North East Premier League umpire, Ian Warne had a successful summer in the middle, which saw him pick up the 2017 North East Premier League Umpire of the Year award.
Warne, who has umpired in the ECB 2XI Championship and Minor Counties Championship spoke with Boundary6 about his time as an umpire and what he would recommend to someone looking at putting on the white coat.
What would you say to a new umpire looking at getting into umpiring?
Try it first, do a friendly game and attend the Stage 1 course. You could even stand for your club to get some experience. If you don’t enjoy it at first, give it a go, as the game needs more umpires, especially younger ones.
What is key to a new umpire starting out?
Listen, watch and learn. Like anything you will learn from all umpires both good and bad points. Just because the umpire has officiated for 30 years doesn’t mean you should listen to all of their advice! You can learn from less experienced umpires too.
What would be 5 top tips for a new umpire?
1. Know the laws & regulations inside out!
2. Speak to people as you would expect to be spoken too. You earn respect!
3. If you make a mistake don’t be afraid to change the decision, (if you can) immediately.
4. If you’ve made a poor decision and you realise it, never look to even it up!
5. Talk to players. Tell them why you’ve turned down a decision. However don’t get involved!
You have progressed very well as an umpire, what do you put this down to?
Difficult question; perhaps you should ask some players! Learning from experienced and competent umpires when I started. Completing my qualifications in quick succession and attending the first Level 3 course plus listening to feedback even when it’s critical. Learn from your mistakes. Taking managing people skills from work onto the cricket field. Plus communication with players, coaches, captains. I think I’ve earnt the respect of players since I’ve started because I communicate at the right time. I try to just do my job and let players do theirs. An umpire shouldn’t be looking to get involved in the match. Too many umpires want to get involved and perhaps demand respect rather than earning it.
How was your time umpiring in the Minor Counties Championship?
I enjoyed umpiring in the Minor Counties and met some lovely people who I’ve kept in touch with. It was good to umpire ex-professionals and young players hoping to make their way through to the First Class game. The 2019 season will see the D List and Minor County panels combined which I see as a great improvement to the Minor Counties.
Have you any highlights over the years as an umpire?
I’ve been fortunate to umpire the ECB T20 Club Finals on two occasions; at the Oval and Northamptonshire. The finals at the Oval were live on Sky Sports and I was with Alex Wharf, Ian Blackwell and Russell Warren. Even though it rained after 6.4 overs I can say I umpired live on Sky Sports.
Thanks for reading today’s Boundary6 post and to Ian Warne for the interview on what top tips he would give to an up and coming umpire.
Boundary6 