ECB Umpire Billy Taylor returns for his 5th American College Cricket Nationals
ECB Umpire Billy Taylor, Boston U batting vs Georgia Tech
Over the years American College Cricket has utilized the services of some of the best certified umpires in the US such as Hubert Smythe, Steve Kalloo, Max Diah, Vijaya Prakash Mallela. It has given its umpires, just like its players, opportunities to officiate on professionally done worldwide web streams, on TV and ESPN.Then it set another precedent for the game in the USA, by having England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Umpire Billy Taylor in 2014, 2015, 2016 & 2017 ! In Billy’s words :
“I have been coming to umpire for American College Cricket at their National Finals since 2014 and hope to carry for many years to come ! From the very 1st nationals I have been very impressed by the spirit the passion and organisation of the this competition and all the matches & regionals building up to it. Lloyd with his passion of cricket and his hard work to have founded the American College Cricket and moving it forward to such a high level is truly amazing!
The standard is at such a high level and the fantastic work behind the scenes has allowed the players to focus on their cricket and having some amazing opportunities to play the game they love ! The players are some of the most passionate and dedicated people that I have had the pleasure to meet and clearly love the game which is fantastic to see and makes umpiring the matches very enjoyable.
For me the Nationals is the start of my calendar year and is two weeks before my 1st Class season in England. It has been a major factor in my development as an umpire. Umpiring with the local umpires has been a pleasure and they do a fantastic job at a high standard with a huge passion for cricket clearly visible. I believe there is a great future ahead for cricket in the USA and this is due to American College Cricket.”
Billy Taylor played First Class cricket for 10 years, winning the County Championship with Sussex in 2003 then joining Hampshire.He also played, as an overseas player, in New Zealand. A fast medium bowler he took 3 First Class Hat tricks, including the first ever at the Rose Bowl and a Best of 6/32. After retiring from playing in 2009, Billy went fully into officiating, and has been the youngest umpire, at 37, on the ECB reserve list of professional umpires, Level 1/2. Since 2016, he is an ECB Full Professional 1st Class.
Billy has officiated in First Class matches, List A (One day 1st XI county matches), India vs Kent and England Women vs Australia Women.His first overseas umpiring was American College Cricket ins 2014 and he has since done the 2016 Masters’ Cricket League in Dubai, & the recent T10 Cricket League in Dubai.
In addition to umpiring at the Nationals, Billy is also a Certified Coach and has been available to American College Cricket players . He said, ” I’m a Level 2 Coach. I have coached cricket throughout my playing career, in the United Kingdom and New Zealand, from schools to adult, men’s and ladies cricketers.”
What inspired Billy Taylor to come to the American College Cricket National Championship to umpire?
“After coming to Naples Florida on vacation, I really fell in love with America and when talking with some locals I told them I umpired cricket and they mentioned that there was a college cricket league, so on my return I found out a lot more.The work Lloyd has done is very inspiring. Very important for me was that it was my first time as an official umpire outside of the UK, and it was approved by the ICC and ECB !”
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American College Cricket President Lloyd Jodah stated, “We’ve had the pleasure to have very good umpires in Florida and around the country. Having an ECB umpire of Billy’s caliber work alongside our local officials puts additional positive spotlight on this important aspect of the sport. Since 2014 Billy’s proven interest in giving to the game, and his desire to be a part of our effort, makes him someone we’re happy to have on our team at American College Cricket.His expertise, credibility & calm mastery of his Umpiring duties are appreciated by all of us, including the players and local umpires, and his input on any cricket matter is valuable.We’re happy to have him be a part of the College World Cup too.”
Billy conffirmed, “I am really looking forward to be heading back for the 2018 Nationals in March”!
