The Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers (commonly known as the ACU&S) was set up by the umpire Tom Smith as the Association of Cricket Umpires (the scorer

Scorer

A scorer in the sport of cricket is someone appointed to record all runs scored, all wickets taken and, where appropriate, number of overs bowled. In professional games, in compliance with the Laws of Cricket, two scorers are appointed, most often one provided by each team.The scorers have no say...

s were included in the title several years later), in order to provide training and advice to cricket

Cricket

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...

 officials. It had a membership exceeding 8,000 in countries all over the world before it was merged with the ECB Officials Association in 2007 (see below).

Laws of Cricket

The textbook, Tom Smith's Cricket Umpiring and Scoring, has had multiple reprints and has been entirely rewritten to create the 2000 Code Laws of Cricket

Laws of cricket

The laws of cricket are a set of rules established by the Marylebone Cricket Club which describe the laws of cricket worldwide, to ensure uniformity and fairness. There are currently 42 laws, which outline all aspects of how the game is played from how a team wins a game, how a batsman is...

. The ACU&S also has the duty of assigning qualified umpires and scorers to cricket matches around the world. It is funded by membership fees, sponsorship, advertising in its quarterly newsletter How's That and the profits from selling official umpire and scorer accessories, such as ties, shirts and trousers.

Merger

In December 2007 the membership of the ACU&S voted (67% for, 33% against on a low turnout) to merge with the England and Wales Cricket Board Officials Association [ECBOA]. This ended a period of uncertainty during which various claims were made both about the Association's financial stability and its internal governance. This new organisation eventually became the ECB Association of Cricket Officials. The move was criticised by some who viewed it a cynical move by the ECB as a means to secure additional funding by Sport England as well as by overseas members who believed that an organisation under the auspices of the ECB would not have the same interest in them as the ACU&S, which had supported members across the world. Supporters of the merger argued that integration with the ECB would raise the profile of umpiring and scoring, provide much needed funds, improve training and put an end to the multitude of official bodies that had begun after alleged irregularities in administration had come to light.

Association textbook

The textbook "Cricket Umpiring and Scoring" was first published in 1957 under the authorship of Colonel R S Rait-Kerr. Later editions were edited by Tom Smith, MBE. Later revisions were undertaken by Sheila Hill MBE and Robbie Robins in about 1992, when the name was changed to "Tom Smith's Cricket Umpiring and Scoring" at the suggestion of Colin Pearson as a permanent honour to the founder. The changes to the Laws in 2000 required a substantial re-write and this was undertaken by Colin Edwards, Graeme Lowrie (NZ) and Graham Cooper. The new edition was published by Weidenfeld & Nicholson in 2004.

External links

• ECB Umpires & Scorers
• Acumen Books sells books and equipment for Cricket Umpires, Scorers and Coaches