You Do Not Need To Play Cricket, To Keep Cricket Alive.

We join Yorkshire Cricket Club to explore why cricket feels like a lifelong community and why it matters even more when retirement leaves you with extra time. We talk with Yorkshire cricket volunteers about simple ways to get involved, even if you no longer play, and why grassroots clubs survive when people choose to muck in together.

• finding purpose and routine after retirement through community sport 
• why cricket creates a stronger sense of place than many sports 
• rebuilding village cricket by solving small problems fast 
• volunteering options beyond playing, from teas to social media 
• getting started with coaching, club support, and foundation help 
• reducing intimidation for parents and first-time volunteers 
• the growth of girls’ cricket and the need for helpers 
• how umpiring works, what courses exist, and why leagues need more officials 
• what volunteers get back, from belonging to being “still in the game” 

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Also if you would like to support the podcast then please feel free to donate to the podcast to help out everything is much appreciated, thank you

Transcript

Welcome And The Time Shock and Why Cricket Feels Like Home

Derm Tanner 0:01

Hello, thanks for listening to the Grey Masters podcast. If you're retired or coming up to that big change in your life, chances are no one has ever warned you about all the added time you gotta have on your hands. No financial expert can help you with that. We've spent months travelling around talking to charities, companies, and sports clubs, and it turns out you're needed and valued by them. Keep listening because we might just have a few suggestions for you. I'm Derm Tanner,

Roy Player 0:27

and I'm Roy Player.

Derm Tanner 0:28

And it's cricket today because Ampleforth is one of the most glorious places in Yorkshire, had a perfect summer's day, some cricket, and you and I are really in heaven, aren't we?

Roy Player 0:40

Oh, you know, there's something about cricket. I love cricket. I was very lucky that sort of cricket became a game. Actually, funny enough, I really started late in life Derm, and I kind of dabbled a little bit in it. Didn't really think that I was any good at it, and sort of kind of kind of felt on the edge of it all and then suddenly when I moved up to Yorkshire and found a sort of a little club village cricket team out on the edge of the North York Moors, driving past on one of those glorious summer evenings, and there were all these people playing, I thought I want to be a part of that and so I went along and joined and spent many a happy year there. Absolutely what a great way of spending time.

Derm Tanner 1:24

Well, sparing your blushes because you're pretty hopeless at everything, other than directing TV programmes. But as an opening batsman, you are pretty damn good. You were pretty damn good

Roy Player 1:36

Thats very kind of you, I mean, I and I can tell you why actually, and and and what's lovely about that story is that I'm actually going to go and meet tomorrow the guy who made that possible for me. It was a wonderful chap called Steve Oldham, who played for Yorkshire and for Derbyshire and coached as coached some of the great, great English you know, test players, actually and I was so privileged to be coached by him, and he transformed my whole kind of life of cricket and turned me into a reasonable village cricket opening bat, and I had a great time doing it.

Derm Tanner 2:09

And how about this for a link? So we're talking about cricket development, and that's exactly what we are here because we're gonna develop it. It just flows off the tongue, really, doesn't it? Ampleforth College is where we went to, it was our location as we saw firsthand Yorkshire cricket's development programme.

Roy Player 2:27

Yeah, I mean Jack Stockdale, terrific guy, and he worked extremely hard with, with youngsters, developing youngsters around the country into becoming cricketers. And and I think that was kind of what I, I really wanted us to do something about this, about cricket, because and the youth of cricket and grassroots cricket as well, because Locton, and talking to some of the amazing people up at Locton who were sort of not the first flushes of youth, but they had been brought up in Locton, they'd lived in Locton all their lives. This is the cricket ground where I played, and they kind of were going. This is a community feel. I mean, we play cricket on a Saturday afternoon or a or a summer's evening. This is a great place where the community comes together and that was the thing. You could stand and look at this empty field at Saturday, sort of like one o'clock on a Saturday afternoon, empty field by three o'clock, absolutely wonderful that everyone had come together, you know, playing cricket, husbands, wives, friends, all around, people making the afternoon teas, people doing scoring, people umpiring. And so that grassroots cricket is essential, and I think this is such a great thing that Jack does. That he gets involved with the community and supports village cricket, but also supports the future of cricket.

