The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

MARTIN ‘Pork’ Burrows will now be joined by four other Bahamians as certified members of the College Baseball Umpire Association Organisation (CBUAO).

Martin, along with Andrew Burrows and Ainsworth Beckford from New Providence and Wayne Basden and Oscar Green from Grand Bahama, participated in the CBUAO College Baseball Recruitment and Refresher Clinic that was conducted over the weekend in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Attending the event, which attracted about 32 umpires, Burrows, Beckford, Basden and Green all passed the certification course, which Martin did when he first attended the event by himself a year ago. “I am very satisfied with how the umpires performed and conducted themselves,” Burrows said.

“They all made huge improvements every day and on the very last day, they were put to the test to umpire a game with just the Bahamian umpires.”

In a seven-inning game, Beckford started out calling behind the plate, Burrows was on first, Basden on third and mid-way during the game, Burrows replaced Beckford at the plate, while Green took over at first.

“It was a job well done. No hiccups. I was very proud of my Bahamian umpires,” said Burrows, who noted that the entire Bahamian contingent got high marks from the organisers and the fellow umpires from outside of the country.

The clinic was organised and conducted by Nick Zibelli.

Burrows said this core of umpires will now put their certification to the test when they are expected to lead the local delegation of umpires as they officiate at the Babe Ruth Caribbean Baseball Championship, scheduled for July 7-11 at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

A number of international umpires are also expected in town from around the world to officiate in the tournament being organised by the Local Organising Committee, headed by Caribbean director Greg Burrows Sr. Burrows, who will continue his training sessions for local umpires, said he now wants to take the umpire classes into the schools, both private and public, so that they can develop more persons interested in officiating at the games.