Tolerance needed from some softball players

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33083, 25 November 1972, Page 4

Tolerance needed from some softball players

" A major dispute may develop before the end of this season concerning - the disrespect shown for softball umpires by some players in the senior men’s A grade.

Already this season there have been some unhappy scenes at matches when umpires’ decisions have been questioned. The matter was brought to the attention of the Canterbury Softball Association at its most recent executive meeting by one of Canterbury’s veteran umpires, Mr J. Anderson. No action was taken, but it will surely remain fresh in the minds of executive members.

The situation is aggravated by the fact that there is a general shortage of umpires in the province, and on occasions it is necessary to call upon players to assist. Last Saturday three senior A players officiated in separate matches. One of them, D. Birdling, was so upset by remarks made by players that he threatened to walk off during the Deep Freeze-Rich-mond fixture. Because of the strong competitive nature of the games, player-umpires are particularly vulnerable to criticism. “Umpires do not get paid

for their efforts. They participate for the sport, and it is not fair that they should take any abuse,” said Mr Anderson, who, along with Mr J. Rochford, has been the driving force behind softball umpiring in Christchurch for many years. Although Mr Anderson does not want to make an issue of the problem, he is obviously disappointed, considering the attempts that have been made to make players more conversant with the rules and umpiring techniques. A meeting on the subject was held two weeks ago, but only one senior men’s A grade player turned up, and he is preparing to sit for his New Zealand badge. To gain the umpire’s badge is not an easy task. A practical and theory examination must be completed. The theory consists of a two-hour paper and 70 per cent must be gained for a pass. However, in the practical examination there is no room for error and a 100 per cent pass must be obtained. “As you can see, there is a lot of hard work involved in getting a badge, so umpires should be entitled to some respect,” said Mr Anderson. “It took me two examinations to get the theory, and three tournaments to get the practical,” he said.

In Christchurch there are five badge holders and three umpires who have passed the theory examination. Because of the tight schedule of Saturday games, the senior umpires cannot attend all the matches to inspect the standard of umpiring and this is one of the reasons why special meetings are held regularly. Whether the senior players concerned will show more tolerance of their umpires in future games remains to be seen, but the recent discussions at executive level should result in a better attendance at future umpire-rules meetings. The next meeting is to be held on Monday evening.