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I hope you are keeping safe and well. With no live cricket, this may be the opportunity to catch up on the 2019 Laws or even practice scoring with PCSPro on a laptop. Umpires, as well as Scorers, will find some useful tips and exercises following a successful Roadshow for North Staffs & South Cheshire League conducted by James Emmerson, reported in Staffordshire Scorers Newsletter, including a delicately poised Duckworth Lewis Standard Match which you can finish scoring to show alternatives.
MOST URGENTLY, on Wednesday 20th May, Sue Drinkwater, ECBACO Scorer Education Manager is hosting another online practical workshop. This week she is looking at Duckworth Lewis calculations using Tablet or Phone - this should be of interest to UMPIRES as well as scorers. You can watch live at 7pm (BST/UK= 18:00GMT/UIC) or catch up later by following more details in this link It may also be useful for umpires who want to understand more about calculations in the event of rain (and other) interruptions. You can watch the previous episodes - details in the link above. You may also like to listen to an informal scorer discussion under the brand "ScorersUntallied" on Apple Podcast / Spotify / Stitcher - also on Twitter.
ALSO AVAILABLE are various free online resources for both Umpires and Scorers from ECB ACO. These include FREE basic and refresher courses. More links will appear in our next newsletter - and possibly on our bulletin board. There was a very interesting Reddit chat with Fraser Stewart, ECB Laws Manager
The next edition of Acumen newsletter will be sent from EmailBlaster or through GoogleGroups rather than DotMailer as Blaster is more flexible. I expect #360 will be sent out in early June. Please check your spam box if you have had nothing by 15th June - equally do not be surprised by an invitation to join or confirm ingterest.
Keep watching for general news on ECB ACO Home Page and visit ECB ACO course finder (when things are clearer). Please share any of your own special activities on the special events section of our bulletin board
 | ONE VERY SPECIAL OFFER - BOWLERS' MARKERS for your Association, League or Festival: How would you like your umpires to have bowlers' markers with the name/logo of your Association and/or your sponsor? We can now print smaller quantities of heavy duty rubber bowlers markers, provided we can do a simultaneous run for several customers. These also make good publicity as drinks mats. These will probably cost £2.00 each plus setup, delivery & VAT. SEND a suitable image to off...@acumenbooks.co.uk and we will try to provide 3 or 4 FREE OF CHARGE SAMPLES when we do our next production run. More examples can be seen here. |
PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO A FRIEND - especially ensure your Tutors and Secretary/Treasurer have this copy of special bulk offers for training season. They can then email and ask to be subscribed for their own copy in future.
We are now able to take payment in US$ by bank transfer, which should save on currency conversion and transmission costs for some customers.
ECB had started to promote their Inspiring Generations and other initiatives to dramatically increase the number of women and youngsters playing various styles of cricket. This will require an increase in numbers of umpires and scorers but especially educating players to umpire and score themselves. When the situation returns closer to normality, our local ACO will be explaining and promoting in more detail in conjunction with their local County Board. Please be ready to help - all hands to the pump!
If you are not already a member of ECB ACO, then watch out for a very special offer of free membership through your County offering Introductory Courses - Ts&Cs apply.
Recipients in Indian Sub-continent will be pleased to learn that The Marine Sports in Mumbai now have copies of MCC Law Books and Tom Smiths for supply nearby, saving on postage costs. Visit their website or email on themarin...@gmail.com Copies are also available from Marcus Couto I regret to report that our friend Ajith Perera's beloved mother has died and that he himself would much appreciate some support, both physical and morale, as he struggles to cope. Do you live, or have relatives, in Sri Lanka? If so, please contact me as there are several ways in which you can help. Wisdens.org have announced their Xmas Willows Reprints List : Standard Stock and Rare Years , Including #1s 
We can supply both Law Books and Tom Smiths on credit, sale or return basis if appropriate. Please order early for your courses and meetings - we sometimes get overwhelmed at the last minute!
(now updated with 2020 Royal Mail postage increase) Please ask off...@acumenbooks.co.uk for bulk discounts and best overseas rates.
Acumen will continue to supply registered readers at competitive low prices by cheque or bank transfer
- single copies £17.50 inc UK p&p Airmail £35 - two copies £32.50 UK or £60 Airmail - 12 copies £185 UK or £220 Overseas Please let us know if you find a better offer! Have you read your 2019 Tom Smith yet?
