HOW nice it was recently for an experienced scorer member of our association to come to me and say how well two young scorers had done at two of her second team matches.

She said they were a pleasure to score with.

A good scorer makes an umpire's life so much easier.

The league has quite a few youngsters learning the art of scoring and it is not easy at times, particularly recognising new players under their helmets and keeping track of who is who.

In the opening match of the season both scorers were young lads with not a lot of experience.

They got themselves into a real tangle when a batsman had to retire and they thought he had come back at the fall of the wicket. That hadn’t happened.

They asked for help when another wicket fell. It was sorted quickly and the game continued but all credit to them for asking for help. The Bolton Cricket Umpires and Scorers' Association (BCU&SA) will be awarding a trophy this year to the most improved young scorer so keep up the good work

Scorers form part of the team of officials and it is important for the two umpires and the two scorers to have a chat before the game starts and agree on the time, any match regulations and more importantly, where they are sitting.

It wouldn’t be the first time an umpire has signalled to a score box only to find the scorers sitting in the pavilion on the opposite side of the ground as they operate the scoreboard electronically.

Scoring is not as easy as one thinks and this was borne out when I asked our umpires to score a five-over game as part of a learning exercise and most didn’t realise just how much concentration was needed and the number of entries that had to be made while scoring in a book. “Think I’ll stick to umpiring” was a comment heard many times.

Many leagues are adopting computerised scoring and I can see the art of completing a scorebook dying, which is a great shame.

A lot of scorers pride themselves with the way they fill in their books, some using colours for different bowlers which is easy to track who runs were scored off, others identifying certain things in different colours.

By using electronic devices, scoring is so much easier. All the hard work is taken out of scoring as the computer does it all for you with the press of a button.

However, what happens when you press the wrong button? You do need to know your way round a scorebook in case something goes wrong, as it often can using technology.