Durham Association of Cricket Officials (ACO) launched a partnership with Mexico Cricket Association to support them with their officiating courses with an aim of attracting more umpires and scorers to cricket.
Mexico Cricket have a successful women’s team but the national side are struggling to recruit scorers to officiate games, with many volunteers having to step in and assistant.
Durham ACO members met with Mexico Cricket Association Secretary Craig White at Emirates Riverside to exchange experience and discuss potential opportunities to work together.
White, formerly of Durham, moved to Mexico in 2011, taking on the secretary position in 2017. He said: “We can learn from Durham’s experience to improve our scoring and umpiring in many areas.
“Despite having a successful ladies’ team, we are struggling to find scorers to officiate our games, so having the opportunity to speak with Durham officials about their recruitment drive really does help us.”
White added: “Mexico, like all the other Associates, has been awarded T20I status by the ICC which means greater responsibilities, so we must be better. Durham ACO can help raise Mexico’s standards in scoring and officiating. Without scorers, there is no game after all, and the statistics generated by scorers are used to inform selection for the national team and for players’ individual records. Everyone loves their statistics. We must get this right, and Durham can help here.
“We would love to collaborate with Durham ACO and form some sort of partnership. It would be great if there could be a workshop on scoring in Mexico during the Central American Championships from 24 – 28 April 2019 in Mexico City between Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, Panama, Costa Rica and the MCC. Or during our domestic National Championship in July 2019 in Guadalajara between Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara.”
Durham ACO Chairman Paul Jordison said: “It was good to meet with a representative from another association to exchange views and ideas, it gave us first-hand experience of the difficulties faced by a national association.
“Craig outlined their plans to recruit more officials and it is a pleasure that Durham ACO is to be involved with supporting them in the future. We’re glad to be able to build good ties with another association.
“Overall the meeting was very productive for both parties and we look forward to continuing to work together in the future.”