Bolton Cricket Umpires & Scorers Association

Programme for the forthcoming winter season. 2021 / 2022. 

 The monthly meetings of the Northern Branch of LACO will recommence at Unsworth CC at 7.45pm on October 7th.

 National panel umpires Ian Laurence and Duncan Warburton will be present at this meeting to answer questions from members.

 Thursday 4th November  -  Group discussions

 Thursday 2nd December  - Christmas Quiz

 Thursday January -  AGM and presidents evening

 Thursday 3rd February -   Group law discussions

 Thursday 3rd March -  ACO member to speak TBC

 Thursday 7th April -  John Holder to speak on player management 

Thank you

Karen Knott

 President. Eric Roberts.              Chairperson. Karen Knott. 

An inaugural meeting took place at the King’s Head, Mitcham, Surrey. This was as a result of a advertisement placed in a London newspaper by two top grade Football league referees who also enjoyed umpiring in the summer.
It was apparent to all that the standards were generally poor. Men returning to   “civvie street” having spent 4,5, or even 6 years of their lives in the forces, were looking for sport and there was a great demand for players spectators and officials.
The two referees, appalled by the lack of knowledge of the laws were David Smith and Tom Smith and encouraged by an attendance of 30 –odd, set about forming the ACU as it then was. With much enthusiasm training started and by 1957 R.S.Rait- Kerr and Tom Smith complied and published Cricket Umpiring and Scoring.
The leader of the group forming the Northern Branch was a Major Claridge. He travelled regularly to London and made quite an impact. He was appointed as an instructor and examiner, which became an essential office as so many people were anxious to become ACU members. The oral examinations,  initially, were still governed by London but so many were wishing to take the exam that two  good men travelled up from London to take the orals. Such a good impression was made that it was decided that the Northern area could conduct its own  affairs, including organising courses and apart from producing their own exam papers, were entirely capable of running their own affairs. So by 1958 there were more than a dozen full members in the area and it didn’t take long for five of these men to meet regularly to pursue the next steps and a room was booked at the Douglas Hotel in Manchester on 10^th December 1958. All members of the ACU in the area of 50 miles around Manchester were invited to attend by letter. That night the Northern Branch was formed.
It wasn’t an easy start as the Northern Branch was regarded as a Northern Office, however a great deal of trust was being fostered amongst the top people in both camps and on the horizon was the prospect of complete self- rule. Unfortunately, following an AGM in London in March 1959, Mr Collins the secretary, boarded the train for home and suffered a fatal heart attack.
In a way Northern Branch, by their successful training programmes ,were probably overseeing their own demise. Major Claridge travelled all over the North East taking training courses and starting up umpiring groups. Eric Holmes travelled to Liverpool to conduct a course, spoke to the sports editor of the Liverpool Echo and 47 students turned up. Small wonder that in these areas, new branches were forming. By 1965, the following Branches were started. The North East, Mersyside, NW Midlands and Preston.
A minute dated February 1971 read. “Council of ACU be requested to set up a sub- committee to consider the further development of the Association, the possibility of re organising its administration." The proposer was Harold Smith and the seconder was Eric Holmes. Northern Branch had approved of the proposition at its AGM in the January.
Harold Smith threw himself into how ACU should be regionalised having been appointed by Head quarters and single handedly came up with the system we would have had today but for the formation of the ACO.                                                      
                                             Ernest Johnson.   (March 2013.)
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