By MATTHEW PETERSEN
The rebooted Grahamstown Cricket Board Umpires’ Association (GCBUA), part of the Grahamstown Cricket Board (GCB), is recruiting new umpires after acquiring four new sponsors.
Each new umpire will receive a shirt with the new GCB logo and will be taken through an umpiring course. The hope is to find more sponsors and umpires as well as electing an office structure for the board.
The GCB met one of the sponsors, Murray Hobson of Hobson & Co. at an official handover at St Andrew’s College on Monday.
The GCB was started in 2010 by Eric Jonklaas and Barry Smith, and those who attended were offered a course on cricket umpiring. The course begins with a C-level certificate, followed by the B-level. An A-level certificate holder is given the opportunity to qualify as a nationally-recognised umpire.
The majority of the GCB umpires officiate first and second division matches in the local leagues and matches at the school level, including the Grahamstown Schools Festival. They have received plaudits for their high level of umpiring and it is hoped that the new sponsors will help the board to grow its reputation.
The sponsors and their respective members are Hobson & Co. (Murray Hobson), Just Milk (Buster Brotherton), Varnam Farms (Dave Duncan) and ACS360 (Hugh Oxenham).
If you have any queries, feel free to contact Barry September on 060 332 2765 or b.september@am.org.za
About the journalist
My name is Matthew Petersen, and I am a Postgraduate Diploma student at the School of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University. I am keenly interested in sports and sports journalism, and I aim to produce informative stories that serve the community.
You can contact me at matthewpetersen4@gmail.com
