As he gets ready to officiate at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup, local umpire Emmerson Carrington described his appointment to the January 14 to February 5 tournament as a huge honour and is looking forward to sharing his knowledge upon his return to the island.

Carrington was one of 19 officials appointed by the ICC to the tournament's umpire panel – a responsibility that the experienced umpire is confident that he is prepared for, heading into the January 14 to February 5 competition, that is being hosted by the West Indies.

“I am of course humbled and honoured to be selected and will do my best,” Carrington told The Royal Gazette. “To officiate at a World Cup event is indeed remarkable in itself and I do not take it lightly.”

Carrington, who has been an umpire for over a decade, having developed valuable experience at several local and international assignments, was thankful for the assistance that he has received throughout his career and is determined to ensure that he also lends support in order to contribute to the development of local umpires.

“I have a lot of people to thank for my progress and development as an umpire, namely Richard Austin for urging me to become a member of the Bermuda Cricket Umpires Association. Senior umpires like Roger Dill, Steven Douglas and Oscar Andrade for in depth training and sharing their knowledge and the Bermuda Police Service for allowing me time off to attend these tournaments,” said Carrington, a policeman for over 18 years.

He described his success as an indication of the standard of umpires on the island and hopes his appointment will create more opportunities for local officials.

“When one of us excels we all excel and my appointment is clear evidence of the quality of cricket officiating present in Bermuda. Hopefully this opportunity opens more doors for other umpires to officiate at the highest level,” said Carrington.

“On my return, I hope to share any knowledge gained with the Bermuda Cricket Board to support the further advancement of our local game.

Carrington warmed up for the official start of the tournament by standing in the middle for the practice match between Scotland and Uganda at Everest Cricket Club Ground in Guyana on Monday and will also feature in another warm-up game today at the same venue, where Ireland will play Scotland.

“It was a warm-up game so the atmosphere wasn't there but the organisation is top notch with police escorts and personal security. At the hotel you have to remain in a bubble due to Covid-19,” said Carrington in describing his experience so far.

His first official match will take place on January 14 when Sri Lanka come up against Scotland also at Everest before he moves to St Kitts for his next two assignments on January 17 and 20.

“I am obviously excited but prepared as we have been involved in quite a few training seminars since being here,” Carrington said.

The ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup is being staged in the Caribbean for the first time and will feature16 of the top youth teams in the world.