THE MEN IN WHITE

The Art of Umpiring by Matt Ottey

Officiating in any sport is often a thankless task. Take football, for example: the abuse, criticism and constant condemnation is enough to make anyone wonder why they carry on doing it.

In boxing, if the referees get too involved, constantly splitting fighters up, they’re labelled over-protective; if they don’t step in quick or soon enough they’re criticised for not being protective enough; and if they get too close, they get a clout round the ear for their troubles.

However, cricket is a gentleman’s sport, played by the sort of men you want running the country, isn’t it? Well, just in case you’re thinking of taking up the job here’s a selection of experiences, views and inside knowledge courtesy of Nortonthorpe’s two stalwart umpires, Roy England and Norman Mosley - both of whom played in Nortonthorpe’s successful team of the 60s and 70s.

Getting into Umpiring

You would assume that with both Roy and Norman being (good) ex-players, the job of umpiring was a natural progression. And for Roy it was: “I was just happy to put something back into the game, and I quite enjoy it, going out with Norman every week.”

However, Norman’s introduction to the game was different: “Me and a few of the other players were in the pub one night; we hadn’t been in there for very long when Rowland came over and asked me to umpire a game for him the next day. I told him in not so many words to bugger off, but throughout the night he kept asking me to do it, buying me drinks and the like. So eventually, when I’d had enough to drink, I gave in and told him I’d do it, apparently.”

Initial Experiences  

Widely regarded as one of the most difficult jobs in sport, umpiring can be a daunting task, especially when it’s your first match and you don’t want to make a mess of things.

Norman Mosley has been the man in the middle for a number of years and reflects back to when he started. “It’s a bit daunting for the first season. Apparently some people take to it pretty quickly, just a few games, but they must be the young ones because I was a bit uneasy with it for the entire season. I think the thing is that when you start out you’re questioning yourself all the time, second guessing every decision, but once I got past that first season you tend to stop letting it bother you. If you’ve given someone out, then that’s that.”

Roy England adds: ‘‘When you’ve been a player and you know what it’s like getting out, you can call decisions better because you know what it’s like from the other side.”

Sneaky Tactics

As in any other sport, there’s always the sneaky few who try and con the umpires, maybe by planting that little seed of doubt in their head which makes the umpire sometimes underestimate the batsman’s guilt. Sometimes the fielding side will appeal a little too enthusiastically, or the bowler might be a little too keen to trample on the wicket etc.

However, the hawkeyed umpires aren’t always as gullible as many might think. Norman and Roy have been umpiring for a fair few years between them, and have picked up a few tricks of their own along the way. Norman explains: ‘‘I remember one match during my first season when the players were appealing for everything. I was umpiring with a fella who had been about a bit, so the next time they appealed he called me over, offered me a mint and said: ‘Don’t turn around, they’ll think we’re talking about ‘em, scare ‘em to death!’, and it worked. It’s amazing, some of them think you’ve never played.”
 
Abuse

Having followed the recent controversy over players’ treatment of referees in football, I have to wonder whether cricket is becoming the same. With the Darrell Hair affair and the England jelly bean farce in mind, I asked Roy and Norman for their opinion of the subject.

“When we were playing in the 60s team we gave out our fair share of stick,” says Norman, “only it was usually directed at the opposition batsman. I think it’s becoming more of a problem, but I would put it up there with football.”

“It’s nothing we can’t handle,” Roy adds. “It does happen, and some umpires have finished because of it, but if you’ve been a player, you know how to take it because we used to do it!”

Both Roy and Norman are both carrying on their roles into the coming season, so all you budding Birds, Bucknors and Koertzens can head out into the Yorkshire countryside one sunny weekend to see how it’s done properly! 

BACK