THE Brewin Dolphin Cheltenham Cricket Festival is fertile ground for umpire and scorer recruitment.

And last week two Gloucestershire Association of Cricket Officials, Peter Sawyer and Doug Oakey, were delighted to be joined in the drive by two famous cricketing brothers, Ken and Roy Palmer.

“Ken and Roy kindly took time out from the Professional Cricketers’ Association’s Past Players’ Day to support the recruitment drive,” said Sawyer.

“They both had great careers, firstly as Somerset players and later as first class and Test umpires.

"Ken scored more than 7,700 runs and took nearly 900 wickets, before becoming a respected umpire, taking charge of 22 Test Matches.

"Roy scored over 1,000 runs for Somerset and took more than 170 wickets, before a first class umpire career which included nearly 450 matches and several test matches.”

Umpire trainer, Doug Oakey said: “The Cheltenham Cricket Festival is the oldest cricket festival in the world, attracting over 20,000 visitors, so it is an ideal venue for our ongoing recruitment campaign and for publicising the work of Gloucestershire’s cricket scorers and umpires.”

Training courses are designed for all levels. An Umpire Introductory Course is aimed at players, coaches, parents, and anyone who just wants to know more about the key role umpires play in the game.

For those who want to gain formal qualifications, a Level One course equips people to be appointed as independent umpires, able to stand across the county.

Similarly, for those interested in the vital role of scoring, there are Introductory and Level One courses available. For those with ambition and ability the training pathway can lead to first class and even Test-level appointments for both umpires and scorers.

If you would like more information on training to become a cricket umpire or scorer, please visit www.glosumps.org.uk, or email secretary@glosumps.org.uk.