Devon Cricket Board - All change at top of DACO as old guard makes way

All change at top of DACO as old guard makes way

In good company – Danny Daniels umpiring at Sidmouth where North Devon are the visitors and Somerset’s Jamie Overton is at the non-striker’s end
LONG-serving Plymouth official Danny Daniels is the new president of DACO after an all-change annual meeting.
DACO – the Devon Association of Cricket Officials – needed to replace several loyal servants on the executive.
President Roger Moylan-Jones made way after six years for Daniels, who clocked up 35 years in the Devon League in 2015.
Moylan-Jones was elected president of the Minor Counties Cricket Association last year and has been Devon CCC president for the past three seasons. Something had to give and it was his DACO role.
Gavin Lane, another Plymouth-based official, stood down as chairman to and was replaced by his number two Andy Forward.
Forward, a Minor Counties panel official, had been widely tipped to take over the post once Lane said he was standing down.
Lane has also relinquished his DACO role as performance officer, hading over to fellow Plymothian Steve Lavis.
Lavis, who qualified as a level three umpire in 2014, is already involved in training. He has stood in Minor Counties games since 2013 and has been on the county second eleven roster for two years.
Nigel Piddock (left), another West area umpire, has replaced Paul Dart as secretary. Treasurer Ken Jeffrey and appointments officer Pete Bamber remain in place.
The appointments were ratified at DACO’s annual meeting in Barnstaple.
Although Daniels’ position is considered as a figurehead, the gregarious Welshman intends to be a hands-on president with particular emphasis on training and recruitment.
He may even umpire the odd game, although at 73 he is has walked away from Premier Division games.
“I am one of only two level assessors in Devon - Gavin in the other one – who look at the new umpires and scorers coming through,” said Daniels.
“Recruitment is massively important to us as our membership is an ageing one and we need to replace old guys like myself who have just about come to the end.
“We did not have enough officials last season to cover Devon League C Division games – and my aim is to get the C Division back on board as soon as possible.”
Daniels played cricket for Rogerstone in his home turf of South Wales before work brought him to Devon in the early 1970s.
He had given up playing after being hit in the face by a ball while batting and, by his own admission, losing his nerve, hardly surprising after suffering a broken jaw.
Daniels taught maths at Coombe Dean School in Plymstock, where he met Plympton official Les Ware.
Plympton needed a 2nd XI umpire, which was how Daniels came to don the white coat.
“I umpired at Plympton until 1986, then was contacted by Plymstock, who needed a 1st XI umpire after being relegated from the top division,’ said Daniels.
“In those days there were no panel umpires in the lower divisions and when Plymstock went down their 2nd XI umpire wanted to stay where he was, not move up to cover the first team.
“After a couple of years I went on the league panel and my first game was at North Devon.
“I stayed there until 2014 – and can honestly say I enjoyed every minute of it.”
Daniels said he was surprised to get a call from outgoing chairman Lane inviting him to stand as president as there were numerous high-quality candidates.
“In my view where were many people far more worthy than I, such as Dave Moseby, Bert Mitchell, Bill Matten, Tom Waldock and Di Wadsworth, who would have been great as our first scorers’ rep as president,” said Daniels.
“It makes me feel a little bit humble to have been given the job and also determined to do the role justice.”

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