HPH York Vale Cricket League's appeal for umpires for the new season has been backed by one of cricket's modern-day legends.

Clubs decided on the move to establish a panel of neutral umpires at the league's annual meeting in November.

Now the initiative has attracted encouragement from former Test umpire Dickie Bird. He said: "I wish the league every success in their efforts to recruit umpires. To anyone passionate about cricket I would definitely say give umpiring a try, it's a great way spend a Saturday afternoon and you will make a valuable contribution to the game at its grass roots."

League secretary Shane Hargrave said: " I'm thrilled that someone of the stature of Dickie Bird has taken an interest in what we are doing. Dickie has a soft spot for village cricket in Yorkshire even though he has spent 30 years umpiring in the top-flight all over the world. We could not have wished for a better endorsement for what we are attempting to achieve."

Initially, the league will appoint umpires to first division fixtures involving Drax, Fulfordgate, Heworth, North Duffield, Wheldrake, Westow, Burn, Bishopthorpe, Askham Bryan YPO and British Sugar.

Umpire appointments secretary, David Cartwright said: "This is an exciting venture and we would like to hear from anyone interested in getting involved. It does not matter at this stage whether recruits are qualified or not. An enjoyment of the game is all that is required, along with the ability to demonstrate a competence in making decisions."

Umpires will be paid an inclusive match fee of £18 and opportunities for training, development and qualifications will be provided by the league.

The new season gets underway on Saturday, April 29, with matches starting at 2pm and lasting a maximum of 40 overs per innings.

Anyone interested joining the panel should contact Cartwright on 01909 540345 or email dcartwright@clara.co.uk

Updated: 11:15 Saturday, March 18, 2006