About Us
The South Coast Panel of Cricket Officials (SCP) was formed at the request of the Southern Premier Cricket League (SPCL) in 1985; expanded in 1987 to cover some Hampshire Cricket League (HCL) matches and grew further in 1991 when the link was formed between the SPCL and the HCL, creating the current league pyramid in the region.
Membership of the SCP currently stands at 108 (94 umpires and 11 scorers; with 3 members representing both categories).
The SCP provides umpires for all of the matches in the SPCL, and regularly has the capacity to appoint to all of the requests received to officiate in HCL matches. We also provide officials for a wide variety of other matches in the region across the entirety of the cricket season.
During the 2019 season, the SCP successfully fulfilled over 1,700 requests for umpiring appointments.
In 1998, we introduced 'The Spirit of Fair Play' award in partnership with the SPCL.
Based on assessments completed by SCP umpiring members, this award is presented on an annual basis to the team who best demonstrate the desired approach to the 'spirit of cricket' in matches during the season.
The SCP caters for all levels of officiating, whether someone is a club member looking to help out on a Saturday afternoon or an experienced official with ambitions of testing their abilities at the highest level.
We work closely with the Hampshire Association of Cricket Officials (HACO) to promote and facilitate a wide range of training sessions during the close season. Coupled with our Buddying Project, we ensure the right officials are appointed to the right matches.
In collaboration with the captains of the SPCL and HCL, the SCP oversee and monitor an umpire feedback system which both supports us in appointing the most suitable umpires to the higher level matches, and also enables members to evaluate their own performance.
As a result, four SCP members are currently on the ECB's National Panel of Umpires. One of our members is also a Hampshire CC 2nd XI scorer.
Buddying Project
This is an original South Coast Panel of Cricket Officials Committee initiative, which commenced in 2015 and was designed to support new members to the Panel. It was originally designated as a "Mentoring Scheme" and has proven to assist and develop those engaging with it.
Not long after the introduction of our initiative, the ECB ACO rolled out their own "mentoring scheme" that relates directly to gaining accreditation, and so to avoid confusion we renamed our scheme.
Whilst the name has changed, the purpose remains the same.
This allowed us to evolve the original remit of the idea so it is now available to any member (new or established) who may be, or feel, in need of experienced and equitable advice, comment or positive reinforcement related to officiating.
All new members are invited to take up the opportunity of being paired with a "buddy". They're then free to utilise them as they require; with no obligation to engage any more/less than they want to.
Each buddy is carefully selected from the most experienced members of the Panel and provide a valuable support & development mechanism in the new environment that aspiring officials face.
For more information, contact our Buddying Project Coordinator
Get in touchOur Committee
Huw Evans
ChairmanGraham Burgess
General SecretaryDenis Emery
Appointments SecretaryDean Daniels
TreasurerAndy Anthony
HCL Umpire Marks CoordinatorBen Hood
Safeguarding Officer
Linda Judd
Scorers RepresentativeShaun Lilley
SPCL LiaisonPaul Turner
SPCL Umpire Marks CoordinatorMike Varney
WebmasterStuart MacTavish
General MemberIn addition, the Hampshire Association of Cricket Officials (HACO) County Development Officer is an ex-officio member of the Management Committee.
