Hectic schedules,soaring temperatures makes life tough for match officials After the final of the Lala Raghubir Rai hot weather tournament that got over on Monday,an exhausted umpire Devender Sharma,was seen cooling off with his feet upon a chair during the presentation ceremony. It would be one of the rare moments of rest that he would get in the middle with Delhi cricket season just getting a move on. With several major tournaments running simultaneously in the space of one month,Delhis umpires are caught up in the mix-up of parallel schedules and of course the scorching heat. Umpire Anil Chaudhary,who is also an active member of the Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA),as well as few others,have been on the field,ever since the first tournament began last month. I have been on the field for 34 days. Seven days in the DDCA league,14 in the Laxman Dass tournament. Thereafter I went for the Sheesh Mahal T20 tournament in Lucknow,then had to officiate during the Goswami Ganesh Dutt tournament, he told the Sportline. I was also present in the Lala Raghubir Rai tournament Anil added before adding in the same breathe that he stood during the semi-final and final of the East Delhi tournament. Sharma,who had a similar schedule,said he could get only three hours of sleep between officiating in the finals of the GG Dutt tournament and the East Delhi Cup T 20 on Sunday and the finals of the Lala Raghubir on Monday. Perhaps happy to see the back of one of the tournament,he added,I have no idea how I have managed to stay up during the matches. Experience countsThe shortage of umpires those who have officiated in the Ranji trophy is one reason for the scheduling pile-up. The organisers of the prestigious tournaments prefer to have umpires who have years of experience in Ranji matches. But in Delhi there are a total of just five umpires,who come under this category including Rajan Seth and K Hariharan,who has officiated in 34 international matches in the past. With nearly five matches a day,when the season is in full swing,none are dispensable. The sweltering conditions proves to be a challenge for both players and umpires. While players test their endurance while out in sun,umpires prepare ahead for the grueling Ranji matches. But at times all wish for some respite. Chaudhary recounts a player telling him Aap aur hum toh marenge is dhoop mein!(this heat will kill both of us). While the pay is good (BCCI umpires are paid Rs 1000 for every match) these umpires hold regular jobs or run businesses. What really keeps them going,the umpires say is their passion for the game. Its not work,its play is the common refrain. They also believe that umpiring in the club levels is more challenging than at the higher levels. A lot of players in the clubs are young boys who are just beginning their career. If an umpire makes one bad decision,it could ruin their future. An umpire cant give poor decisions just so that he can finish the match early and go home. said Chaudhary. One day after he had taken a break Chaudhary was back in action at the DDCA Hot Weather tournament which will go on till June 27. And while he knows there will be more umpiring after that,he added I plan to sleep for a day after that tournament.