Grassroots Cricket With Jack Stockdale

Jack Stockdale 3:50

My name's Jack Stockdale. I'm in my professional career, I'm the Boys Pathway Operations Manager for Yorkshire Cricket Club, but within cricket as well, I've been a volunteer for almost 20 years.

Roy Player 4:03

There's no two ways about it. I mean cricket is just it's just one of the great games, and it's something here that in this country at the moment we're very lucky that we have tremendous support for cricket, but on the surface the game looks in really good condition. Is, is, is that the case? Because it is such a it takes such a huge amount of time to organise things, Jack, to get a game of cricket up and running.

Jack Stockdale 4:25

Yeah, I, I, I think the the thing that's best about it is it's so weird. I think like the my my favourite thing about it, somebody asked me today, do you like cricket? and I actually think about it.The one thing I do absolutely love is the circuit. Like I think the the best thing about it, and by that by that I mean like the people. I think generally, like I've I don't play much anymore, to be honest. I think it's just I've got so involved in sort of running it, I don't really get that much joy out of playing it. I think that's, that's an interesting thing I've taken from it. Why it's so good is it's more of a community game than other sports. I'm sure other sports would argue with me. But I think cricket is a very sort of entrenched sense of place. Like, you know, you couldn't move the Cricket Club like I play for Great Hampton. That is it's always going to be in the village, it's always gonna be local lads, it's gonna be friends of friends, it's their sons will play because their dads played, their granddads played. I think you don't get that with other sports very much. I think that's why it's such a special game, in my opinion.

Roy Player 5:19

I used to play for a team up at Locton on the North York Moors. I mean, I joined that team, beautiful location. The people were so welcoming when I first went along to play. It basically changed my life up here when I moved up to Yorkshire to be sort of integrated into the system of a local village cricket team. Now that team disappeared after a few years because there wasn't enough support for village cricket. And we met because you took on the job of rebuilding that club. But how important do you think it is that village cricket survives?

Jack Stockdale 5:56

My key to it is you can do a lot of stuff with not a lot. I think the the general people who succeed are the ones who look at what they can do, not what they can't do, and they go, like, yeah, there's a problem there, there's a problem there, there's a problem there, but the way to solve it is just to go, right? Well, we'll do that, I'll speak to him, I'll do that. Not everybody's gonna be able to solve every problem, but somebody you know will probably be able to help. So the ethos we went about with is just somebody will help you out if you can't do it, or if you just have to work a bit harder, you just work a bit harder. Like, yeah, it is hard work. But the whole point is if you were running a local cricket club, like to be honest, the guys I haven't taken on brilliantly, I've done very little in the last few years because I I've not really got time, but they've done a fantastic job, and there's huge credit to them. And I think you always need those people who are just gonna muck in and who are gonna work hard, who are gonna make connections with other people, who are gonna beg and borrow favours, and that's why it works. So there are challenges, and but I think that the way to overcome them, if I'm being honest, is people need to accept that they're there and just go, right, well, we'll we'll sort it out. And it might not work every time, but if you are honestly genuinely making mistakes and keeping going, you will do an alright job. If you see obstacles and go, well, we can't sort that, you won't do well. That's basics of life, actually.

Roy Player 7:03

One of the things that we're really trying to achieve with this podcast is to get people well a bit like Derm and myself who who've played cricket in the past, but now perhaps due to aging limbs and eyesight not quite as good as it used to be, can't really play that much, but we would still like to be involved in cricket. So can I ask you then, do you have to be a player to be involved in cricket? Are there other ways of getting involved if you want to if you want to play you know be a part of the community of cricket? What would you recommend to people who are in our position?

