Mike Burns (cricketer)

{{short description|English cricketer and umpire}} {{EngvarB|date=August 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}} {{good article}} {{Infobox cricketer | name = Michael Burns | image = 2 02 Another no ball.jpg | caption = Burns in 2025 | country = England | fullname = Michael Burns | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1969|2|6|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Barrow-in-Furness]], Lancashire, England | batting = Right-handed | bowling = Right-arm [[fast bowling|medium]] | role = [[All-rounder]], [[Umpire (cricket)|umpire]] | club1 = [[Warwickshire County Cricket Club|Warwickshire]] | year1 = {{nobr|1990–1996}} | club2 = [[Somerset County Cricket Club|Somerset]] | year2 = 1997–2005

| columns = 3 | column1 = [[First-class cricket|FC]] | matches1 = 154 | runs1 = 7,648 | bat avg1 = 32.68 | 100s/50s1 = 8/51 | top score1 = 221 | deliveries1 = 4,751 | wickets1 = 68 | bowl avg1 = 42.42 | fivefor1 = 1 | tenfor1 = 0 | best bowling1 = 6/54 | catches/stumpings1 = 142/7 | column2 = [[List A cricket|LA]] | matches2 = 221 | runs2 = 4,802 | bat avg2 = 25.81 | 100s/50s2 = 3/31 | top score2 = 115[[not out|*]] | deliveries2 = 1,844 | wickets2 = 58 | bowl avg2 = 30.50 | fivefor2 = 0 | tenfor2 = 0 | best bowling2 = 4/39 | catches/stumpings2 = 101/15 | column3 = [[Twenty20|T20]] | matches3 = 9 | runs3 = 108 | bat avg3 = 15.42 | 100s/50s3 = 0/0 | top score3 = 36 | deliveries3 = 36 | wickets3 = 2 | bowl avg3 = 27.50 | fivefor3 = 0 | tenfor3 = 0 | best bowling3 = 1/15 | catches/stumpings3 = 3/0 | date = 17 August 2022 | source = http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/9305.html ESPNcricinfo }} '''Michael Burns''' (born 6 February 1969) is an English first-class list [[Umpire (cricket)|cricket umpire]] and former [[first-class cricket]]er who played [[county cricket]] for [[Warwickshire County Cricket Club|Warwickshire]] and [[Somerset County Cricket Club|Somerset]] in a [[first-class cricket|first-class]] career which spanned from 1992 until 2005. He also played [[Minor Counties cricket]] for [[Cumberland County Cricket Club|Cumberland]] and [[Cornwall County Cricket Club|Cornwall]]. An adaptable cricketer, he appeared for Cumberland and Warwickshire as a [[wicket-keeper]], but when he moved to Somerset he developed into an aggressive [[Batting (cricket)|batsman]] who [[Bowling (cricket)|bowled]] at [[Fast bowling#Categorisation of fast bowling|medium-pace]] when needed.

Burns started his cricket career with Cumberland in 1988, but moved to Warwickshire in late 1990. He struggled to break into the first team with his new county, and spent most of his time with the club playing in the second team. As a wicket-keeper, his opportunities were limited by the presence of [[Keith Piper (cricketer)|Keith Piper]], and he failed to make an impact as a batsman when he was given chances in the first team. He only started to play regularly for the county in 1996, but opted to move to Somerset the following year.

For Somerset, Burns passed 1,000 first-class [[Run (cricket)|runs]] in a season twice, and was part of the team which won the [[2001 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy]]. He provided Somerset with a batting [[all-rounder]], particularly in [[Limited overs cricket|one-day cricket]] in which he [[Batting average (cricket)|averaged]] 27 with the bat and 30 [[Bowling average|with the ball]] for the county. He took over as [[List of Somerset cricket captains|Somerset captain]] in 2003, primarily due to the lack of other suitable candidates. He continued in the role the following year, though he was criticised throughout due to poor results, which at one stage led to a number of Somerset players being threatened with sacking. He was replaced as captain in 2005 by [[Graeme Smith]], and retired from first-class cricket at the end of that year. He subsequently trained as an [[Umpire (cricket)|umpire]], and was promoted to the [[England and Wales Cricket Board]]'s (ECB) reserve list in 2012.

