Cricket 1904

S e p t . 1, 1904. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 383 H INTS TO YOUTHFUL UMPIRES. Although the follow ing notes, which are b y the late Walter Hearn?, who umpired in the great matches for many years, are intended primarily for school­ boys, there are many older umpires who might profit b y them. The notes are taken from a long article in the Boy's Own Paper for September :— “ Umpiring is, for boys, an admittedly difficult matter, and yet it is most essen­ tial that the young player should know something about it. “ F oi many years I have watched boys at play, and I have always noticed how difficult it is to umpire and to give satis­ faction. Very likely the player is called upon to give a decision against his own club—a matter to him of real difficulty and doubt. Naturally enough, if anyone is to be favoured, it is to be a fellow- member. The umpire on the other side has probably done the same sort of thing, and so the matters have been looked upon as pretty well clear. “ N ot unfrequently have I seen on the village greens of Hertfordshire and other places the juveniles take up the quarrel, and the game has ended in a general scrimmage, aud the older children of more mature years have sometimes shown great feeliug when a decision has been given against their own side. “ Why, then, should a young player try to be an umpire fair and square ? “ First of all, because it does the boy a world of good. I h ive known some boys quite w illing to take the position, and so far from looking upon it as drudgery it has been to them the very reverse. “ Now an umpire must remember that it is necessary to keep one’s temper. Per­ haps the ball by which he has to give the batsman out may lead to the player having a shock, and if he ruffles his temper it is quite natural he will probably thiuk that he is not out, and maybe make some nasty remark. When this is the case, never make a fuss. “ Two classes o f players are very try­ in g—those who habitually despise your position and who are never out, and those who want to argue with the umpire. With the latter class it may be well to remark ‘ that you are very sorry, but they were certainly out in your opinion.’ Say little, but be ever ready to maintain your conviction — that w ill carry you through many a difficulty. It is well to remember that an umpire will find it safer to have the rules at his finger-ends. I know one or two umpires who never go out to officiate unless they read the rules first, and with boys it would certainly pay. “ Much may be learnt from going to watch a first-class cricket match ; and if any of m y readers are thinking of umpir­ ing, I would advise them to g o to a first- class ground aud concentrate their attention upon the umpires. There are many who go to pick up hints as to fielding, batting, or bow ling ; but many who umpire or captain a team might learn a good deal from watching how trained umpires go about their work. “ The umpire must stand perfectly still, because if he moves about he may attract the attention of the batsman and lead him to make a mis-hit. H e will watch that the bowler does not go over the bow ling crease with both feet, or place either of them outside the return crease when he delivers the ball. If he sees anyone doing either of these things, he must call ‘ N o-ball,’ though he must not be too smart—that is, he must wait till the ball has left the bowler’s hands. “ I have sometimes been amused in a country match when I have seen the young umpire shout ‘ N o-ball ’ before the ball has left the bow ler’s hands, and there has been a good laugh. It is the umpire at the bow ling end who will be asked to decide as to ‘ no-balls ’ and ‘ wides,’ and catches by the w icket­ keeper, and also ‘ leg-before-w icket ’— a really difficult point for the amateur. “ The run out is pretty easy to decide, as the batsman can only be in his ground by some part of his body being behind the p >ppiug crease. This matter of run­ ning calls for very close attention, and I have always found it useful to watch my particular end and to see that the bat is put down in the proper placs, or, if not, to call out at once the run, which is not counted. “ The most difficult thing is to give a man out ‘ leg-before-w icket.’ Many first-class umpires find it a hard matter, so I am sure it w ill be for the young official, and it is the one particular decision that the batsman and bowler will rarely be satisfied about. “ I have found batsmen who would calm ly tell you that the ball did not pitch straight, or else that it would have hit the wicket, because it broke or twisted. “ Oa giving a decision the umpire should make sure that the batsman under­ stands what the decision is. “ Now , without quoting all the rules, which to the tyro must be rather com ­ plicated, one may notice that umpires have to give decisions upon points that are disputed, or to interpret the rules correctly and carefully. One thing is necessary, and that is, as early as possible one must learn to fix one’s attention upon the game, for unless umpires give all attention to it their opinions will not be worth very much. “ But, besides the possibility of becom ­ ing a fine judge of the game, one can learn to think, not imperially, but impartially, though there are many difficult points that will arise which can only be thought out b y those who have had the opportunity o f p la jiu g in first- class cricket. “ To the thinking boy, there w ill be an opportunity to see the game in action, and he will be able to think out a good many theories which he has heard advanced as to how a b oy should play.” DEVON v. GLAMORGANSHIRE. Played at Exeter on August 26 and 27. Glamorganshire won hy 13 runs. G lam organ sh ire . First innings. T.A.L.Whittington.b Light 2 £[.E.Morgan.cDavies,bLight 3 E. R. Sweet-Escott, b Lignt 2 S. Rees, c Copleston, b Light 1 H. B. Letcher, run out ... 1 Bancroft, b Sandford ... 73 Rev. R. M. Ree», b Light... 10 A. Osborne, c Sandford, b Spring...............................17 Russell, b Spring.................48 Creber, lbw, b Sandford ... 11 Nash, not out ................. 4 Extras........................ 4 Total ... Second innings. run out .......... 8 b Light ..........12 b Light .......... 0 b Spring .......... 8 b Aston .......... 6 cBrunskill,bAston 41 c and b Light ... 0 b L’ght .......... 0 b Aston .......... 0 notout................ 3 cCopleston,bAston 0 Extras............ 11 ..........176 D evo n . First innings. J. F. Orchard, c Russell, b Nash ................................ 1 L. T. Leggett, b Russell ... 88 T.C. G. Sandford, b Osborne 10 Light, run out ................. 0 H.F. Brunskill, c Whitting­ ton, b Russell .................15 T. C. Spring, c Morgan, b Hrphpr 9 ) R. C. Barber, b Creber" !!! 34 Rev.J. H. Copleston, c Ban­ croft, b Russell................. 2 Aston, c Morgan, b Nash . 16 G. N. A. Heslop, not out ... 9 Davies, c Sweet-Escott, b Creber.................................. 15 Extras...........................15 Total... Second innings. b Nash......... b Nash......... b Nash......... b Nash.......... b Osborne . . b Nash........ b Nash......... run out b Nash......... c and b Nash not out......... Extras.. 2 3 , 18 , 4 1 0 15 7 2 5 4 Total........................ 177 Total G lam organ sh ire . First innings. Second innings. Light ... Ascon Spring ... Sandford Creber Nash Osborne Russell O. M. R. W. 27 24 , 6 . 3 5 .. 0 .. 2 .. 2 .. D evo n . First innings. O. M. R. W . 20 4 6 40 4 . .. .. 22 10 45 1 1) 4 22 1 ., .. .. 14 1 48 3 O. , 14 102 4 . 7 R. W. 35 4 15 4 16 1 11 0 Second innings. O. M. R. W. , 10 153 , 6 18 31 21 W ILTSHIRE v. NORTHANTS. Played at Trowbridge on August 26 and 27. Northamptonshire won by 70 runs. NoaTHAVProNSHiaB. First innings. Thoraps n, b Grant ......... 1 C. Y. T. Foole, c Grant, b Overton ........................ 5 East, st Luce, b Smart ... 11 Cox. c and b Smith ..........23 M. Crosse, b Smart ... 7 R. F. Knight, c and b Smart 11 T. Horton, c and b Smart... 5 C. K. Wetherall, not out ... 6 H.H.V. Worsley,Ibw.bSmart 1 b.C.Smitb,cOverton,bSmart 2 W. H. Kingston,c & b Smart 4 Extras................................ 2 Second innings, c Grant, b Smart. 10 b Overton ..........32 lbw, b Smith ... 15 lbw, b Overton ... 0 cRansome.bGrant 29 b Overton ......... 2 c and b Overton.. 0 c Grant,bOverton 21 not out................. 9 b Overton.......... 0 cSmart,bOverton 5 Extras .......... 2 Total.. ... ... 78 W il t s h ir e . Total .125 First inniogs. T. N. Perkins, c Knight, b East ........................... 17 J. E. Stevens, c Worsley, b East .............................15 C. H. Ransom, b Thompson 1 H. M. Butterworth, b Thompson....................... 4 Newman, b E ast................ 7 8.8 Luce, b East............... 0 A. M. Miller, b Thompson.. 3 Smith, c Poole, b E u t ... 0 Smart, b Thompson ........ 0 E. S. Grant, not out ........ 4 Overton, b East ............... 0 E xtras............................ 4 Total... 55 Second innings. c Worsley, b East lbw, b Eist.......... c and b Ease bt Smith, b Thompson b Thompson b East................. not o u t................ c Knight, b East, b Thompson b Thompson lbw, b East . Extras .......... Total ........ ., 78