New umpires are always required at recreational level, so if giving something back to cricket in this way appeals to you, this page has the details of courses that will allow you to learn about the role of an umpire.
In Essex, we have two Essex Certified courses that give you a feel for umpiring and the basic laws. These courses are free, but participants do need to book a place.
In addition, there is the ECB Accredited course that provide opportunities to move on to higher levels. There is a cost for this course.
| Introduction to Umpiring Essex Certified Course |
Development Umpiring Essex Certified Course |
Qualified Umpire Course ECB Accredited |
The Part 1 Introduction Course is aimed at beginners and will provide the skills needed to umpire Junior School Age softball cricket. The topics covered are not watered down and would be the same as if umpiring an adult game. The course is suitable for people aged 12+ and lasts about 1.5 hours, It covers:
• Standing at Bowler’s and Striker’s End
• Wides
• No Balls (front foot, over waist height, over head height)
• Common Signals (4, 6, out, wide, no ball, bye, leg bye)
• Main Methods of Dismissal (bowled, caught, run out, stumped, hit wicket)
| Date | Time | Venue | Cost | Booking Link |
| 20th January 2026 | 19:00 - 20:30 | Great Dunmow CC, St Edmunds Lane, Great Dunmow |
Free |  |
The Part 2 Development Course develops the skills from the Introduction Course, so that people are confident to umpire hard-ball cricket and would be useful for players who may have to take their turn at umpiring. People do not need to have taken the Introduction to Umpiring Course to attend. The course is suitable for people aged 13+ and lasts about 2 hours. It covers:
• Signalling (a recap of those learned on Part 1, plus short run, revoking the last signal, penalty runs, and dead ball)
• Umpire’s Equipment
• ECB Directives (age-related restrictions)
• No balls (recap, plus ball bouncing more than once, ball rolling, ball coming to rest, limitation of leg side fielders, bowler breaking wicket in delivery stride, and fielder encroaching or intercepting delivery)
• Wides (recap, plus changes to the law regarding batter’s movement)
• Scoring runs (batter's glove, byes, leg byes, and when runs can be scored)
• Methods of dismissal (recap, plus LBW and run-out of the non-striker)
• Counting balls in the over and signals to colleague around this
| Date | Time | Venue | Booking Link |
| 24th February 2026 | 19:00 - 21:00 | Great Dunmow CC, St Edmunds Lane, Great Dunmow |
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| 9th March 2026 | 19:00 - 21:00 | Theydon Bois CC, Loughton Lane, Theydon Bois |
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The Qualified Umpire Course is designed to give new umpires the key skills, knowledge and confidence to stand as an umpire in cricket.
No prior experience of umpiring in cricket is required before attending the course. Whether you plan to support Junior Softball cricket through to adult cricket, this course will cover the following topics:
• Understanding the role of the umpire
• Gaining a basic understanding of umpiring the game
• Answering appeals and the common methods of dismissal
• Communicating effectively with all stakeholders in the game
• Judging whether or not it is safe to play
The course is split into classroom and practical learning, so we recommend learners to come dressed appropriately.
Learners will be asked to complete some e-learning prior to attending the course, which will take no more than 90 minutes to complete in total.
Pre-learning can be completed via multiple visits or in one go. Learners must be 14 years of age at the time of the course.
The cost of this course is £70.00. After completing it, learners will have the confidence and competence to go and umpire at appropriate levels within recreational cricket.
| Date | Time | Venue | Cost | Booking Link |
| 21st February 2026 | 09:30 - 16:00 | Hamptons Sports & Social Club, Great Baddow, Chelmsford |
£70 | |
| 28th March 2026 | 10:00 - 16:30 | Colchester Sports Park, Colchester |
£70 | |
