League News

With just one calendar month to go the start of the 2017 season, this message is for anyone involved in entering results on to the online system - last year this we used CricHq, but for 2017 like the Two Counties League and the North Essex Junior League, the North Essex Cricket League is moving across to Play-Cricket. As preparation for the move across I will need you to ascertain who is responsible for your club’s Play-Cricket website – each ECB affiliated club will have a  Play-Cricket website, and as far as I can see the only club’s that have not claimed their websites are Ardleigh and Great Braxted & Tiptree (there are instructions in the attached Play-Cricket Signup word document (pages 8-11) for those clubs). 7 Para RHA as a new club have not got a Play-Cricket website yet, but this will be created ahead of the season. I will be in touch directly with representatives of 7 Para once their site is in place. I have also attached a spreadsheet of people who I have identified as Website Administrators for your club’s Play-Cricket websites – whoever enters results for 2017, will have to have a conversation with the Website Administrator to [...Continue Reading]

At the committee meeting last week it was reported that some clubs' umpires were inconsistent with regard to no-balling full tosses - So here's a reminder for everyone: Law 42 (Fair and unfair play) 6 (b) Bowling of high full pitched balls (i) Any delivery, other than a slow paced one, which passes or would have passed on the full above waist height of the striker standing upright at the crease is to be deemed dangerous and unfair, whether or not it is likely to inflict physical injury on the striker. (ii) A slow delivery which passes or would have passed on the full above shoulder height of the striker standing upright at the crease is to be deemed dangerous and unfair, whether or not it is likely to inflict physical injury on the striker. You can check the height with your colleague at square leg (if he's awake and not lost pondering how he got out first ball a few minutes earlier) before calling and signalling a high full-toss as a no-ball but the square leg umpire should not make the call. Maybe more difficult is the distinction between 'fast' and 'slow' bowling; anyone who isn't a spinner should be regarded as [...Continue Reading]

Article courtesy of Shepard Neame League (Author unknown) Introduction No cricket match can take place without umpires, however most cricket matches are played without appointed umpires. The purpose of this Guide is to give players the confidence to take their turn as an umpire to ensure that a match can take place. In matches without appointed umpires, the Team Captains carry out most of the administrative duties of umpires (the number of overs; if game is playable (having to consider ground conditions, weather and light; who will bat first etc.) leaving just the umpiring to the ‘men in white coats’. These umpiring requirements are briefly covered in this Guide, are not too difficult and will enable you to make a valuable contribution to any match. Remember that umpiring is an art. Always try to remain calm, never be seen to act in a hasty or pressured way and you will learn something every time you umpire. You cannot be expected to know all the 42 Laws in detail. While you have the ‘white coat’ then you and your colleague, together with the scorers, are the third team on the field. While you are in that role, act as a team and [...Continue Reading]

It has been brought to my attention that many clubs are not providing a scorer for their games particularly in the lower levels of the League. Normally, this is not a problem as two volunteers from the batting side take over the books for the innings. However, it seems that some clubs are now only filling in 'their' book and letting their opponents copy the book over at the end of the innings/match. This isn't good enough. Every club should be able to find two semi-literate individuals to do this vital job (particularly if the side batting first have managed to complete both books!). It is really not that difficult. A dot here, a single here and a little bit of adding up. It is vital that checks of both books are made at the end of every over to ensure that errors are not made. I am attaching a 15 minute guide to scoring from the now defunct ACUS which clubs should keep with their scorebooks in case of queries. Download Guide to Scoring