Boost for umpiring fraternity

Two European umpires have been appointed by the International Cricket Council to officiate in top Associate international matches next year.

Denmark’s Niels Bagh and Germany’s Paul Baldwin will travel to Sharjah and Kenya respectively to umpire in Intercontinental Cup matches in January 2008.

Bagh will umpire alongside Darrell Hair in two four-day ICC Intercontinental matches and a one-day match between UAE and Kenya in Sharjah, and Baldwin will umpire with Russell Tiffin in an Intercontinental Cup match when Kenya take on Namibia at home.

Bagh has recently returned from Namibia where he was officiating at the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 tournament in Windhoek. He has previously umpired in six Intercontinental Cup matches since his debut back in 2005.

Last year he was named as one of the umpires on the ICC Europe Elite Umpire Panel and this summer he umpired at the ICC European Under-19 Division 1 World Cup qualifier in Belfast.

Since his appointment to the ICC Associate and Affiliate international panel, Baldwin has stood in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka (2006) and in the final of the 2006/2007 ICC Intercontinental Cup in May this year when Ireland were crowned champions over Canada. He has also umpired in five ODIs.

ICC European umpires consultant Graham Cooper said: “This is excellent news for Niels and Paul, and just rewards for all their hard work.

"It will provide a great opportunity for them to expand their experience and bodes well for the future of European umpiring.

“We are now starting to see the results of the European umpire education programme and these two are shining examples.”

The ICC European umpire education programme was launched in 2001 and gives its members a structured education programme that allows prospective and experienced umpires the opportunity to develop their skills in an international arena.