TWITTER (SOCIAL MEDIA) REMINDER

Date: 2nd March 2014

Parody Site does damage

As the season approaches and activity on Social Media seems to be increasing we take the opportunity to publish the statement within the L&DCC Rules and Regulations Handbook, unchanged from last year.

2.2.8 Players and club officials shall not make any public or media comment which is detrimental to the L&DCC, clubs, umpires or the game in general. In this instance, media shall include press, radio, television, external websites, club websites, social networking sites including "Face book" and "Twitter" and a club’s match programmes.

We do so, and make no apology for this, with particular reference to the Parody Site on Twitter. This was set up some time ago, ostensibly to represent the views of people in the Comp but which has done little else but criticise, moan, complain and at times abuse almost everything that is happening in our League. We on the Management Committee, constantly derided and insulted, accept that to some extent we are fair game but as with insults from other quarters we choose largely to ignore them.

However, far more serious have been the jibes and comments setting player against player and club against club. They are not in any way useful or in the best interests of local cricket. They are destructive and unhealthy and we would hope that they stop.

Finally we have been prompted to make this statement following a recent posting by this Parody site referring to a previously named umpire saying:

“More believable than him being allowed to umpire next season in the Liverpool comp. Must be the most incompetent ump in cricket”.

At the Cricket Committee meeting held on 25 February we were informed that this umpire had now resigned and will not be umpiring in 2014, although the reasons for this are known only to the individual. At the same meeting the MCUA representative informed us that 8 umpires would be retiring (for age and personal reasons) in 2014 and that 2 new umpires would be joining the panel. As they say – “Do the maths” – the L&DCC cannot afford to lose any umpires at all and will be working with the MCUA in the coming months to generate more.

In the meantime if your club’s fixture has only one umpire in 2014 or heaven forbid, none, just think back to the irresponsible and insulting posting above. Not only has it possibly led to the loss of one umpire it has clearly incurred the wrath of a whole lot more.