Umpire Jim Hyland has a big day out at Lord's next month.

The 62-year-old has been selected to officiate at the national indoor cricket finals, which take place at the end of March.

“I’m very pleased and excited to have this opportunity,” he said.

And so he should be because it is rich reward for someone who has given so much to the game over many decades as a player, captain, club chairman and now umpire.

The national finals, which will be played on Sunday 29th March in the national indoor cricket centre, feature four teams who will play two semi-finals and a final.

There will be three umpires on the big day with each guaranteed to officiate in two games.

“I don’t know which games I’ll be doing,” Hyland said. “This is new territory for me.”

The teams taking part in the finals have still to be determined – the end-of-season play-offs are ongoing – and what makes it just that bit more interesting for Hyland is that he has never been to Lord’s.

“It’s exciting, it’s a new experience,” he said. “We are staying the night before, courtesy of the ECB.”

Hyland, who went to St Peter’s School in Gloucester, spent the majority of his cricket-playing days with Whitminster.

“I was a wicketkeeper/batsman,” he said, before adding with a laugh, “but you’d better put inverted commas around batsman!”

He captained the side for many years and was also chairman of the club, a club with whom he retains close links as he is now their president.

He stopped playing in 2018, by which time he had already established himself on the umpire circuit in the area.

“Umpiring has always interested me,” he said. “When I was playing on a Saturday I was always happy to do my 10 overs.

“I enjoy umpiring as much as I enjoyed playing, maybe more, but I’m a far better umpire than I was player.

“I umpired my first indoor game 25 years ago and my first outdoor game in 2004.” 

He’s umpired more than 1,000 indoor games – the Gloucestershire Indoor Cricket League is very strong – and he says umpiring indoors is quite different to taking charge of games outdoors.

“Indoor cricket is very, very fast,” he said. “In two weeks of indoor cricket I will make more tight run-out decisions than in the whole of the outdoor season because the batsmen run every ball.

“Indoor cricket hasn’t got the depth of outdoor cricket – the games are short and sharp and may be over in an hour – but I love it all.”

Hyland, who stands in matches across many competitions in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Bristol and Somerset, is a member of the WEPL umpiring panel in the summer.

He also enjoys officiating in T20 cricket and enjoyment is the key for Hyland, who is very keen for more people to get involved with umpiring.

“Umpires are so important because they are totally independent,” he said.

“As an umpire you really do have the best seat in the house, you are involved in every single delivery of the match.

“People think you get a lot of grief as an umpire but I’ve not had any in 25 years. Players, club officials and spectators often go out of their way to show their appreciation.”

Hyland said that GACO (Gloucestershire Association of Cricket Officials) offer excellent training courses.

He added that once new umpires are out on the circuit, the mentoring and continued support is some of the best in the country.

For more information, visit recruitment@gaco.org.uk