In January 2016 Burns was promoted to the full list of the ECB's umpiring list.

==Career==

===Early life and minor counties cricket=== Burns was born on 6 February 1969 in [[Barrow-in-Furness]], Lancashire.<ref name="ciprof">{{cite web |url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/9305.html |title=Player Profile: Michael Burns |publisher=[[ESPNcricinfo]] |access-date=20 January 2013}}</ref> He attended [[Walney School|Walney Comprehensive]] in Barrow, and after completing his studies, joined the engineering firm [[Vickers]].<ref name= "hero">{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/123259.html |title=Mike Burns is the new 'Hero of the Week' |last=Walsh |first=Richard |date=17 September 2002 |access-date=13 March 2013 |publisher=ESPNcricinfo}}</ref> Burns began his county career playing [[Minor Counties cricket]] with [[Cumberland County Cricket Club|Cumberland]]. He made his debut for the side in a two-day Championship match against [[Norfolk County Cricket Club|Norfolk]] in July 1988. Playing as [[wicket-keeper]], he claimed one [[Caught|catch]] and one [[Stumped|stumping]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/95/95128.html |title=Cumberland v Norfolk: Minor Counties Championship 1988 (Eastern Division) |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 January 2013}}</ref> He did not appear for the county's first team again for another year; in 1989, he played three times for Cumberland, appearing on each occasion as a specialist [[Batting order (cricket)|lower-order]] batsman.<ref name="minc">{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/4/4224/Minor_Counties_Championship_Matches.html |title=Minor Counties Championship Matches played by Mike Burns (19) |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 January 2013}}</ref> Early during the 1990 season, Burns played one match, without excelling, for [[Glamorgan County Cricket Club|Glamorgan]]'s second team.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/52/52771.html |title=Surrey Second XI v Glamorgan Second XI: Second Eleven Championship 1990 |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 January 2013}}</ref> He was a regular for Cumberland during 1990, and in his seven appearances in the Championship, he scored 180 runs at an average of 22.50, and took eleven catches and three stumpings.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/4/Minor_Counties_Championship_1990/Batting_by_Runs.html |title=Batting and Fielding in Minor Counties Championship 1990 (Ordered by Runs) |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 January 2013}}</ref>

