Is there any question why Roper has been absent from officiating.com? This was taken from the balcony of his cottage in Antigua while on vacation. He tells us he doesn’t own the cottage. That's fortunate for us; otherwise, we wouldn’t be hearing from him….

Game-control theory

Mention game control in a group of umpires, and you are guaranteed to get a response from one of two groups. Group one is the ejection crowd. They are quick on the trigger and rarely advance beyond 15u summer ball. They wear the number of ejections like a badge of honor; and they often, but not always, subscribe to the "inner-Stalin" doctrine outlined by Pete Osborne on these very pages.

Continued...