Photo Credit: Sportsfile
As part of Cricket Ireland’s budget that was approved by the Board last week, a new funding allocation was provided for the administration, training and deployment of umpires and match referees. This funding recognises the steps that the sport is taking to professionalise match officials management, development and administration (read more here).
Phil Thompson, Match Officials Manager for Cricket Ireland, said:
“Match Officials have a long and proud history delivering a service on behalf of Irish cricket – but until this year, have essentially been providing a semi-professional service on a volunteer basis. However, there has been a four-fold increase in appointments required in the last few years – across senior internationals, inter-pros, Super Series, all-Ireland Club Cup competitions, Future Series, national youth and pathway fixtures.
“We all recognise the central importance of match officials within the game and the need that had arisen in Irish cricket to evolve from a volunteer administration to developing a professionalised system in response.
“The new investment in this system includes not only recruitment, training and monitoring, but planning for the future through talent-spotting and succession planning.”
The umpire panels released today cover the elite end, from domestic representative to internationals, and features Ireland’s most talented officials.
Match Referees Panel
International Match Referees
- Phil Thompson (NIACUS)
- Graham McCrea (NWCUSA)
Umpire Panels
International
- Aidan Seaver (LCU&SA)
- Roly Black (NWCUSA)
- Johnny Kennedy (NIACUS)
- Mark Hawthorne (NIACUS)
First-class
- Gareth Morrison (NIACUS)
- Azam Ali Baig (LCU&SA)
- George Brolly (NWCUSA)
- Jareth McCready (NIACUS)
Representative
- Warren McCully (NIACUS)
- Steve Wood (LCU&SA)
- Ian Gamble (NWCUSA)
- William Clarke (LCU&SA)
- Vinny O’Hara (NWCUSA)
Intermediate
- Brian Boyd (NIACUS)
- Ronnie Balfour (NIACUS)
- Ashish Sharma (LCU&SA)
- Colin McClean (NIACUS)
- Declan Early (MCU&SA)
- Jamie Matthews (NIACUS)
- Will Houston (LCU&SA)
- Brian Alexander (NIACUS)
- Simon Burrowes (NIACUS)
- Srini Karpe (LCU&SA)
* Acronyms above relate to the provincial association that each person originates from:
LCU&SA – Leinster Cricket Umpires & Scorers Association
MCU&SA – Munster Cricket Umpires & Scorers Association
NIACUS – Northern Ireland Association of Cricket Umpires & Scorers
NWCUSA – North West Cricket Umpires & Scorers Association