===Limited opportunities at Warwickshire=== [[File:Fenners1.jpg|thumb|right|Burns made his first-class debut at [[Fenner's]] cricket ground in [[Cambridge]].]] After initially playing club cricket for Vickerstown, Burns moved to [[Netherfield Cricket Club]], where he played alongside [[Dermot Reeve]], the club's professional player. Reeve was impressed by an innings in which Burns scored a [[Century (cricket)|half-century]], and arranged for Warwickshire to offer him a trial.<ref name="hero"/> Burns scored 83 runs in his trial match,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/53/53265.html |title=Warwickshire Under-25s v Northamptonshire Under-25s: Warwick Pool Competition 1990 |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=13 March 2013}}</ref> and signed a contract shortly thereafter.<ref name="hero"/> At the end of that 1990 season, Burns played a second-team match for Warwickshire; the following season he made his debut in professional cricket for the county, playing a [[Benson & Hedges Cup]] match against [[Essex County Cricket Club|Essex]]. He batted at [[Batting order (cricket)|number eight]] and kept wicket in a narrow loss for Warwickshire.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/54/54138.html |title=Warwickshire v Essex: Benson and Hedges Cup 1991 (Group B) |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 January 2013}}</ref> He spent the remainder of the season playing for the county's second team, for whom he scored a number of half-centuries, with a top score of 93, scored against [[Worcestershire County Cricket Club|Worcestershire]]'s seconds in a one-day match.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/54/54640.html |title=Warwickshire Second XI v Worcestershire Second XI: Bain Clarkson Trophy 1991 (South West Zone) |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 January 2013}}</ref> He got his first opportunities in [[first-class cricket]] near the start of the 1992 season, making his debut in the format against [[Cambridge University Cricket Club|Cambridge University]] in May. During his only batting innings, he scored 78 runs, and he also claimed two catches and a stumping.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/55/55755.html |title=Cambridge University v Warwickshire: University Match 1992 |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 January 2013}}</ref> He was selected to play in the [[County Championship]] match a week later against Glamorgan, but in a match dominated by the spin of [[Robert Croft]] he was dismissed for scores of three and four.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/55/55807.html |title=Glamorgan v Warwickshire: Britannic Assurance County Championship 1992 |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 January 2013}}</ref> He returned to play in the second team for most of the season, though he played one further first-team match in August; appearing as a specialist batsman, Burns scored one run against [[Durham County Cricket Club|Durham]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/56/56301.html |title=Warwickshire v Durham: Sunday League 1992 |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 January 2013}}</ref> In a late season second team match against [[Lancashire County Cricket Club|Lancashire]] seconds, Burns scored 165 runs in the first innings of a drawn match.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/56/56348.html |title=Lancashire Second XI v Warwickshire Second XI: Rapid Cricketline Second Eleven Championship 1992 |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 January 2013}}</ref>

Burns had more first team opportunities during the 1993 season, due to a series of hand injuries to the first-choice wicket-keeper, [[Keith Piper (cricketer)|Keith Piper]].<ref>{{cite book |editor-first=Matthew |editor-last=Engel |editor-link=Matthew Engel |title=[[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack|Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 1994]] |edition=131 |year=1994 |publisher=John Wisden & Co. Ltd |location=Guildford, Surrey |isbn=0-947766-23-5 |page=597}}</ref> Burns's chances came particularly in one-day cricket; he appeared in eleven [[List A cricket|List A]] matches during the year. He scored 151 runs across nine batting innings at an average of 25.16,<ref name="labbs">{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/4/4224/a_Batting_by_Season.html |title=ListA Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Mike Burns |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 January 2013}}</ref> and reached his highest score of the season, 48 [[not out]], against the touring [[Zimbabwe national cricket team|Zimbabweans]] in September.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/57/57842.html |title=Warwickshire v Zimbabweans: Zimbabwe in England 1993 |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 January 2013}}</ref> Despite making another large [[Century (cricket)|century]] for the second team, scoring 172 against [[Yorkshire County Cricket Club|Yorkshire]] seconds,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/57/57488.html |title=Yorkshire Second XI v Warwickshire Second XI: Rapid Cricketline Second Eleven Championship 1993 |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 January 2013}}</ref> he struggled in first-class cricket; in six appearances he averaged just 9.60 for his 96 runs.<ref name="fcbbs">{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/4/4224/f_Batting_by_Season.html |title=First-class Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Mike Burns |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 January 2013}}</ref> The following year, his only first-class match was against [[Oxford University Cricket Club|Oxford University]], with Piper ever-present in the County Championship.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/4/4224/First-Class_Matches.html |title=First-Class Matches played by Mike Burns (154) |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor-first=Matthew |editor-last=Engel |title=Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 1995 |edition=132 |year=1995 |publisher=John Wisden & Co. Ltd |location=Guildford, Surrey |isbn=0-947766-25-1 |page=626}}</ref> Burns continued to be selected as a wicket-keeper batsman in one-day cricket, though he was less successful than the previous year, scoring 86 runs at 10.75.<ref name="labbs"/>

