Local Cricket Umpires discuss law changes

Local cricket umpires were, last Saturday, brought up to speed with the new changes to the laws of the game, at a special workshop held at the National Sports Councils’ Conference Room at the Arnos Vale Playing Field.{{more}}

Among the new changes is a provision that it is mandatory for an umpire to supervise the toss. The team winning the toss must, there and then, decide whether or not it is going to bat or insert the opposition.

Outlining the changes, President of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Umpires Association Goaland Greaves, told SEARCHLIGHT last Saturday: “One of the new laws states that the umpire must supervise the toss, and the Captain winning the toss, must immediately inform the Captain of the team that lost the toss, as well as the umpires of his decision, whether to bat or bowl.”

Greaves said in the local cricket competitions, the captain would go into the dressing rooms, where applicable, and discuss it with his team mates, then make a decision.

But this he said would be a thing of the past.

The other major change, he said, concerned taking catches close to the boundary.

“If you are taking a catch on the boundary, your last contact with the ball must be within the field of play; before, you had a situation, where you could have gone off the field of play, but come back on and touch the ball,” the local Cricket Umpires’ President said.

“In fact you could have been out of play, jump in the air, push the ball, and not be in contact with the ground, then go on the field of play and take the catch; now, once that happens it is six runs,” Greaves revealed.

Greaves told SEARCHLIGHT that barring objections from the local cricket authority, the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association, the law changes will be implemented for the 2011 domestic season, which is set to get going February 12.

He added that the changes came into being last October, by the Marylebone Cricket Club, (MCC), the framers and law lords of the sport.

Last Saturday’s workshop was also used as a refresher exercise for local umpires, and was geared towards getting team captains and managers aware of the changes.

However, Greaves said he was disappointed with the response of the captains and managers of local cricket units, which participate in the competitions, organized by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association. (RT)