Umpiring

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bitsandpieces

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Umpiring

Hey guys

I didn't know where ebst to throw this post up..

I'm umpiring for my club this season in the cup matches I'm not playing in as I'm quite interested in a) umpiring b) getting a great view of the match and c) watching what opposition 1st XI players do just in case there's anything I can pick up for my own game.

I know the rules well, but in the last game I umpired last season I made a couple of right howlers... I gave my captain out caught at silly point off what he later told me was a bump ball :eek:hmy: and then gave another of my team mates not out caught behind, and he then walked!! :eek:

We laugh at it now, but these are cup matches and I want to do a good and fair job for both sides. Do people have any advice?
 
Re: Umpiring

The biggest thing is to be fair to both sides, no matter how tempting it may it be to favour your own team.

I'm not saying that you would, but I've seen it happen, unintentionally or not, especially if it's a tight game. Your team needs a couple to win, last over, those wides become a little closer to the stumps the no-ball line gets smaller, that type of thing.
 
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JonAd I think you've hit the nail on the head with 'be your own man'

haha one of the 1st XI batters just reminded me of the unwritten law, where he is never out lbw and if he's bowled it's always off a no ball! he was joking though :p

yeah I never saw fairness as an issue, I'll be umpiring both innings so I'll try to be consistent, but I know what you mean. funnily enough, its usually the other way round with me. If i'm not sure I'm sometimes too harsh on my own team so I dont feel im being biased.

My problem is I worry if my decisions were correct when there's lots of appealing and you get comments from players
 
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I know where you're coming from with being harsh on your own team. I think I tend to go that way in order to try to appear unbiased.

It's so much easier when it's neutral teams.
 
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I did the same kind of thing with my mate in our first match. It was the first time I'd had to umpire no-one else was up for it and knew even less than me and I was bricking it. My mate was batting against a spinner and the opposition where all regular cricket players with loads of verbal and sledging so the atmosphere at the crease was pretty intense and the wicket keeper was some mouthy South African bloke who was just ripping the P**s out of all of us. My mate came out of his crease to play the ball and the next thing I knew I had the loud mouthy South African in my face screaming "Howzat" with bails on the ground and my mate standing there with foot possibly slid back behind the line. I didn't have a clue whether he stepped over or not. The finger went up out of sheer intimidation from the experienced wicket keeper. My mate was gutted swearing later that there was no way he'd stepped over the crease.
 
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Update!

Hi guys, just to let you know my first match went okay. I feel I got all of the lbw calls spot on (whatever the bowlers say :p) but unfortunately I made some quite atrocious wide calls, I was a little throw by the angle of the right-arm fast bowling across the left-handers. I was consistent for both innings so I feel I was totally fair, but I want to improve on my performance this wednesday when I have been asked to umpire another game.

Can people advise me on exactly what they define a 'wide'? We're playing 40 overs and I was perhaps overly strict on leg-side wides because I was once told you should do that to discourage negative bowling. Also I called some wide-ish stuff outside off wide, but I don't think it was wide enough and I got some surprised/shocked looks from the bowlers at times, though they respected all my decisions.

Help would be appreciated as I want to do a good job!! Thanks :cool
 
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As far as I know, anything legside is wide and anything the batsman can't reach on the offside is wide. It's unlikely to happen, but anything that bounces so high the batsman can't reach it is also a wide I think.
 
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A 'wide' as opposed to 'width' ;) is basically a non-playable ball. If the bowler bowls the ball far to one side or over the head of the batsman, so making it impossible to score, it is illegal and a 'wide'.

Though the umpire is always right, I would be extremely displeased if one of my balls had been declared wide, when not [stats matter to many ;)]. The fact that bowlers from the opposing team suffered the same cruelty is no consolation. The suggestion that I may even consider negative bowling is an insult. If I bowl a wide, the disgrace is mine. You cannot assume that wide balls are intentional... its just not cricket :D

If the ball is wide, its a wide, that includes leg side; if it is hitable, you cannot penalise the bowler for the batsman's inexperience/laziness/slow footedness etc. Umpires deal with facts not mind reading, leave that to the women ;)

Basically it depends on the height and reach of the batsman, generally it would be the length of the reach for a regular shot either side; perhaps 30-40cm leg side.
 
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Personally, I would agree with you Liz. However, umpires were I play call anything down leg (even only a couple of inches, as I found out) a wide.
 
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It is probably a rule of the league you play JB. Some leagues have this rule to avoid any ambiguity.

