Former Hampshire favourite Billy Taylor, who currently plies his trade for Totton & Eling in the Southern Electric Premier League, hopes to umpire at a higher level than he ever played the game, writes Daily Echo cricket correspondent Simon Walter.
The 33-year-old, who was released by Hampshire last year after taking 138 wickets in all cricket for the county, has started his apprenticeship in the Second Eleven Championship and hopes to officiate in the LV= County Championship in 2011.
"Being on the reserve list is the best-case scenario for next year but in the long term I want to get on the main list and hopefully one day I’ll be walking out in a Test match," he says.
Taylor, who is a qualified tree surgeon, also works at a falconry centre in Landford during the winter.
But umpiring is his preferred career.
"It's something I thought about for the last few years of my playing career when I had to start considering what to do," he said.
"I always got on well with umpires like Ian Gould, Peter Willey and Neil Mallender.
"They seemed to really enjoy their job and that rubbed off. It kept chipping away at me that umpiring was something I wanted to have go at.
"My playing career finished earlier than I wanted but this is the next best thing."
Martin Saggers, the former Kent and England seamer, was promoted to this season’s ten-man reserve list.
And former Durham batsman Michael Gough, who is still only 30, is in his second season on the main list, which includes 24 officials.
"A window of opportunity came up allowing me to get on the reserve list next year as the ECB are looking to get as many ex-players umpiring to try and make it more appealing to guys coming towards the end of their careers," continued Taylor.
"I'm passionate about cricket so enjoy having the prime view, watching every ball of a game played at a good standard."
Taylor, who has done some umpiring in this season's Southern Electric t20 Cup, has passed his Level One exam, and hopes to complete his Level Two practical assessments by the end of the season.
He will have to pass Level Four to officiate in the LV= County Championship next year, while Level Five is needed at Test level.
"If you get to the top it's well paid but you have to make sacrifices for a couple of years," he said.