It was Nairobi’s turn to get their course on scoring going and the gathering brought together 20 participants to try their hand at learning the important components that make scoring an integral part of the game at Ruaraka Sports Club on Saturday, 18th June.
The attendance included several interested persons working in cricket related areas such as, playing, coaching, volunteering and the teaching fraternity who found this venture key to their own personal development on the game.
There has been a steady growth of scorers in Nairobi than the rest of the regions but being a hub of the sport in Kenya, continuity will have to be part of the process as some seek to be able to keep up with the increased number of schools joining cricket and the many cricket matches that are organised locally.
The theoretical aspect of scoring can be easy to understand but producing correct and accurate recordings in a pressurised environment can be challenging as some of them found out during the afternoon session.
The many entries in a scorebook were covered and their significance explained especially in relation to how they affect the outcome of matches. They were encouraged to get acquainted with the official umpires’ signals which is the main communication mode between them and the ‘men in the middle’.
The participants learned that constant checks is the only way to ensure correctness of the scores throughout the game and following of a particular sequence of entries will limit errors on the scorebook and also ensure that any mistakes can easily be traced.
The checks are not limited to the scorebook entries alone, but also with the umpires’ during scheduled intervals on doubtful points. Eventually, the summation of the batting sheet and the bowling analysis need to match with the cumulative totals.
Individual batting totals and the bowling analysis for each bowler have to be produced as accurately as is possible by the scorers, making certain of these figures count towards many aspects such as man of the match, man of the series and other individual awards from matches played.
Advice was given on the preparation ahead of the start of the match, making sure that all the necessary tools and equipment that will be needed for the job are in place before hand.
Aspects pertaining to the scorers comfort are usually overlooked, but for the scorers to concentrate for long periods as required by the demands of the game, if this area is left neglected then the result will be less concentration and plenty of errors to sort out at the end of a scoring session.
This lot of scorers consist of most novices on the game, but whilst they will be beaming with confidence having completed the processes of cricket scoring, they will still find the amount of work load very taxing in the initial stages of their new task but with experience, they should be able to overcome these challenges.
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