It was surreal that I was to score my very first Cricket match as an official and not a parent plodding through a scoresheet. Bag packed and pens ready I was on my way to Eversley Cricket Club. The men’s First XI were competing in the Thames Valley League, Division 1. I was going to be scoring every Saturday over the summer of 2013. My first encounter with the team would be a friendly pre-season warm up game.
Background
Eversley Cricket Club was founded in 1787 and is situated in a beautiful Hampshire village. It is one of the oldest grounds in the South of England. The club boasts excellent facilities with a state of the art indoor cricket centre situated behind the clubhouse. The main ground has a well-positioned scorebox with two electronic scoreboards. The grounds are immaculate and the members very welcoming.
Tony the Publicity Officer for Eversley at that time welcomed me with a friendly smile, firm hand shake and offered me a cup of tea. I felt relaxed and excited to meet the others. I was taken around on a tour of the facilities and most important was shown where the keys to the scorebox were kept. Tony informed me that the electricity could fail in the scorebox, especially if the grounds were very wet.
Well, hopefully that will not happen while I’m scoring! I said.
With that Tony immediately re-assured me that if it did happen, I could reach the fuse box switch by climbing up the ladder!!!
What – I climb a ladder? Chuckle! Chuckle!
Is he having a laugh?
I was expecting Tony to hand me a plunger in the event of a toilet blockage!!
All I wanted to do was score a Cricket match!!!
- Record
- Check
- Accept
- Acknowledge
Luckily I never needed to climb that ladder!!
Tony and I became good friends that season. I soon realised how much he did for the Club and the scorers in particular. He would regularly set aside a plate of sandwiches for us if we were running late for tea, which was always very well received.
Phil Wise the team Captain expressed his gratitude to have a “resident” scorer for that season. It soon became apparent that Phil was not only a good player but a well-respected Captain too.
Was I ready?
With the scorebook in hand and a piece of paper with eleven names written down on it – I was ready, well almost ready until I was asked to control the electronic scoreboard too!
I do recall a muffled laughter when our course tutors told us it’s the batting side who should control the scoreboard. They must have known something back then? I learned that it is almost never so and the home club scorer is expected to be in the driving seat!
Mild panic escalated to crisis mode when I was told that I would not have a fellow scorer on that first day either. It was only a friendly anyway.
Somehow the players all looked the same when they were out on the field of play and in desperation I wrote down various symbols to substitute names. The root cause of my problem was a lack of communication between players and myself.
The batting side eventually elected a player to score with me. Fortunately as the season progressed I got to know the players well, and my colleagues and I were always under the guidance of trained and experienced umpires.
John Golding’s visit to Eversley
I particularly remember the day John Golding and Andy Rutter umpired a match I was scoring (two umpires I rate very highly). I inwardly knew that John was not only umpiring but also assessing how well the scorers were doing!
Ahem! No pressure!!
As it happened I experienced problems with the electronic scoreboard that day. It would not update overs or runs scored. John was well aware there was a problem of sorts as I was late acknowledging umpire signals and the score was incorrect. John’s “two-way radio system” (only used between overs I must add), came to my rescue that day. I had clearly lost my way trying to deal with the scoreboard problem, and with minimal disruption to the game John was able to speak to me from the field and the game continued telling me to keep calm. I was most grateful to both John and my astute colleague who continued scoring through much “confusion”.
I learned three very important lessons post match review (which John instilled in me from that day onwards):
- Keep the paper record going no matter what, since the electronics can always be sorted out at a later stage between overs.
- Don’t take your eye off the game while the ball is in play.
- Communication is key.
I made many errors on the score sheets but nothing Tippex couldn’t fix – the important thing was I discovered these errors and corrected them.
I recall another game in the season we played against High Wycombe 2, when technology (TCS) let the scorer down and there was the same “panic” I experienced, but on this occasion I was able to keep the paper score sheet going. What a co-incidence guess who was one of the umpires? Yes it was John again the radios really helped.
Much to my surprise Avril turned up to watch me as her match just up the road at Finchampstead finished early. As always so much advice and help.
The truth of the matter…
I mention these particular situations to give you a realistic and honest version of what can and will go wrong at some stage in your scoring career, and to emphasise the importance of TEAMWORK!
Some days seem as if a catalogue of errors are made (particularly when Captains change the Batting order and Wickets fall quickly).
However thinking back I would not want it any other way. Classroom training is needed to learn scoring skills and the laws of the game but it is no substitute for being out on the field “cutting your teeth”.
Just do it! Go out and score in the wind and rain, with a faulty scoreboard and no idea who the players are – You will soon learn how to overcome all these unforeseen challenges!
Season’s Highlights
Eversley First XI are talented Cricketers. Particularly the likes of Jack Sever, who in my opinion is the best bowler in the TVL. Fast and accurate! I also had the pleasure of watching Cephas Zhuwao the Zimbabwean who played for Eversley in 2013. He once struck ten towering sixes and three fours at a strike rate of 200 to help Eversley reach 86-1 in the 12th over against The Lashings World XI. Also to mention the young Hampshire academy player Justin Parvess who was equally impressive with the bat.
What a privilege it was for me to score at the Eversley President’s
Cricket Match on the 7th July 2013, when the President of Eversley Cricket Club Mr. Andrew Renshaw presented me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers in acknowledgement of my much valued contribution to the success of the team.
In reflection
I survived my first match and subsequently the remaining matches of the season, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Scoring has become a wonderful way for me to relax and de-stress, despite the challenges at times.
My scoresheets were neat and all checks balanced, however my journey had just begun. I met many inspirational people throughout the season. Some who continually encouraged and mentored me. Thank-you Avril Acres!
I continued to score for Eversley in 2014, as well as other exciting opportunities which I will tell you about in my next blog.