About 150 participants are being expected to participate in an online beginners course for cricket umpires and scorers nationwide, organized by the Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers of Nigeria (ACUSN).
Musa Ehizoje, chairman of the association, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Abuja that the course was aimed at improving the capacity of members of the association.
He added that the knowledge gained by the participants would also contribute to the overall development of the game in the country.
“The International Cricket Council (ICC) gave us an accelerated growth programme which is to bring 100,000 new entrants into the game in all capacities every year.
“To build capacity for umpires and scorers in Nigeria, we decided to introduce this beginners course, from where the participants will progress to levels 1, 2 and 3, and thereafter the ICC level 1.
“Anybody can be a part of this, from the coaches to members of the media. They will be introduced to the basic and elementary rules at this stage.
” The course will go a long way in helping the participants understand the game more, the actions of the umpires and what the scoring system is about,” Ehizoje said.
Ehizoje, who is also the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF), said the course which began on Saturday would be held on a regional basis.
“We will begin with North-West and South-East on Saturday via the zoom app, while subsequent weekends will be the turn of other states.
“We are expecting a minimum of 25 persons per zone which is about five persons per state,” he said.(NAN)