FORMER Somerset CCC captain Mike Burns has just completed his first year on the First Class umpires' list and, already, he is back in training ready for the 2017 season.

Burns, who first moved to Taunton 20 years ago when he followed newly-appointed player coach Dermot Reeve down the M5 from Warwickshire, said: “It has been fantastic for me and although I have been really busy it was great to be umpiring at that level continuously.

“First Class cricket is where you want to be umpiring and during my first year I have been involved in some pretty high profile matches.

"I guess some of the highlights would be the Roses Match at Headingley where there is a lot of local rivalry, and Middlesex v Surrey T20 at Lord’s in front of 28,000 fans.

"Also, to umpire a championship game at Scarborough was fantastic as well, as there were more than 5,000 supporters in the ground each day, so there was a great atmosphere.

“In the last month of the season I was also involved with umpiring some pretty big games as well – it was good fun and hope this all bodes well for the future.”

How much of a help had it been that Burns had he played the game at the top level?

“I think it is a massive help to have played the First Class game because the players respect you because you have been there and done it and that gives you the credibility.

"You know exactly what is going on and you almost see things before they happen.”

It was 11 years ago that Burns left Somerset, so what has he been doing since then?

The 47-year-old said: “It hasn’t been easy during that time and the biggest thing is the financial side.

"I was lucky in that I worked for North Gear and Bradbury when I first finished and that ended in 2010, which is when I seriously thought about taking up umpiring.

"Since then, I have been umpiring Second XI games and been on the reserve list.

“Even though it was a bit of a struggle financially it was good to get away from the game and get involved with the sales and manufacturing side of things.

"They are all life experiences and if I had become an umpire first off I would have missed out on them.

“Now I am on the First Class list I am starting to reap the rewards for the years I have put in learning the job and I can go on from here.”

Burns added: “All in all, though, it's not bad for a lad from Barrow who started working in the Vickers’ Dockyard when he first left school!”