In 1995, Burns was given a prolonged run in the Warwickshire team, playing both first-class and one-day cricket throughout April and May; he failed to impress during these matches, recording a highest score of 35 and averaging well under twenty in both forms of the game.<ref name="labbs"/><ref name="fcbbs"/> He spent the rest of the season playing for the second team. Some strong performances for the seconds at the start of the 1996 season, including scores of 77 and 81 not out in a match against the [[Marylebone Cricket Club]] Young Cricketers,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/62/62098.html |title=Warwickshire Second XI v Marylebone Cricket Club Young Cricketers: Other matches in England 1996 |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 January 2013}}</ref> and a finger injury suffered by Piper,<ref name="wisden97">{{cite book |editor-first=Matthew |editor-last=Engel |title=Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 1997 |edition=134 |year=1997 |publisher=John Wisden & Co. Ltd |location=Guildford, Surrey |isbn=0-947766-38-3 |page=649}}</ref> saw him regain a place in the Warwickshire first team in June. He remained in the first team for the rest of the season, playing as a specialist batsman when Piper returned to the side,<ref name="wisden97"/> and scored three half-centuries in first-class cricket,<ref name="fcbbs"/> including his highest first-class score to that point, 81 runs scored against [[Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club|Nottinghamshire]], during a match in which he also remained 65 not out in the second innings.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/62/62449.html |title=Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire: Britannic Assurance County Championship 1996 |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 January 2013}}</ref>

===Move to Somerset=== Towards the end of the 1996 season, Warwickshire's captain [[Dermot Reeve]] was forced to retire with a chronic hip injury.<ref name="wisden97"/> He moved to [[Somerset County Cricket Club|Somerset]] in 1997, where he took on the role of team coach; Burns followed him soon after.<ref name="ciprof"/> Somerset did not have a vacancy for a wicket-keeper; in 1997, ''[[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack]]'' described [[Robert Turner (cricketer, born 1967)|Robert Turner]] as top-class. As a result, Burns focussed on his batting, particularly in one-day cricket, and also developed as an occasional medium-pace bowler.<ref name="wisden98">{{cite book |editor-first=Matthew |editor-last=Engel |title=Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 1998 |edition=135 |year=1998 |publisher=John Wisden & Co. Ltd |location=Guildford, Surrey |isbn=0-947766-44-8 |pages=596–597}}</ref> He played significantly more cricket in 1997 than in any year previously; in first-class cricket he maintained his average from the previous year, scoring 510 runs at 25.50,<ref name="fcbbs"/> and in one-day cricket he scored his maiden century in top-level cricket.<ref name="labbs"/> Having never scored more than 48 runs in a List A match prior to 1997, Burns scored five half-centuries in addition to the 115 not out that he hit against [[Middlesex County Cricket Club|Middlesex]] in September.<ref name="labbs"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/64/64576.html |title=Somerset v Middlesex: AXA Life League 1997 |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 January 2013}}</ref> His average of 31.35 in List A cricket that year was the highest of any season during his career,<ref name="labbs"/> and ''Wisden'' judged that he had "made a good impression" in the season.<ref name="wisden98"/> As a bowler, Burns took almost a third of his List A [[Wicket#Dismissing a batsman|wickets]] during 1997, claiming 18 at a [[bowling average]] of 24.77,<ref name="labowlbs">{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/4/4224/a_Bowling_by_Season.html |title=ListA Bowling in Each Season by Mike Burns |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=23 January 2013}}</ref> while in the first-class game he was used more sparingly, and took 5 wickets at 53.20.<ref name="fcbowlbs">{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/4/4224/f_Bowling_by_Season.html |title=First-class Bowling in Each Season by Mike Burns |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=23 January 2013}}</ref>

