Umpiring course begins tonight

The Cook Islands Cricket Association will be running cricket umpiring courses tonight and tomorrow at the CISNOC office in Taputapuatea.

CICA general manager Alister Stevic is enthusiastic about the opportunities that exist for local umpires.

“With the International Cricket Council making significant investment into global cricket there has never been more opportunities for aspiring umpires to travel the world and officiate in cricket matches,” said Stevic.

Today’s umpiring session is tailored to the cricketer who does a little bit of umpiring during games. However tomorrow’s course carries on from that to award successful participants with the CICA level l umpires qualification.

The courses on both days run from 5pm to 7pm.

The level l certificate means participants are eligible to be appointed to CICA’s elite and secondary umpire panel lists.

Stevic commented that there had already been a lot of interest in both courses and he hopes to have more people enrol.

“I want to also encourage people who have retired from cricket to consider umpiring as a way of keeping involved in cricket”.

With junior cricket being launched this week and women’s cricket at the beginning of next year it is also important for women to get involved.

“In my experience women make not only superb cricketers but superb umpires, and the opportunities that exist for male umpires are the same for females,” said Stevic.