Jack Stockdale 7:40

I mean, just do whatever you want. I mean, I d that you don't need to be a player. Nobody's ever accused me of being a player. I average like 19 in the Scarborough League and I'm an opening batsman. Like nobody cares if you're any good. Like I played with a guy for 10 years who probably played 300 games of cricket, he got over 10 once and he was a batter. There's always clubs all techie on if you can just literally turn up. There's qualifications you can do with umpiring and scoring and groundsmanship and stuff, they're they're all great and you'll learn a lot. But I think the first step is probably just finding a welcoming community and then getting involved, and then and then you can contact the Yorks Cricket Foundation, which does all the recreational games, they have loads of people who set up to help you doing that, and they will do that. You can just go on their website. I think, but generally, if you want to get into something and you want to try something, the key is to find out what you want to do. Like, I always thought I hated umpiring, and then we were shorting umpire the other day at a regional game, so I just I'll do 100 overs at both ends, and I thought it were brilliant. So, like if I'd have tended to a curriculum with that ethos that I know I just want to be the opening bat, and then all of a sudden I'd umpired, and I was like, Oh, this is actually quite good. So I've said to I said to bosses, I might, you know, I might do my qualifications, it but the but the whole point is just get involved and see what you like, and then I think it just goes from there. I mean, I literally started doing cricket, like I didn't really play how much junior cricket, I just played at school. Wanted great cricket, I was just quite organised and, and liked to think I knew everyone and got on with people, and I started because basically I thought it looked quite fun. You wait halfway through the game, which seemed fantastic to me. The local pub was very good, and then sort of one thing led to another. It wasn't like a great master plan, like oh, I want to get in bloody run the pathway and and help help do that. It wasn't, I just sort of did stuff and found what I was good at and found out what I joined and kept going.

Roy Player 9:21

And that's the thing, you're brilliant, you're brilliant at organising stuff, but also you mentioned I thought there as well, a really important aspect of cricket is that you do eat quite well during the game. I mean, there are people that are interested in making teas, in people who are helping, you know. We used to have a pavilion that was an old chicken shed, I think it was that one up at Lockton, wasn't it? But it was that thing of sheep getting it, yeah and so it's that thing though of maybe sort of bringing a paintbrush and tin of paint up sometimes. All those kind of things can really help and benefit social media helping to promote the club.

Jack Stockdale 9:50

Well, that's what we did, wasn't it? I mean, like we had a like a fix up a day for anyone that's in where you all just turned up. All of us are crap at DIY. But like somebody somebody brought like, well, I'll bring a drill. You are it's like I'll bring a drill and I'll bring some paint, and we all did different jobs. None of us knew what we were doing, really, but it all works, it all made it better. It's you know, it's not rocket science.

Roy Player 10:08

I mean, we're in a great location here, it's Ampleforth College. Pitches look gorgeous, I mean the wickets look stunning, everything is perfect. It's well, how you would imagine cricket being played in England, really, you know, it's just idyllic. If you are living in a city centre and you have access, you don't have access to something like this, are there ways that you can help generate sort of cricket teams and help cricket teams out or kids to get involved with playing cricket?

Jack Stockdale 10:32

I think anyone can do anything with it, and it's not it's not a motivational speech. Like, I think generally the key to it, my, my favourite thing as an administrator is to try and give people agency. So I I'm not one for saying this is how it is. Like when you've got a structured program like this and it's it's a performance program, it has to work a certain way. But generally, when you're working as a volunteer in the in a club game, if you've got an idea to do something and people want to do it, just do it. Like, I don't see I don't see why it needs to work a certain way. Like if the MCC wants to do it their way, that's fine, and if they want to get funding back at it, that's fine. If you want to start a local curriculum like we did and do it slightly differently, that's fine. But I think generally what the sport needs is more people like self-generating and actually just working and overcoming obstacles, they're all going to be different because you want to do different things, but there's no one size fits all. I think sometimes when clubs do like assessments of their ground and stuff like that, they want every ground to be the same, and it it doesn't it's not just grounds, but it doesn't really make any sense because if everybody's the same, why would anybody play for a different club? You'd all go play for York first team if they're top of the league or Castleford at the top of the league. So I think part of the the thing about accessibility is people will create accessibility if it's if it's needed, and then there'll be organizers to support them, like we got money off the local councillor. But people will support whatever people are interested in. We can't tell them what they need to be interested in. I I think I'm a big believer in you can't tell people what to care about. If you go to a local community and say, I want to put a tape ball team in here, and none of them want to play tape ball, what are you doing? You're just trying to force your own ideas on them. So, but if you go to a place and go, I want to help out, and they all go, I want to play tape ball, yeah, right, let's get a table picture. So I think that's that's the key to it. You you can do a lot of different things, but it's there's got to be a need for it, and people help you. If people want to do stuff, they'll they'll do it.

