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28 April 2011
BLACU welcomes new umpire
BLACU is very pleased to welcome to the ranks, 32 year old Ugandan umpire Benjamin Mukasa. Benjamin brings over six years of experience with him, having stood in a number of T20, 50 over and even 3-day matches in his time. We wish Benjamin every success officiating in the Belgian leagues.

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16 April 2011
BCF Season 2011 gets underway
The Belgian league season kicks off today. In addition to the new Laws now in force, a few other changes will be implemented this season. There are now 3 divisions instead of 4. There is also a new BCF T20 tournament running parallel with the league competition. All necessary documents (team sheets, score sheets, the new playing conditions and code of conduct) can be downloaded from the "resources" section of this website.

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6 April 2011
BLACU in Europe
BLACU umpires have been and will be very active in Europe this year. In addition to attending the European Panel of Umpires for 2011, Andrew, Ben and Richard will also be umpiring at European tournaments this season. Ben and Richard will stand in the ICC T20 tournament being held in Belgium this year from 20 to 25 June. 12 teams, including Belgium, will be competing for the title. Andrew is off to Isle of Man from 27 July to 2 August for the European Division 3 tournament, which will also feature Belgium and 9 other teams. We wish our "delegates" great success on the international stage.

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5 April 2011
Calling All (Future) Umpires
Once again, the Belgian Cricket Federation league schedule will place enormous pressure on umpiring resources this season. While the number of teams and games increases, the numbers of umpires has remained stagnant and has even decreased in recent years. We are in desparate need of volunteers to bolster the numbers. So if you feel a calling to this very rewarding job, don't hesitate to contact us for more information about becoming an umpire. After all, it's the best seat in the house!

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24 October 2010
End-of-Season Luncheon
A record turnout for this year's end-of-season lunch, this time hosted by our Luxembourgian contingent. Delicious food, stimulating conversation (about cricket and other matters) and lots of fond memories. Thanks to Amar for the photos!

Click to enlarge.

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6 September 2010
Scoring Course in Luxembourg
It has been proposed that an ICC-Europe official (Ray Holyer) will come to Luxembourg City to give a one-day scoring course on Saturday 2 October. Anyone interested in attending should contact Mark Smith. A minimum number of six participants is required. Scoring is a useful skill to learn for all cricketers as any player may on occasion be called upon to perform the task.

Click here for more details of the day >

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6 September 2010
Two BLACU Umpires Awarded Trevor Henry Scholarships
BLACU umpires Ben Lougheed and Richard Eames were amongst only four recipients of this year's Trevor Henry Memorial Fund Scholarship designed to assist in the education and further development of umpires in Europe. As part of the scheme, both umpires were sponsored to officiate in the recent U16 County Festival in Jersey. Ben stood in the final and received extensive praise for his professionalism and overall umpiring abilities.

Read the full press release >

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22 June 2010
New Laws of Cricket
As many of you may know already, the MCC ratified a new version of the Laws of Cricket in May this year. In addition to several syntactic, grammatical and structural changes designed to bring greater clarity, the 4th version of the 2000 code also includes a number of important policy changes which may affect on-field situations in the future. The new Laws will be effective from 1 October 2010.

Click here to view the new version of the Laws in full.

For a summary of all changes between the 3rd and 4th version of the 2000 code, click here.

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22 June 2010
Availabiity of Umpires
Unfortunately, the need for new umpires to join the fray in Belgium has again made itself painfully apparent this season with a number of matches being assigned only one umpire and a handful where even no umpire has been available. BLACU's policy is always to field two umpires wherever possible, especially in the case of inexperienced umpires who are always scheduled with a more experienced partner. Priority is also given to first division matches. BLACU also takes into account whether or not the clubs in question actively provide umpires on a regular basis.

The best, and in fact only, solution to this state of affairs is to recruit new umpires to the fold. If you or people you know are interested in contributing to the game in a new and exciting way, then click here or contact us for more information. Remember: the umpire's is the best seat in the house!

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22 June 2010
Rain Rules
One of the unavoidable facts about playing and umpiring cricket in Belgium is the inevitability of rain-affected matches. Indeed, we have had a few already this season. The rules that apply and the reduced-over calculations can get quite complicated at times, especially in the case of repetitive unscheduled intervals.

Which is why we've added a summary of the rain regulations applicable to BCF league matches, along with a few example scenarios, on the BLACU website. You'll find these documents on the downloads page.

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20 March 2010
Thank You, Bryan
Bryan Rouse today announced his decision to stand down as secretary of BLACU after some 15 years at the helm. Bryan was presented with a copy of the book "Ground Rules" as a token of recognition for his outstanding contribution to umpiring in the Belux. Bryan will continue as Appointments Secretary for the Luxembourg league, while Andrew Scott will take over as Secretary of BLACU and Appointments Secretary for Belgium.