Please share your thoughts on our BulletinBoard - there are also recent comments on overthrows, miscounting and an interesting press article. India, Australia, South Africa, USA, NZ, anywhere else? We are trying to arrange for some items to be available through overseas agents who would be willing to stock a few copies or items for local distribution on a sale or return basis. This would reduce the costs of overseas payments, especially bank charges. Please contact off...@acumenbooks.co.uk if you are willing to help.
 | SCORERS - have you seen the range of ACO courses available? View ECB ACO list this includes Introductory, CPD, Refreshers and Advanced, such as Linear and Duckworth Lewis. UMPIRES might find the latter particularly useful. REMINDER - if you are trying to move to a higher ACO Scorer Level, you may simply need an observation and an interview - check with your County Scorer Officer. |  | Millennium Scoresheets and very special offers on PENS are available from Acumen. other useful items & links for scorers. Arm bands are available from Acumen. Hands are available from Oxfordshire.
Has anyone yet found an effective way to tell umpires to STOP PLAY when scorers are not ready for any reason? |
Please note that www.acumenbooks.com now links to our more popular items on eBay. The full list of items can be found here - payment by bank transfer is usually cost free - if more than one item, then please ask for quotation to save on post and other charges. Trials on our tethered bails are complete and our UK Design Registration has been accepted (#6040831). Please let me have your email address if you would like a set - priced at £15.00 including p&p (no thanks to Royal Mail pricing policy!) but they do carry a season's warranty against breakage. Furthermore, they were accepted as an entry for The Innovation Awards 2019 although we did not win! We still have surplus copies of our 2018 field log book also with a very minor amendment sheet (41.19 becomes 41.2 - and notes on beamers) - everything else is the same. We are now offering these at 2 for price of 1 - share with a friend - while stocks last. (£11.99 inc UK p&p - payment by bank transfer or cheque) Are you coming to the end of your career (or just changing leagues) and have some items for sale? Rather than use eBay and pay fees, you can advertise FREE on Nompere's Bulletin Board. Acumen take no responsibility for such private transactions. Please delete items when they are sold! My 2019 boundary observations reveal there are increasing problems over SAFETY. You cannot avoid a direct hit that is deflected by bowler or wicket but most other situations can be avoided by moving, not necessarily AWAY from the ball. Keep your eye on the ball - do NOT turn your back, duck or flinch. Perhaps someone would like to contribute some diagrams to the discussion on Bulletin Board.
Has anyone tried using hockey keeper helmets? Although expensive, they do include a throat guard - remember both front and back anywhere above the shoulders is vulnerable. Is anyone manufacturing Bruce Oxenford's shield? Would anyone buy one if Acumen negotiated production?
I also recommend NOT using protruding screws to make the bails heavier on windy days. We can supply 120gm sets - or possibly you can drill and fill with lead. If you do use screws (like Old Trafford in 2019!), then countersink them and cover with plastic wood. Are you visiting Sri Lanka at any time? You may recall our disabled colleague, Ajith Perera. He is paralysed below Waist but still independent using a manual wheelchair. We thank one volunteer who has delivering a specially padded toilet seat BUT Ajith's health is deteriorating and he would welcome a visit - he is very lonely as there is little in the way of social services in Sri Lanka and no free NHS - we are lucky if we live in UK. Please email off...@acumenbooks.co.uk if you may be able to help. Have you tested your knowledge of the Laws by visiting MCC's eLearning pages? Please feedback your experience on OUR Bulletin Board. There are also some clips from my own observations for which the umpires (and scorers) concerned have given permission to publish. SOME ACUMEN PRODUCTS
Blue A5 Field/Over Record cards have been FURTHER enhanced for 2019 to record all the extra timing and other information. You can download a FREE printable copy of 2018 version HERE together with detailed explanation and instructions. LogBook contains 40 similar match cards together with a summary of penalties and other reference tables (which can be looked at onfield without arousing player suspicions). Some draft examples can be viewed HERE. Bat Gauges, Light Meters, Multi Gauges, Law Books etc are all listed in our catalogue. 7-in-1 Multi Gauge is now available in plastic Plastic Lever Counters include a one season warranty - just email with your postal address if you have a problem.
Please also encourage your colleagues to subscribe to this newsletter. | 
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