Roy Player 12:21

Well well, look, you've mentioned the importance of volunteers on this amazing occasion here, and also across the summer and during the winter as well, how important volunteers are to keep cricket going. Derm and I we're gonna go and meet a few volunteers now alongside you good self and and see what people get up to and what advice they can offer some of our listeners.

Volunteer Roles Beyond Playing

Adam Trunks 12:44

My name is Adam Trunks, and I'm part of Yorkshire Cricket Club. I'm involved in the coaching in the high performance coaching area. My role also consists of being the CTC, which is a community talent champion within the girls' pathway, currently the West Yorkshire convener, which looks after the boys from under 10s to all the way through to under 15s, as well as sort of talent ID. And then along with that, I am a full-time role is working in education in sports coaching and development and sort of progress and safeguarding.

Derm Tanner 13:13

So 30 hour days then,

Adam Trunks 13:15

Pretty much, yes. Yeah, quite good.

Derm Tanner 13:17

So, where we find ourselves, Ampleforth College, immaculate, idyllic surroundings, perfect day. There's a cricket festival going on, and we're seeing boys, young boys, 12, under-12s, under 14s, all of which you you know coaches like yourself would have dealt with. Firstly, how is the day going for you?

Adam Trunks 13:37

Me personally, great day. We've had a good start, we're just on the change of innings at this moment in time. So we've just batted first against North Yorkshire, put on a decent total of 185. So decent little first path. So obviously, lunch break now, and the boys will get rested and we'll start again shortly.

Derm Tanner 13:55

You've mentioned there an awful lot of roles and awful lot of things that you do. You must come across a lot of people, not only kids that you're coaching, but people that you can help as well. You know, in terms of volunteers, people who might want to try and get involved in cricket, where are the opportunities for them?

Adam Trunks 14:12

To be involved in cricket right now is is an exciting time because there's so many different options and ways to get into cricket, whether it's at your local club, where that's helping with the all-stars, the real juniors getting into cricket, so that might be in a cricket facilitator, working within the sort of coaching groups, just sort of facilitating the little little ones coming through, volunteering at your club, obviously helping on the days, ground staff, scoring, and in terms obviously to step it up in terms of coaching. There's lots of ways of entry points to get into with the cricket foundation, going through your coaching qualifications through the coach developers. This game operates on volunteers. We don't survive at pathways and at the elite level without people helping out, whichever, whether it's your club stuff or whether it's higher, you know, we can't we can't do what we do without the likes of volunteers coming through. So we always encourage and we want to help and part of my role within the CTC role with the girls is going into clubs, asking how can I help, pointing them in the right directions to cricket activators, courses that they may be able to undertake to help volunteers, parents who have to travel all over the country with their son or daughter. You know, those are the people that we you know we want to tap into for volunteering.

Derm Tanner 15:34

Yeah, because they're they're there anyway, exactly.

Adam Trunks 15:36

So they might as well help if we can, and a lot of the time it's the fear of oh, can I do that? Am I the right person to do that?

Derm Tanner 15:43

So that's what I was gonna ask you because you know there's an awful lot of intimidation, isn't it? Pathways, courses, you'd think, well, I just you know I don't think I can do any of that.

