A shortage of umpires is likely to affect cricket matches in the county during the 2026 season unless action is taken to attract a fresh group of officials to the game, writes Keith Richardson.
Efforts are being made to address a lack in numbers of cricket umpires in the Eden Valley and the Cumbria cricket leagues.
An initial appeal was made by the chairman of the Eden Valley Cricket League (EVCL), Mike Mitchelson at the annual meeting of the league.
“We are going to be short of umpires for our league matches in 2026 unless something is done now,” Mr Mitchelson told club representatives at the AGM, held at the Sun Inn, Newton Reigny.
He urged clubs to consider the problem and see if there were any people, perhaps former players in their clubs, who would consider undergoing the training to qualify as umpires.
The EVCL is prepared to cover the cost of individuals from their league attending courses. And that appeal through the Eden Valley has been taken up in the wider county.
Steve Hurd, who umpires in the Cumbria Cricket League (CCL) premier division, is an ACO (Association of Cricket Officials) representative for the ECB and regional development officer.
“Last summer a couple of premier division matches in the CCL premier division were allocated only one umpire rather than two,” he said, “and that is simply not acceptable.
“Since then, for a variety of reasons, we have lost several umpires from the pool we draw on and now need to have a fresh intake of people who are prepared to qualify for what is an invaluable role in the game of cricket. We need at least 10 more umpires on the list.”
ECB training – an introductory online version and face to face courses – are available for potential umpires.
Well known CCL umpire and former Workington player Graeme Cross, an umpire in the CCL premier division, is also responsible for allocating umpires to EVCL matches.
“Additional umpires are badly needed to fill the shortfall we are likely to experience unless steps are taken before next spring,” he said. “Umpires are vital to our sport and new recruits will become part of an important group – just like club scorers – who are essential to the game.
“Potential new recruits will be given ECB-organised training, and it is important for them to know that they will not be thrown in at the deep end but that there will be a gradual progression as they are eased into the role.
“It is a concern that the vast majority of CCL division one matches only had one umpire last season and many EVCL division one matches did not even have one. Having said that some clubs playing at EVCL division two level may prefer that as it helps reduce match day costs.”
A similar appeal to that for new umpires is being made to try and attract more club scorers.
Premier League teams in the CCL can lose vital points if they do not provide a scorer and – just like potential umpires – there are training courses available. Umpires and scorers work very much as a team during matches.
League umpires are paid a set fee plus mileage costs while scorers can also be paid a match fee.
Anyone attending the ECB umpire and new online ECB scoring course will receive free membership of the ACO for their first year.
If anyone is interested in knowing more and expressing an interest in umpiring or scoring their first port of call is to contact Graeme Cross via [email protected] or Steve Hurd on [email protected]