During the 1998 season, Burns recorded similar batting averages to the previous season,<ref name="labbs"/><ref name="fcbbs"/> but was rarely used as a bowler.<ref name="labowlbs"/><ref name="fcbowlbs"/> ''Wisden'' noted that he played some good first-class innings, but needed to be more consistent;<ref>{{cite book |editor-first=Matthew |editor-last=Engel |title=Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 1999 |edition=136 |year=1999 |publisher=John Wisden & Co. Ltd |location=Guildford, Surrey |isbn=0-947766-50-2 |pages=617–618}}</ref> an improvement he made in 1999. That following year, Burns achieved a batting average in excess of thirty for the first time, and scored the maiden century of his first-class career.<ref name="fcbbs"/> Facing [[Leicestershire County Cricket Club|Leicestershire]], who had not lost in the County Championship for 21 months, Burns scored 109, and shared a 244-run [[Partnership (cricket)|partnership]] with [[Peter Bowler (cricketer)|Peter Bowler]] to help Somerset to victory by 9 wickets.<ref>{{cite book |editor-first=Matthew |editor-last=Engel |title=Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2000 |edition=137 |year=2000 |publisher=John Wisden & Co. Ltd |location=Guildford, Surrey |isbn=0-947766-57-X |pages=718–719}}</ref> His second century that season came in a defeat to [[Worcestershire County Cricket Club|Worcestershire]]; chasing 316 runs to win in the fourth innings, Somerset were reduced to 56 for three. Burns played an attacking innings, hitting 105 runs from 103 deliveries to give his side a chance of victory, but Worcestershire eventually won by 26 runs.<ref>{{cite book |editor-first=Matthew |editor-last=Engel |title=Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2000 |edition=137 |year=2000 |publisher=John Wisden & Co. Ltd |location=Guildford, Surrey |isbn=0-947766-57-X |pages=777–778}}</ref>

[[File:Bath rec cricket.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|right|Burns's score of 221 is the highest first-class score of any Somerset batsman at the [[Recreation Ground (Bath)|Recreation Ground]] in [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]]]] His batting continued to flourish at Somerset in first-class cricket; between 1999 and 2004, he consistently averaged over 35. His highest batting average came in 2000, when he scored 775 runs at 40.78. He was boosted that season by an early-season tally of 160 against [[Oxford University Cricket Club|Oxford Universities]], as part of a 305-run partnership with [[Peter Bowler (cricketer)|Peter Bowler]] for the fourth wicket.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/69/69553.html |title=Somerset v Oxford Universities: University Match 2000 |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=14 February 2013}}</ref> The partnership was only five runs less than Somerset's record for the fourth wicket, made in 1980 by [[Peter Denning (cricketer)|Peter Denning]] and [[Ian Botham]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Records/England/Firstclass/Somerset/Partnership_Records/Highest_Partnership_Each_Wicket_For.html |title=Highest Partnership for Each Wicket for Somerset |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=14 February 2013}}</ref> His performances in the County Championship were less impressive than his overall first-class record in 2000; he averaged below thirty in the competition, and only reached a century once,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/1/PPP_Healthcare_County_Championship_2000/Somerset_Batting.html |title= Batting and Fielding for Somerset: PPP Healthcare County Championship 2000 |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=14 February 2013}}</ref> against Lancashire. In 2001, Burns reached his highest first-class score, and only double-century, scoring 221 against [[Yorkshire County Cricket Club|Yorkshire]] at the [[Recreation Ground (Bath)|Recreation Ground]] in [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]]. The total, made on what ''Wisden'' described as the "benignest of pitches", included 28 fours and 1 six, and took seven and three-quarter hours. The match finished as a high-scoring draw, with over 1,000 runs being scored.<ref>{{cite book |editor-first=Graeme |editor-last=Wright |title=Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2002 |edition=139 |year=2002 |publisher=John Wisden & Co. Ltd |location=Alton, Hampshire |isbn=0-947766-70-7 |page=643}}</ref> Burns's score is the highest by a Somerset batsman at the Recreation Ground during a first-class match, although three players have scored more playing against Somerset at the ground; [[Reggie Spooner]] scored 240 runs in 1906, [[Mike Gatting]] got 258 in 1984 and [[Warwick Armstrong]] scored an unbeaten 303 for [[Australia national cricket team|Australia]] in 1905.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Grounds/11/303/f_Centuries.html |title=Recreation Ground, Bath – Double Centuries in first-class cricket |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=14 February 2013}}</ref> Burns also scored his second century in List A cricket during 2001, striking 101 not out against [[Northamptonshire County Cricket Club|Northamptonshire]] from 112 balls.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/73/73059.html |title=Somerset v Northamptonshire: Norwich Union League 2001 (Division 1) |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=14 February 2013}}</ref> When Somerset captain [[Jamie Cox]] broke his thumb, Burns took charge of the team for six matches in June and July 2001,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/103325.html |title=Burns to captain Somerset in absence of Cox |last=Walsh |first=Richard |date=18 June 2001 |access-date=13 March 2013 |publisher=ESPNcricinfo}}</ref> a role he reprised for eight matches the following season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/cgi-bin/player_oracle_reveals_results2.cgi?playernumber=4224&opponentmatch=exact&playername=R&resulttype=All&matchtype=All&teammatch=exact&startwicket=&homeawaytype=All&opponent=&endwicket=&wicketkeeper=&searchtype=InningsList&endscore=&playermatch=contains&branding=cricketarchive&captain=on&endseason=&startscore=&team=Somerset&startseason= |title=M Burns as captain where team is Somerset |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=13 March 2013}}</ref> In 2001, Somerset recorded one of the best seasons in their history: they finished second in the County Championship, their highest ever position, and won the [[Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy]].<ref name="wisden2003">{{cite book |editor-first=Tim |editor-last=de Lisle |editor-link=Tim de Lisle |title=Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2003 |edition=140 |year=2003 |publisher=John Wisden & Co. Ltd |location=Alton, Hampshire |isbn=0-947766-77-4 |pages=737–8}}</ref>