Adam Trunks 15:52

Exactly right, and that that becomes the the ultimate barrier is am I the right person? I've never necessarily played cricket for some of the parents' thought process, but going through these and having people at the club and people like myself and people within the pathway at Yorkshire to help and to assist. Throughout the pathways, you know, we had the winter programmes, which was a 10-12-week programme. We've got coaches, we need managers, and those things is where we we've lent on parents to help with the administration of teams, we've lent on parents to help with transportation, all those different things we need those volunteers, and we're there to help. There's there's people at the club at Yorkshire within the foundation who want to help these people. Parents don't need to be afraid to ask. I know what it's like for a lot of parents when they're at a club, that they're scared to be involved because they don't know whether the information that they're providing is right or wrong. So having coach developers come in and help to appease that, and we can help them and point them in the right direction, trying to reduce that barrier. Because like I said, we we we can't operate without those people volunteering, and we need them.

Derm Tanner 17:00

Now you've coached in Australia as well. I have, yes. So, what's the difference in mentality and and the people who get involved and all of that? do you notice is that is there a difference in terms of culture there to hear?

Adam Trunks 17:13

I wouldn't say in terms of the amount of people who've wanted to get involved and helping, not really. I think there is quite a similarity in terms of wanting to help and be part and parcel of it. Obviously, the 30 to 40 degree heat helps quite a bit and considerable. But we're in the same situation here as we were over there, you know, finding the right people to help, getting those volunteers. We needed those people out there, we need the people here. You know, I look I look around at the people who are looking after some of these teams today, and they're helping out not just because their son or daughter's involved, that they want to help cricket continue, whether it's from players from their club or just within Yorkshire. Look around here today, I know you can't necessarily see it, but there's hundreds of parents with their siblings coming to support, which is just fantastic. You know, we can't ask anything better.

Derm Tanner 18:07

No, no, and I and that certainly rings with me because my lab was a loved playing football. I used to watch him, so then I decided to coach. So I took the coaching courses and I coached him from nine to 17. Yeah, and you know that and I I found that incredible, really was so rewarding because because and you must feel this as well you're an important role figure for these children.

Adam Trunks 18:32

Oh 100%, and that goes sort of hand in hand with sort of my educational role. You're playing a massive part for the development of these young players cognitively, and their own personal development and their actual skill development. That's where sport plays a massive role in people's lives. It actually really does help be part of a team, helps with that sort of teamwork, leadership roles, commitment, which only goes on to help you in later on in life in in jobs or education. It's just fantastic, and just to have those groups of people together, whether it's the players, the parents who are helping out with the coaching, create that environment which is a friendly, productive, and satisfying environment. I love this game. I was very fortunate to play it at a decent level when I was younger, but injuries stop my own development. I just want to give back. I just want to be able to help as many of these young people play and reach a potential which is as good as they can get to and beyond. If they can't reach that, fine, are they having a good time and are they enjoying it now? Can I help parents develop some of their skills and whether it's coaching, or are we actually open doors for some of these players to look at different avenues within this game? Not everybody's going to be a professional cricketer, but there's so many other things which are involved in this sport, which is not playing. The coaching, being a sports physio, being a scorer, being a team manager, all those other things. If I can explain to these boys, these are the things while I'm in why I'm involved in this game.

Derm Tanner 20:07

And girls, and girls teach girls as well, don't you? And that's really on the rise, isn't it?

Adam Trunks 20:12

It's a it's a massive boom working with the girls, and it's so rewarding. I delight sponges, they just want to learn, and they're so open for it. But as you mentioned, the the boom in the girls' sport is fantastic, you know, it's on the rise, and clubs, you know, they're trying to sort of play catch-up to facilitate it all. But you know, we've got our festival with the girls next week, we're at Scarborough College, so we're there for four days, and to provide them with the opportunity to have a little residential to see what that next step is all about is great, so you know, the future's bright in that space as well.

