At last year’s AGM we said that we would be winding up the association and transferring any surplus money to the Oxfordshire Hockey Association (OHA) to be used for the purpose of umpire development. We can now confirm that the sum of £5,880.74 has been sent to OHA, where it will be ring-fenced for umpire development. Furthermore, OHA have confirmed that they will create a dedicated Umpire Development role in their structure to help manage this.

It just remains for me to thank all the committee members past and present for their hard work and dedication running OHUA over the years, along with all the umpire coaches and developers. Our thanks also to all those umpires who took neutral appointments in the old Try Sports leagues and South Premier 3A. Our purpose as umpires is to serve the game and over the years there have been countless individuals who have done this with a real dedication and purpose. We have also had numerous individuals who have gone on to umpire at regional, national and international levels.

Finally, a thank you to all the clubs, past and present, for their role in supporting and developing umpiring in the county. As we wind up OHUA it is reassuring to see that umpire development continues to be a priority for the South Central region which now has the responsibility for moving umpiring on.

Best wishes to all umpires, whether you are just starting on your umpiring pathway or, like many of us, quite away down the road.

Mark Cumming
On behalf of the OHUA committee