a central component
of many UK leagues, with scorecards available
and instantly updated league tables. The interface
between Play Cricket and TCS can make life a lot
easier, but equally if your club’s Play Cricket site
is not regularly updated, it leads to time
consuming corrections. If you do not have
administrative rights to your club’s site, it’s well
worth arranging to have this access, as you can
get your site updated, remove duplicated players,
correct mis-spelt names, ensure that players
have recognised ID numbers, etc. This will make
the download/upload procedure a lot easier.
Is your signalling aid sorted?
It has been a newsletter subject before – a good
scorer should ensure they have a visible signalling
aid – e.g. bright card etc – so that they can
You may have heard or seen of
new guidance from ECBACO. It
has been issued in the aftermath
of a court case brought against
two umpires in a Birmingham
League by a player injured in a
match in 2012 which was played
on a wet ground. The verdict
found in favour of the umpires
who had acted completely
correctly, but nonetheless the
judge made a number of recommendations about the
best protocol in the event of rain affecting matches. By
and large it underlines much of what was already being
done by umpires assessing fitness of conditions for play,
but the significant difference for 2016 and beyond is that
if either umpire believes conditions to be dangerous or
unreasonable, then play is to be ceased (previously, both
umpires had to agree that conditions were not suitable).
If rain, ground conditions, poor light etc prevent a
prompt start then, as before, both umpires have to agree
that conditions have improved enough for play to begin.
While this does not affect scorers per se, it is well worth
keeping a careful note of timings on such days, to help
with an accurate record of events.
GLAD I WASN’T SCORING….my thanks to Malpas scorer
Max Funke for details of a match he scored last year that
started nb(4) – nb – dot – wide – nb(4), & continued dot –
6 – 4 – 1 – 2. Max said “that was 25 runs off 10 balls in
one over!” Thankfully there was enough room within his
linear scoresheet to record everything - but only just!
2016 Rule Changes
acknowledge umpires’ signals. Signalling aids are
cheap to make and are an essential part of a
scorer’s equipment.
Got your own League Handbook?
Every scorer needs their own copy! Check your
match regulations, the points structure (including
bonus points, if these are part of your league),
restrictions on bowlers overs, the fixture list, and
any clubs new to your league.
Just a reminder that County League clubs have voted
to have 30 yard fielding circles in 1st XI league games
where 2 panel umpires stand…my
guess is there could be a number of
late or retrospective calls as umpires
adjust – so keep even more of an
eagle eye on both of them!
ECABCO Scoring Qualifications
Scorers who have been through an ECBACO Club Scorer course – or
experienced scorers – can join ACO and then request an assessment
which leads to the Level 1 award. This provides a stepping stone to the
Levels 2 & 3, for more experienced scorers who are comfortable
with a variety of scoring methods. L2 & L3 are able to apply for
a number of one-day and some multi-day representative matches
at various age-group levels. Contact James for more information.
You can contact James
on 07905 725617 or via
email:
[email protected]
And do encourage
other scorers to get in
touch with their details!