THE need for scorers is often overlooked when clubs come to finding the second part of the match official team, umpires being the first.

Without a competent scorer then the results would often not be easy to be determined. But I know it’s hard to persuade people to sit in the scorebox for six hours and concentration has to be at a maximum all the time, just like umpires.

With electronic scoring becoming more and more the way to score, learners should also be able to book score as well in case a problem arises with the electronic programme as happened over the weekend when the iPad the young new scorer was using at a game suddenly ran out of charge.

Despite various efforts and gadgets to try and charge it up, it was abandoned at tea time and the new scorer had to score on paper with some help.

With umpires not requesting to view scorebooks over the Covid period, some youngsters were only concerned with filling in the runs total and not making both batting and bowling balance.

Scorers need to communicate to their colleague to check everything is correct. At least the Bolton League insist scorers are competent and not like what happens in my home country of New Zealand for league cricket.

The games are usually scored by players and there have been instances where the totals in both book and iPad have been different. The umpires decided to go with the lowest total. It certainly persuaded someone to step forward and be responsible for scoring a match.

According to MCC law, the umpires are responsible for the correctness of the scores. That doesn’t mean they have to score, but should keep an eye on the scoreboard to make sure it is increasing in total as the game progresses.

While scorers weren’t able to sit in the scorebox over the past two years, due to Covid regulations, alternative arrangements were made. Either they sat outside or sat in the pavilion.

Both cause problems with people always walking past and getting in the way and if in the pavilion, once it gets a bit cooler spectators head inside and create a noise which could easily break scorers’ concentration. Being back in the scorebox is the way to go.