In 2002, Burns scored 1,000 first-class runs for the first time in his career, though he did not score a century during the year. He passed 50 on nine occasions, and narrowly missed out on tons against both Surrey, when he was dismissed on 99 by [[Rikki Clarke]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/74/74939.html |title=Somerset v Surrey: Frizzell County Championship 2002 (Division 1) |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=13 March 2013}}</ref> and Sussex, when he was caught off the bowling of [[Mark Davis (cricketer, born 1971)|Mark Davis]] for 98.<ref name="fcbbs"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/3/3963/3963.html |title=Somerset v Sussex: Frizzell County Championship 2002 (Division 1) |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=16 April 2013}}</ref> Despite Burns's run-tally, and in stark contrast to the previous year, Somerset's season was described in ''Wisden'' as "a sorry story".<ref name="wisden2003"/> No other Somerset batsman passed 1,000 runs in the year, and the county were relegated in both the County Championship and the [[Pro40|Norwich Union League]], though they did reach the final of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy for the second consecutive year.<ref name="wisden2003"/> In the semi-final of that competition, Burns scored 72 runs, and "admirably set the foundations" for Somerset's victory.<ref>{{cite book |editor-first=Tim |editor-last=de Lisle |title=Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2003 |edition=140 |year=2003 |publisher=John Wisden & Co. Ltd |location=Alton, Hampshire |isbn=0-947766-77-4 |page=849}}</ref>

