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.