Trowill hopes to develop umpires

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Jason Trowill has big plans for Poverty Bay Cricket.

Trowill, a member of the 12-man Northern Districts umpires’ development panel to be mentored by Bryan Keightley and Mike Friis, hopes to train 15 to 20 local people in 2023-24 with a view to their achieving a Level 1 qualification.

The fraternity once known as “the men in white coats” is looking to broaden not just its base, but its appeal.

Such servants of the summer game as Poverty Bay Cricket Association patron Graeme Black, PBCA life member Don Cook, former president Pat Naden, Tony Taylor, Malcolm MacLean Tony Lee, Kevin Tait and the late Kevin Johnston all stood at the Harry Barker Reserve for decades, a love of cricket being their lifelong hook.

Among their ranks have been some memorable characters, such as Englishman Phil Derbyshire.

While a passion for the game is a prerequisite, Trowill points out that with practice, coaching and game-time, a career as an umpire is now possible.

“Where else could you get the best view of a game or of the players, than as an umpire?” said Bay director of umpiring Trowill, who will partner his development panel mentor Bryan Keightley at Gordon Spratt Reserve in Papamoa this Saturday for the Baywide T20 competition.

“Any retired player or anyone new to the district can email me at jtrowill@gmail.com,” he said.

Trowill should have no shortage of takers. Locally there are many former club and representative cricketers years out of the game who could contribute as umpires, scorers and coaches. Many already have at least one cricket qualification — the Level 1 coaching certificate they sat before coaching their own son or daughter’s team.

“The Level 1 umpire’s examination is a simple, quick-fire True/False or multi-choice open-book test of 25 questions while the Level 2 is also open book, for 50 questions,” Trowell said.

“Poverty Bay Cricket is looking to do player-umpire sessions with club teams on nights that suit them. Poverty Bay development officer and competitions co-ordinator Josiah Turner and I have yet to set dates to train new umpires, but as soon as we receive expressions of interest, we’ll set up dates and times.”