Derm Tanner 20:48

and they've got stars to look up to, haven't they? with all of the the women's cricket that's going, the hundred that's going, you know, the Ecclestons of this world.

Adam Trunks 20:55

Exactly. They they've got the role models now that they can they can look up to, whether it's within cricket or football. We look at how well the lionesses have done. You know, those female icons for these girls are phenomenal, and it's testament to them how much they want to give back to the community and give back to the younger age groups. You see them at a lot of autographed places signing, being around young and up-a-coming camps because they understand the importance of that.

Derm Tanner 21:24

So, just coming back to the volunteers, the message from you it would seem is don't be shy, give it a try.

Adam Trunks 21:30

Exactly, don't be shy, give it a try. Get in contact with someone at the club, they'll have a contact with anyone, whether it's at the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation or the Yorkshire Cricket Club or board, and reach out to someone within your local area who may want some help. Just reach out, there'll be someone there to help her. No, contact me, that's fine, and I'll try and point you in the right direction.

Steve Oldham And Giving Back

Derm Tanner 21:51

It was all very different in Steve Oldham's day. The former Yorkshire and Derbyshire frontline bowler played in the 70s and 80s, and when his playing career ended, he moved to coach. And became director of cricket at Yorkshire. Many players who reached international level at cricket owed their careers to Steve. And he didn't stop there either as he coached the England women's team to a World Cup win in 2017. He certainly sees the full benefit of grassroots cricket and the opportunity it gives to both young and old.

Steve Oldham 22:18

I think most clubs now have youth sections and ladies' sections, and they're always looking for volunteers and helpers and I think even today, I think the cricketer, you know, the powers that be want to have as many people involved in coaching, and I think they've made the preliminary badges, the cricket badges, I'll not say easy, but they want people involved. So in every cricket club's looking for volunteers, either to up on the ground or you know, just in the bar or even coaching. That's they're all they're all looking for volunteers, so get involved if anybody can. I really can't think of a nice summer day that's better than just being around a cricket ground, especially if you're involved, you know, and you you see a young fella who you might have coached and he develops into a very good league player, it's still a big reward. And like I've said, every cricket club they're looking for as many volunteers as they can.

How To Start Umpiring Locally

Neil French 23:22

Hi, I'm Neil French. I'm umpiring here this week at Ampleforth.

Derm Tanner 23:27

And Neil, we are in the most fantastic location here. Brilliant location, fantastic facilities, and we are blessed with a decent day as well. How long and you're umpiring as a sort of volunteer, how long have you been umpiring for and helping out in the in the ECB system?

Neil French 23:44

Right, I've been umpiring well, umpiring properly since 2019, but I used to be a teacher, so I used to umpire school kids for a very long time.

Derm Tanner 23:55

See, for me, umpires, referees, any kind of officiating, I'm amazed because I have I have this awful habit of just losing focus and and not concentrating, and something always happens. How do you do that?

Neil French 24:10

Well you do you have to you have to do it. I mean I had a game last week, LBW first ball of the match, and you've got you you've got to be on the ball, and you you you just learn to do that, but yeah, I know what you mean. It it can be a challenge at times, yes.

Derm Tanner 24:24

Flicking those little coins, you got a little counter or you can't do it.

Neil French 24:27

I've got I've I've got a little clicker which I go with but that's not fail-proof because you can go twice or you can miss one. It's not it's that's the hardest thing we do, counting to six.

Derm Tanner 24:36

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So take me through you know the sort of things that that you would have to get to in order to be able to umpire, and for people listening thinking I might give that a go.

Neil French 24:48

Yes, well, you there are a range of courses. There's I think they call it the basic course now, which is the the, the first course, and then a range of courses after that, which you can do certainly all around Yorkshire. There's lots of courses put on on like that, or you just contact a local league. I'm, I'm, I'm a sector of the umpires in the Wharfedale League. I quite often get people contact me and say, How do I get into umpiring? and I put them onto the Yorkshire Tutor. Or you can go through your club and just put a white coat on and learn from somebody else and then and then start doing your official badges and or come to something like this.

