At the recent ECB ACO National conference two of our own were honoured with Shepherd-Frindall Awards. The winners of these awards are determined by the ECB ACO Board following review of the nominations in each category.
Jonathan Crabtree – Young Official
Jonathan has been umpiring for six years, in that time he has proven himself to be a committed, enthusiastic and talented Young Official. Having now umpired in over 200 matches, Jonathan has shown a drive to continuously improve and his performances have mirrored this enthusiasm.
Jonathans attitude on and off the field make him a valuable asset, not only to Yorkshire ACO , but he ECB ACO as a whole. The Young Officials award is great recognition of Jonathan’s passion for umpiring and his desire to give others the opportunity that he has been afforded
Terry Bentham – Lifetime Achiever
Terry began his umpiring career in the 1970’s joining the then ACU&S in 1977. In his career he has been on the Minor Counties List, the ECB 38 County Competition Panel, Umpired in three Yorkshire Area Village KO finals, the latter stages of the National Club KO Competition, the national University Final, two Yorkshire Senior League KO finals and two Yorkshire Cricket Finals.
However, the area which Terry has really excelled is in the administration side of the game. In 1995 he was instrumental in the formation of the SYSCL Umpires Association and has held either the Secretary or treasurer roles since.
In 2010, Terry took the chairmanship of the SY ACO Branch, becoming more involved in the training of umpires – becoming a Level 2 observer and assessor in the same year. He was subsequently appointed County Performance Officer for Yorkshire.
Terry used these roles to introduce a mentoring system for which new umpires, matching them with older more experienced mentors who can be on hand to offer advice and assistance throughout the season.
Terry has a real passion for attracting and developing the next generation of umpires. Many of the umpires Terry has mentored have gone on to stand in ECB Premier Leagues the length of the country.
Terry was also awarded an Honorary Life membership of the ECB ACB
Congratulations to both Jonathan and Terry on their awards.
YCB ACO South Yorkshire 