Outside of these leagues it depends on the umpire's definition of a normal stroke ;) See:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/rules_and_equipment/4181258.stm

I can't say the laws are that helpful :laugh:

LAW 25 WIDE BALL
1. Judging a Wide
(a) If the bowler bowls a ball, not being a No ball, the umpire
shall adjudge it a Wide if, according to the definition in (b)
below, in his opinion the ball passes wide of the striker where
he is standing and would also have passed wide of him
standing in a normal guard position.
(b) The ball will be considered as passing wide of the striker
unless it is sufficiently within his reach for him to be able to hit
it with his bat by means of a normal cricket stroke.
2. Delivery not a Wide
The umpire shall not adjudge a delivery as being a Wide
(a) if the striker, by moving,
either (i) causes the ball to pass wide of him, as defined in
1(b) above
or (ii) brings the ball sufficiently within his reach to be able
to hit it with his bat by means of a normal cricket
stroke.
(b) if the ball touches the striker's bat or person.
 
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Thanks, that's all really helpful :D

Yes I think some of my wide decisions were affected a little by lazy/slow/poor batting, and I felt really guilty when a couple of iffy decisions I had probably got wrong and the nxt ball was smacked for four :eek: It didn't happen often, but the fact it happened at all annoys me.

The game on wednesday is a 1st Team game in the Universities League Cup, so it's a pressure game where I want to do a solid job. Liz you've been a great help and have certainly given me a better chance of having a good day! ;) From your playing experience, how close would the ball have to be to the markings on the side of the crease to designate a wide? This would just give me a final, clear benchmark to add more confidence to my calls in big matches! The room for interpretation regarding legside wides is interesting, I've come around to the 'width of another set of stumps' thinking, though leg spinners caused a couple of difficulties here in the last match!

FYI my 1st team captain has asked the university to fund me taking an official umpiring course and getting some badges :D
 
Re: Umpiring

bitsandpieces said:
FYI my 1st team captain has asked the university to fund me taking an official umpiring course and getting some badges :D
Click to expand...
That is fantastic news, not just for cricket but it is actually a great addition to any CV!

bitsandpieces said:
Yes I think some of my wide decisions were affected a little by lazy/slow/poor batting, and I felt really guilty when a couple of iffy decisions I had probably got wrong and the nxt ball was smacked for four :eek: It didn't happen often, but the fact it happened at all annoys me.
Click to expand...
I made some real screamers when I first umpired [don't do it any more :D] The thing to remember is, you're human ;) Mistakes are made... even by the most experienced as we see with the Test matches :laugh: What is in the past is in the past; as long as you learn from any mistakes, don't be afraid to make them, just don't carry them with you to the next match.

bitsandpieces said:
The game on wednesday is a 1st Team game in the Universities League Cup, so it's a pressure game where I want to do a solid job.
Click to expand...
Don't get swallowed by the pressure, take a deep breath, relax your muscles, stay calm and enjoy it... it is huge fun. If you need to take a moment to make a decision take it but when you signal, signal strongly with confidence and your decision will be accepted.

bitsandpieces said:
...From your playing experience, how close would the ball have to be to the markings on the side of the crease to designate a wide?
Click to expand...
It depends, I'm only 5'5" with arms in proportion :D

I used to chat with the other umpire before the match to agree no balls and wides. It is a great ice breaker if you have never met them before and it fosters open communication throughout the match. Also, if the range is agreed before hand, it provides greater confidence and you know the other umpire will concur.

Have great fun tomorrow and let us know how it went.
 
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Thanks for all the advice guys :cool

I had a relatively good game, I'd give myself 7/10. I gave my captain out lbw to a ball that I thought was gonna hit leg stump for sure, but in hindsight I should have considered it more important that it was a left-arm seamer bowling over the wicket to a left-hand bat, so possibly going down. But it's good experience.

I really enjoyed the match, signalling sixes never gets dull! I'm confident I got all my decisions apart from the one above 100% accurate, so thanks so much for all the help, particularly with judging wides! I love how the more experienced players always shout "that's the spot mate, great ball" when it's a HUGE wide lol. Oh the games those sneaky devils play... :p

I'm taking a break from umpiring this weekend so I can open the batting for my uni 2nd XI, as fun as umpiring is it's just not the same as playing :D
 
Re: Umpiring

bitsandpieces said:
I love how the more experienced players always shout "that's the spot mate, great ball" when it's a HUGE wide lol. Oh the games those sneaky devils play... :p
Click to expand...

Another one you have to watch out for is the keeper whizzing the bails off to spinner after a wide with a great oooh like it just missed the edge of the bat.
 
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