Cricket: At last, a bit more dosh for the dots and crosses

Cricket scorers, the often-maligned and grossly underpaid servants of the game they love, could soon have their skills justly recognised.

Umpires are paid about $200 a day - including a half day either side of a State Championship (four-day) or State Shield (one-day) match for travel, but scorers sit through the same seven or more hour days for $60 to $80 less tax and ACC levies.

"The scorers are in the same situation today as umpires were six or seven years ago," said New Zealand Cricket umpires manager Brian Aldridge this week.

"I would like to see a career path for scorers just as the umpires have had in recent years.

"I must admit I have procrastinated on this for as couple of years. Something needs to be done.

"Scorers have a vital role to play in our game."

Umpires are rated and paid accordingly. The top 10 are paid a retainer and a match fee relevant to the number of days they are available for each season.

"There is no such scheme for scorers. I would like to see a career path for them, like umpires," said Aldridge.

"Perhaps it is time for scorers to form an association and have their members subjected to assessments and be paid accordingly."

Aldridge said the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Conference, had been tardy in recognising the scorers.

"It took 20 years for the ICC to get the umpiring situation sorted out. They now need to look at the scorers."

A scorer can be asked to score for a day at an under-19 match and receive a gross payment of $60 a day. 

Aldridge acknowledged the part played by Northern Districts scorer Bill Anderson at the State Shield semifinal between the Knights and the Wellington Firebirds in Taupo.

The rain-interrupted match was eventually decided on a Duckworth-Lewis calculation.

"Bill had to make six calculations under pressure and got them all 100 per cent spot on," said Aldridge.

"He worked out that ND needed to score six from the last ball of the match to win. If he had got that wrong it could have been very embarrassing."

But scorers these days have much more on their plate.

Anderson, as an example, is often expected to do his "hard copy" - filling out his sheets or scorebook as well as, ball-by-ball, updating the electronic scoreboard and the on-line computer scoreboard.

Usually he works on his "running sheets" during the day's play, then enters the full details after the day's play - but only after he has checked with the umpires to see if there are calculations to be made over slow over rates and other issues.

He also produces "wagon wheels" for century-makers.

Anderson, his long-time offsider Phil Rice in Hamilton, Otago's Malcolm Jones and Ian Smith in Wellington are regarded as stalwarts of their "trade."

Aldridge is keen to see that base expanded and says he will be raising the issue with his New Zealand Cricket bosses.

The dots and crosses merchants deserve that.