Derm Tanner 25:24

Yeah, and I suppose as long as you have the basic understanding of the game, you have to know the basic rules of the game, then anyone can take part at the lower levels.

Neil French 25:34

Yes, oh that's right, yeah. As long as you've yeah, as long as you understand the laws of the game, yeah, that's that's fine, and I find I mean I'm mentoring somebody in in the in the league on Assassin's at the moment. He's very good because the I think the most important thing is the is the man management. Obviously, you've got to know the laws, but deal talking to the people is yeah, the players, whether it's boys, girls, men, women, that's I think that's that's the bit the relationship. When do you know you've had a decent day and what do you get out of it yourself personally? Right, yes, you you know, yeah, you always know whether you've had a good day or a a bad day, you know either from reaction of the players or or you just simply know you you've gone through and you've dealt with people and and and and you're confident in your decisions, and you just you know enjoy being out there and it's it's the best seat in the house. You're sitting there and you can you can see everything, and it's just you're still involved in in the game. Yeah.

Derm Tanner 26:32

And finally, how are we in terms of numbers for umpires in Yorkshire? Are you looking for more people? Are you okay at the moment?

Neil French 26:39

Yes, you ever every league I think is looking for umpires. Yeah, there's always more coming. The League I umpiring. We're we've got over a hundred on our books, but yeah, there are still weeks when we are short, and some other leagues are very, very short, so yeah, so there are always more umpires wanted, yes, definitely.

Derm Tanner 27:03

I will let you go because you're back in duty, aren't you?

Neil French 27:06

I'm back on duty in about two minutes. Yeah, two minutes, yes.

Derm Tanner 27:09

Thank you so much.

Neil French 27:10

Thank you.

Village Cricket Stories And Laughs

Derm Tanner 27:13

Umpiring is something that I could never do. I just don't have the concentration ability. I would never A, I'd never be able to count to six and remember that there are six.

Roy Player 27:24

It's actually really hard. Yeah, it is really difficult.

Derm Tanner 27:27

It must be. And then you know, I would be thinking about something, I'd be I'd be looking in the in the distance thinking, oh, that's fantastic. Look at that bird up there, look at that kite, and then what? Yeah, that would be my problem.

Roy Player 27:40

Yeah, and I can probably turn back the clock still some nearly 40 years and still remember some of those appalling decisions about how I was never out LBW, and I still remember them. But I think some of t the funniest memories that I have of playing village cricket and with umpiring as well, and was that I remember having to the guy was coming into bowl and I had to pull a pull away from the wicket and the, what are you doing? Because there were cows being led to milk going behind the bowler's arm. Can you imagine what Steve Smith, the Australian captain, would be saying if we could see that? Well, yeah, sorry, but there's a load of cows

Derm Tanner 28:28

Each is enough anywhere at the crease that has that happening.

Roy Player 28:30

Brilliant memories of things like that. But I, I yeah, I, I think umpiring anyone who volunteers to do that give them credit because that's really difficult. But it is great that a lot of people do really enjoy umpiring and they will go and umpire for just go along to umpire because like unfortunately now my my eyesight, you know, wearing very focals and things, I I I can't see the ball to to bat anymore and some people may call that a blessing that I've retired from the game. But I know a lot of people who in similar positions who will go along though and really enjoy being a part of the game.

Derm Tanner 29:06

And there are lots of things you can do to help, aren't there? I mean, I personally would would love to know how to really prepare a a wicket properly, and you know, being on the mower and the and the heavy roller, I would just love that. At scoring, I'd be great at scoring because I'm quite neat, I'm quite precise, so that'd be alright. You know, just playing and umpiring rubbish, but you know, I I could set everything up before it and then just move away. That that would be fine for me.

Roy Player 29:31

I think I've known my position really now with cricket, and that's enjoying eating the afternoon teas.

Final Thoughts And Subscribe

Derm Tanner 29:37

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