Search on for 'middle men'

There are 42 laws in the cricket rule book but when it comes to umpiring the game, "Law 43" - or common sense - is the most important.
Ideally, umpires are knowledgeable and passionate about the sport, committed to teamwork and to their own improvement. They enjoy good health as it is a long day standing in the sun ... and it pays to have a sense of humour.
And if this sounds like you, then Northland Cricket would like to meet you to help bolster umpire numbers.
For the past 11 years, Mike Elliot - the Northern Districts training officer for umpires - has worked tirelessly every weekend umpiring Northland cricket matches.
"On paper, there are six full-time umpires but we are not all available every week," Elliot said.
"In the 11 years I have umpired in Northland, we have never had a full complement of umpires every weekend - some seasons I have been the only regular umpire.
"There are three games in the premier grade to cover each weekend and, if all six umpires are available, then those games are fully covered - with two umpires each, one at each end of the wicket. But this rarely happens.
"Also, we do not have any umpires available for other grades. This means that often a game has only one umpire who has to do both ends, or even games without an umpire at all - too often the case in the latter half of this season. Having to umpire a game on your own makes for a tiring and stressful day. There is no opportunity to relax a bit at square leg."
The time required is the main reason some would-be umpires are reluctant to commit.
"The time factor is the biggest issue. Ideally, ex-players make the best umpires as they understand the game and the pressures involved. However, most ex-players have already spent long summers over a number of years playing cricket most weekends. By the time they retire from playing, they often have families - long-suffering wives and kids who need their time - so they are not willing to keep surrendering their weekends," Elliot said.
Perceptions that umpires are often on the receiving end of poor player behaviour do not help.
These days, cricket was a lot cleaner than it used to be and most games were played in good spirit, the ND training officer said.
One of the most rewarding things about sport was the long lasting friendships and camaraderie - and umpiring was no different, Elliot said.
Anyone interested in becoming an umpire can contact Mike Elliot on 0274195818 or Northland Cricket Association on 09 438 2400.