SidelineS


llllllllllllllllllllll PUSH PAGE 19


the umpire strikes back i


Our lonely club umpire Marcus Wardle’s last column generated a couple of sharp letters to the editor He felt the need to respond.


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read with great interest the two letters published replying to my articles in the past. Both letters seem to concentrate on the junior aspect of umpiring within their


area (we know one is Hampshire but why the secrecy over the second one)! Both letters make valid points and I


would agree to some extent but what they do not recognise is that umpiring is mainly seen as the elder players prerogative. Many players turn to umpiring only when they believe that they can provide a better service on the side of the pitch rather than on it. If England Hockey is to provide a framework of skilled young umpires then the marketing of the young umpiring pathway under the Single System has to be more thought out and structured to the young payer of today. It is only from these people that we are


going to achieve a formation of a solid base to which an umpiring pyramid can be built. This does not mean we can rely on


the achievement of one or two counties. The system has to be at a consistent national level, with all counties providing a consistent umpiring pathway and training schedule. We must ensure that any of the counties’ excellent proposals are incorporated into an England Hockey scheme. This scheme can then be used throughout England and the Scottish and Welsh associations could also be included if possible. One letter states that there has been


progress with young umpires over the last 10 years. But if you were watching the regional, and now the Futures Cup, tournaments you will be seeing a selected band of young umpires who are the ‘crème de la crème’ (excuse the French)! No wonder then that the shortage of young umpires persists nationally. If a young person cannot see any reason for progressing on to the


lensman supports club Andy Smith


England Hockey’s photographer Ady Kerry spends plenty of time around the hockey pitch, but now he is spending some of his cash to help Canterbury Ladies achieve success on the field. Ady says: “Having covered hockey at


Canterbury over a number of seasons for both England Hockey and for my local media, when Mel Clewlow approached me I thought it was a good idea to help out in a small way for my local club and put something back in to the sport.” Ady continues “I am in my second


year of sponsoring Mel, but I now also sponsor Susie Rowe for this season after we worked together on a couple of projects during 2010 featuring her dual interests of hockey and cricket.” This winter Susie has been on tour in Australia with the England women’s cricket side. Mel says: “For most players hockey


is an amateur sport and for clubs to survive they rely heavily on sponsorships and donations. At Canterbury Ladies we have one main playing kit sponsor in EuroCanterbury. To increase awareness of the sport (and also to raise additional funds) each player in the squad was asked to obtain an individual sponsor


based business to get involved at the hockey club but also a great way for the club to promote a local business. Having known Ady through England Hockey circles it made the negotiations easier as we already had names to faces! “I would like to thank Ady for his


continued support of Canterbury Ladies Hockey club and in particular myself and Susie Rowe as his sponsored players. His financial contribution has enabled us to concentrate more on playing hockey and less on fundraising for the club.” For more of Ady Kerry’s images see www.adykerry.com


umpiring slope because the 30 or so who are in front of him or her are going to be treated with reverence, then why bother? We need to encourage all umpires,


not just those who are going to be seen at regional tournaments and subsequently, maybe, national level. The umpires of today in many regions will tell you that they have to umpire more than one game on a Saturday. This is not a situation we should be placing ourselves in. The perfect situation would be for an umpire to officiate one or two games and then perhaps do some training or coaching. We should also be looking to


develop a position in which we have a varied mix of young and old umpires. The old to provide the young with the experience, and also to give the necessary tips and what to look out for


– basically to pass on the experience gathered over many years of umpiring. This is what we should be aiming for, a broad base and not a narrow one.


Ady Kerry at the 2010 Champions Trophy in Nottingham


(which would cover two seasons). In return we would advertise their company on our club website, invite them to matches with lunch and also wear their logo on our warm up T-shirts. “In approaching Ady, I felt this was an ideal opportunity for a locally


Ady Kerry


Mel Clewlow in action for Canterbury


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