Alex Holowczak

The following local ECB Umpire Courses are taking place at the dates and venues below. If you wish to attend one of these courses, which are the first step on the ECB Umpire Pathway, then please sign up below!

We are aware that there has been a considerable degree of debate on this subject.

Below is the definitive advice to all umpires.

1. The ECB guidelines on concussion remain unaltered. In the simplest terms, they are that concussion is a possible serious injury that may be caused by what appears to be the slightest head strike.
   
2. A head strike may result from anyone on the field of play (including umpires) being hit by the ball, by people running into each other, running into items surrounding (or exceptionally on) the field of play or a someone falling and hitting their head on the ground.
   
3. In the event that either umpire believes a head strike has occurred they:
   a. Shall immediately call and signal dead ball irrespective of the state of play.
   b. Shall not allow play to recommence until the player(s) involved has been assessed by the adult responsible for the player’s team(s) and determined to be fit to continue.
   c. Shall themselves take no part in this determination.
   d. Shall continue to monitor the player(s) involved and if either umpire considers a further evaluation of the player’s fitness to continue is required, shall repeat a. to c. above.
   Links are provided below to two documents that explain the full protocol umpires should adopt.
   
4. Law 20.4.2 states that when either umpire is required to call and signal dead ball, the ball is considered to have become dead at the instant of the incident that requires the call to be made. Although the Law allows the call to be delayed to not disadvantage either side under certain circumstances, a head strike i.e.: a possible serious injury, is not one of these. As a consequence:
   a. Neither batter can be dismissed after a head strike
   b. No further runs can be scored, but runs already scored and the run-in progress, if the batters have crossed, will be allowed.
   
5. This guidance applies to every recreational cricket match played in England and Wales up to and including matches involving the 1st XI of National Counties. Separate guidance relating to Open Age Group and Women’s Professional cricket will be provided to those who are appointed to umpire these games.
   
   https://resources.ecb.co.uk/ecb/document/2022/02/14/8ffa5674-a3cf-4d88-823c-
   8862556e8e09/Managing-the-Risk-of-Concussion-in-Recreational-Cricket-V0.3.pdf

There will be a Members Meeting at 7:30pm on Thursday, 9th May at Moseley Cricket Club, Streetsbrook Road, Shirley, Solihull B90 3PE. Tea and coffee will be available upon arrival.

The main event will be a Q & A session with Women’s ICC Elite Panel Umpires Anna Harris (England), Suzanne Redfern MBE (England) and Kim Cotton (New Zealand), who have been appointed to the Women’s ODI between England and Pakistan at Edgbaston on Saturday, 11th May.

The meeting will be a great opportunity to pose probing questions about game preparation, big game pre-match routines, team work, and the career progression of three of the World’s leading officials.

There will be a Members Meeting at 7:45pm on Wednesday, 27th March at Moseley Cricket Club, Streetsbrook Road, Shirley, Solihull B90 3PE. Tea and coffee will be available upon arrival.

The meeting items will be:
– Distribution of updated ECB Playing Directives & ECB ACO Law 42 Guidance Flow Charts
– Update on ECB Umpires Progression Pathway
– Mentoring Update
– Ratification of Philip Vann as Members Representative replacing Mark Turner

The main event will be: 
– CPD Module – Player Safety – delivered by County Education Officer; Rob Evans.

As part of the above, we are awaiting a potential ECB update / directive relating to ‘ball striking helmets’ and we hope to be able to update members with likely changes / playing implications as appropriate.