North West umpires Roly Black and David Bradley reached a very significant landmark in their new careers at the weekend when they were among the country�s first recipients of the new ECB Level 2 Umpiring awards.

Both men have been working towards the accreditation for over a year and David explained that there was no shortage of commitment involved.

�Roly and I decided to pursue the new qualification under the guidance of David Caldwell and the three of us spent a weekend in Dublin at the start of the process. We were then required to complete match reports and self assessments on at least 10 domestic matches and we maintained a workbook of our progress over the year. We travelled to Belfast last Sunday where we were assessed by an ECB representative before being passed�

The award is testament to the efforts and dedication of both umpires and also to the wonderful contribution of North West Training Officer David Caldwell who completed the Level 2 Tutor course, having accompanied Roly and David throughout their process.

Roly described DW�s assistance as �invaluable� and added that he had been �a huge influence in the development of his appetite for umpiring�.

The North West Umpires Association wishes to extend hearty congratulations to all three as the Association continues its effort to provide a quality service to cricket both in the North West and beyond.