Chris Kelly, the ECB Umpires Manager, spoke at our WCACO members meeting at Edgbaston on 4th November, giving us an insight into the umpires pathway from recreational level to the ICC Elite Panel.
The meeting was asked to, and came up with a number of characteristics that define a good umpire, and explored how they could be applied to different situations. Some of these characteristics were calmness, assertiveness, empathy, communication, teamwork, awareness, dealing with pressure, and knowledge of the laws and regulations. The meeting then learned about how the umpires define their own criteria against which they should be judged, and how the ECB assesses their umpires at first-class level against these standards and identifies ways in which they could improve. Finally, Chris took a number of questions about specifics and particular matters relating to the development of umpires. It was a thought-provoking evening that generated a number of ideas for things WCACO itself could do to help develop the standards of umpiring within the area.