Bennett and Raroa improve by the week

Welcomed into the fold: Poverty Bay Cricket director of umpiring Jason Trowill (centre) with new umpires James Raroa (left) and Marty Bennett. Picture by Paul Rickard

These guys are thriving.

New umpires Marty Bennett and James Raroa love their cricket, want to improve and are improving by the week.

In their first season as officials at Senior B club level, the pair are four games into a 16-round schedule that began at Nelson Park on October 31 and will end at the Harry Barker Reserve on March 22.

Bennett and Raroa stand in the six-team, 30-over Hope Cup competition, which starts at 2pm on Saturday afternoons. Under Poverty Bay Cricket Association director of umpiring Jason Trowill, they — along with Level 2 scorer Clarence Campbell — were part of a group of 12 to have qualified as Level 1 umpires last month.

Trowill said Raroa was his own hardest marker.

“He always wants to know, and asks, what he did wrong as soon as the game is over,” Trowill said.

“He wants to do the best job he can for every team and in every match he umpires.”

Bennett was working on his positioning, so that he had the best view possible and could make the correct decision under pressure, Trowill said.

Raroa had looked hard at Law 36: lbw (leg before wicket) — at factors such as whether the ball pitched outside leg stump or would have missed the stumps, whether the batsman hit outside off-stump was playing a shot, whether the batsman hit the ball before or after being hit on the pad, and whether he was hit in line by a full-toss.

Captains' reports on the umpires indicate that Bennett and Raroa have come a long way since their debut match together, Horouta versus Campion.

“These guys are giving up their time so that the players can concentrate on what they have to do with bat, ball and in the field,” Campion player-coach Mark Naden said.

“We need to look after them.”

Poverty Bay Cricket operations manager Nicholas Hendrie said the association was keen to develop umpires and scorers alongside players and coaches.

“You can never have enough umps,” he said.

“Our long-term goal is to have 10 qualified umpires to control all senior club matches every weekend.”

Although he never played cricket, Raroa — like so many — is drawn to the game.

“Umpiring has opened a new door for me and I've met many people on this journey already,” he said.

“I enjoy constructive criticism and my confidence is growing.

“With the support of the teams and my fellow umpires, the job is easier and I also enjoy their friendship.

“It means a great deal to me.”

Bennett played Senior B club cricket for OBR, OBR Presidents, Pirates and Horouta before trading in his whites for a white coat. His motivation to spend four hours or more every weekend standing on cold, grey days or — conversely — in temperatures of 30 degrees and upwards, is simple.

“I like to see people new to cricket play the game, and help to grow the game.

“I just want to give back to it.”

That's the reason, in the end, that most umpires agree to act as cricket's impartial judges, juries and executioners.

Bennett and Raroa, along with Campbell as Level 1 umpires, Level 2 umpire Mel Knight, and Level 3 umpires Trowill, Stewart Patrick and Luke Fisher will be Poverty Bay's finest at the Northern Districts boys' junior secondary schools cricket tournament to be held at the Harry Barker Reserve from November 30 to December 4.