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20 March 2010
Umpires Awards
It was agreed at today's pre-season meeting that a number of awards should be presented in 2010 to recognize the efforts of BLACU umpires. Along with an "Umpire of the Year" award, based on votes submitted by the respective clubs, a number of other awards will be presented at the BCF Gala Event following the 2010 season, including an award for the umpire standing in the most games in a season and for the most promising beginner umpire.

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20 March 2010
Reporting Code of Conduct Violations
One of the items raised at today's pre-season meeting at Ramada Plaza, Antwerp, was the importance of a consistent approach to reporting code of conduct violations. Any instance of abuse, dissent, public criticism of an umpire, excessive appealing, foul language, inappropriate aggression or violence, etc. must be reported to the league committee. Failure to report such instances not only opens the door to a repeat offense but only passes the responsibility to other umpires who may be confronted with similar incidents in the future.

The player and captain concerned should be informed of the pending report before the scoresheets are signed. The intention to submit a report should also be noted on the scoresheets and the report approved and submitted on behalf of both umpires before midday on the second following work day.

Although 2009 saw only one (minor) code of conduct incident, it is important to remain vigilant, and above all consistent, in order to nip any form of behaviour in the bud that may bring the game into disrepute.

Click here for a full copy of the Code of Conduct applicable to BCF league matches >

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12 January 2010
BLACU Umpires Selected for ICC-Europe Panel
Three BLACU umpires have been appointed to the ICC-Europe umpiring panel for 2010. Andrew Scott and Richard Eames, both Belgian based umpires and Ben Lougheed from Luxembourg will again be eligible to umpire during this season’s ICC tournaments including the European Div 2 Championship, the European U19 World Cup Qualifier Div 1 Championship, the European U17 Div 2 Championship, the European U15 Div 1 Championship and the European Women’s World Cup Qualifier. For more information about umpiring in Europe, see the official ICC-Europe website: www.icc-europe.org.

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28 December 2009
2010 Sponsorship
BLACU is looking for a corporate sponsor for 2010. If you or someone you know are interested in becoming an exclusive partner of BLACU, click here or contact us for more information.

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21 December 2009
Best Wishes
On behalf of the Belgo-Lux Association of Cricket Umpires, I would like to extend my best wishes to you all this festive season. May 2010 bring you plenty of health, wealth and wisdom out in the middle!

Regards,

Bryan Rouse
Secretary, BLACU

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14 December 2009
Umpires Forum Update
A few changes have been made to the forum since it was set up in October 2009. Most notably, the forum has now been split into a public and a private section. General interest topics are now visible to the general public via a selection of Open Forums. Members can still discuss more sensitive issues in private on the separate Member Forums. In both cases, only registered members may comment on or begin new discussions.

List of Open Forums
General Discussion (On topics of general interest to umpires)
Field Craft (On the profession of umpiring and specific techniques)
Rules of Play (On playing conditions, the Laws of Cricket and their application)
The Spirit of Cricket (On player conduct, fair and unfair play and the spirit of the game)
Umpires' Diaries (Tales from foreign fields)

List of Member Forums
On the Field (On specific incidents occurring during a match)
In House (On the activities and organization of BLACU)

If you would like to join the forum but are yet to do so, simply register online or contact the webmaster directly.

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14 December 2009
Umpires' Diaries
A new section of the forum has been created specifically for umpires to share their experiences of umpiring away from home. Richard Eames has kick started this forum in fine form with a series of humorous and informative accounts of his travels and travails as an umpire across Europe - from Denmark to La Manga, from Jersey to Munich. Click here to read, comment and/or tell your own tales of foreign fields.

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22 October 2009
The Umpires Forum
The forum section of this website is now up and running. The forum offers BLACU members the opportunity to discuss a range of topics from the Laws and their application to on-field incidents and general umpiring techniques.

Why use the forum?

1. Everyone can choose their level of involvement in a discussion.
2. It is the surest way to reach everyone as mailing lists are managed centrally.
3. Topics are organized in threads, making it easy to see where it all started.
4. Threads are archived for an indefinite period, providing a valuable resource for future consultation.

Click here to access the forum and start posting.

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18 October 2009
Hector and Ted hang up the white coat
The Chateau de la Bawette Golf Club in Wavre once again provided the perfect backdrop for the latest edition of the annual BLACU lunch. Among others, the occasion served to introduce a new umpire, Bernard Mulligan to the fold, while bidding farewell to two "old" ones. The long and distinguished careers of Hector Doel and Ted Vorzanger were recognized at the lunch and the pair presented with a commemorative reproduction of the Original Laws of Cricket. With Hector and Ted's retirement from active umpiring, cricket in the Belux loses two of its finest and most experienced umpires. However, their legacy continues in a whole new generation of umpires inspired by their steadfastness, acumen and natural authority. BLACU thanks both Hector and Ted for their outstanding contribution to umpiring over the years and wishes them well in their future endeavours.

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