This past weekend brought to light the disorganisation that we have in our national sport of cricket.

As a coach, how was I supposed to instruct my team when I had to be the umpire? With St.George's vying for a promotion spot into the Premier League we had two very tough games last week against Western Stars and Social Club. In what should have been two enjoyable days for me as a coach with my team winning both games, the victories were overshadowed by the fact that not one umpire showed up for either game.

I do not know how the Bermuda Umpires Association feel about this issue, but in my opinion we have hit an all-time low.

Each week prior to the weekend the Bermuda Cricket Board send out a list of the scheduled umpires for each game. So to this end I do commend the BCB for keeping us informed. However, to receive an e-mail saying that there will be no umpires for either day was stunning to say the least and totally unacceptable.

Is it that the First Division is not respected? Let the truth be told that there are a few teams in the First Division that could not only compete but be victorious against some teams in the Premier Division. How discriminatory for all of the umpires to be employed at Premier games only – a total lack of respect to the lower division.

For clarification it has been communicated to all clubs that if there are not two available umpires for a game then no umpire will be scheduled for that game. They are no longer utilising the limited pool of qualified umpires with the use of one umpire. We can only surmise that this stand is being taken because of the lack of support that is given to an umpire in a controversial situation or decision made during a match.

After speaking to one or two umpires off the record, the justification lies solely with the lack of support coming from the Cricket Board's Disciplinary Committee. The uneasy feeling of being on trial themselves rather than the player has caused dissention by the umpires, along with the fact that the clubs support the foolishness of the players rather than standing firm on disciplinary matters. This just adds fuel to the fire. The umpires are made to feel as if they are lying. With two umpires scheduled at a match, the support from each other will help to alleviate the dodging from the consequences of misconduct. Clubs, let's support the umpires and let our players know that we will not tolerate disrespect to the game through unsportsmanlike conduct.

So how do we solve the issue and fast? Truthfully speaking, I was so disgusted this weekend and thought the solution to this would be for the league teams to come together and boycott cricket for a weekend to show solidarity and force some radical changes (disrespect to the game).

However, as I calmed down and started thinking more rationally I feel one answer would be for the Board to consider making some drastic changes to the league structure to rectify this madness. Simple solution, play First Division on Saturdays and Premier Division on Sundays and then the following weekend just rotate. That way you only need six umpires for the Saturday and six umpires for the Sunday.

Another alternative if the umpires do not have enough members would be to allow higher level umpires like Roger Dill, Steven Douglas etc. to umpire games by themselves because they already have a level of respect from the players.

How much do umpires get paid? Maybe we need to pay them more. This is a job that requires constant concentration as they are under pressure every ball to get a decision right. They have a split second to make judgment calls, which in some cases are hard to even decipher when using replays via cameras. After my experience this weekend I can say that umpires should be getting at least $150 a game, which is equivalent to $20- $25 per hour roughly.

As it stands now if umpires do not show, up the onus is on the clubs/teams to find umpires, anybody, as no games will be replayed. This can cause serious controversy in some cases especially when it comes to LBW decisions or caught behind decisions.

Prime example, I had a decision on Saturday where a player attempted a hook shot, the ball came off his gloves onto his chest and ballooned into the air and was caught by the wicketkeeper, so I gave him out. The players made a fuss and said, "I didn't hit the ball it came off my chest" and continued to question my integrity. I didn't show it, but inside I was livid.

After the game I just sat and had to reflect on my past experiences and I told the players we need to always respect the umpire's decision whether right or wrong because sometimes he gives you out when you are not out and then there are times you are out and the umpire says not out. So you have to be willing to take the good with the bad. I can say this because I have had my issues with umpires before and it is my job to help young players avoid issues with umpires by educating them on how to handle different situations.

Lastly, for the hundredth time I will say: we need the former cricketers of Bermuda to come back out and give something back to our national sport. If not the former players, then there are those people out there that think they know cricket, talk about cricket, and write about cricket, you know who you are. You can assist. Utilise your skills and talents. Put your money where your mouth is. Going through the umpires course and mastering the rules and regulations would stop the talk on the sidelines about how horrible these umpires are and how you could do a better job.

Regardless of how you look at it, without umpires the game cannot go on and for our national sport the interest should surpass the amount of spots available. During these times of the economic downturn it seems logical to want to benefit from making an extra $600 or more just from umpiring a few games a month.

Let's hope things improve over the next few weeks and the respect is given to the First Division as it should.

Umpires keep your heads up, and continue doing the great job that you do because without you our game would be a backyard, "tip ti go one".