===Somerset captaincy=== [[File:Jamie Cox crop.jpg|thumb|right|Burns took over the Somerset captaincy from Australian [[Jamie Cox]].]] Cox resigned the club captaincy at the end of the 2002 season, and Burns was named as his replacement; ''Wisden'' described him as a "dedicated, down-to-earth cricketer who hopes to lead by example from high in the order."<ref name="wisden2003"/> In a preview of the 2003 season for the [[BBC]], [[Simon Mann (cricket commentator)|Simon Mann]] wrote that Somerset had the talent to improve and he predicted that an immediate promotion back to the first division of the County Championship was "a strong possibility."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/counties/somerset/2913513.stm |title=Somerset have talent to rise again |last=Mann |first=Simon |author-link=Simon Mann (cricket commentator) |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=8 April 2003 |access-date=16 April 2013}}</ref> The season began in positive fashion for Burns; in a first-class match against [[Loughborough MCC University|Loughborough University]] he scored 83 runs in the first innings and was 118 not out in the second.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/76/76856.html |title=Somerset v Loughborough University Centre of Cricketing Excellence: University Centres of Cricketing Excellence 2003 |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=16 April 2013}}</ref> He continued to score runs regularly, if not spectacularly, throughout the season, and passed 1,000 first-class runs for the second consecutive year. [[Ian Blackwell]] and Cox both reached the milestone as well for Somerset, but despite these individual achievements, the county struggled.<ref name="wisden2004">{{cite book |editor-first=Matthew |editor-last=Engel |title=Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2004 |edition=141 |year=2004 |publisher=John Wisden & Co. Ltd |location=Alton, Hampshire |isbn=0-947766-83-9 |pages=673–674}}</ref> Eight losses were suffered on the way to finishing third from bottom of the second division of the County Championship,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/Tables/3/Frizzell_County_Championship_2003.html |title=Frizzell County Championship 2003 Division 2 Table |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=16 April 2013}}</ref> and after one such result, a two-day loss against [[Northamptonshire County Cricket Club|Northamptonshire]] in July, the club's chief executive sent a letter to ten members of the team warning them that they could be sacked.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2408532/Somerset-squad-play-for-their-jobs.html |title=Somerset squad play for their jobs |last=Bolton |first=Paul |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|location=London |date=29 July 2003 |access-date=16 April 2013}}</ref> A few days later, against [[Durham County Cricket Club|Durham]], a second-innings total of 56 was the county's lowest score in a first-class match since 1970.{{#tag:ref|Somerset have since recorded a lower team total, 50 runs against Warwickshire in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Records/England/Firstclass/Somerset/Team_Records/Lowest_Team_Total_For.html |title=Lowest Team Totals for Somerset |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=16 April 2013}}</ref>|group= n}} Although Burns had a relatively successful season statistically—his 1,133 first-class runs were the most he scored in any season of his career, and his first-class average was just under 40—he offered to step down as Somerset captain, but when a suitable alternative could not be found, he continued in the position for 2004.<ref name="wisden2004"/>

The following season was another difficult one for both Burns and Somerset. Burns scored 733 first-class runs, but only passed 50 on five occasions, including a top score of 124 not out against Essex.<ref name="fcbbs"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/79/79459.html |title=Essex v Somerset: Frizzell County Championship 2004 (Division 2) |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=16 April 2013}}</ref> Four wins late in the season pushed Somerset up to fourth in the second division of the County Championship, but the county were knocked out of the [[2004 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy]] in the third round, and they finished eighth of ten in the second division of the [[2004 totesport League|totesport League]].<ref name="wisden2005">{{cite book |editor-first=Matthew |editor-last=Engel |title=Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2005 |edition=142 |year=2005 |publisher=John Wisden & Co. Ltd |location=Alton, Hampshire |isbn=0-947766-89-8 |pages=730–731}}</ref> Their elimination from the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy came at the hands of [[Worcestershire County Cricket Club|Worcestershire]]; after Somerset had won the toss and Burns had chosen to bat, his side were bowled out for 95 runs, the tenth lowest List A total for the county.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Records/England/ListA/Somerset/Team_Records/Lowest_Team_Total_For.html |title=Lowest Team Totals for Somerset |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref> Burns was dismissed for a first-ball duck in the match, which ''Wisden'' reported was dominated by the "muscular hostility" of [[Andy Bichel]], who took four wickets for Worcestershire.<ref>{{cite book |editor-first=Matthew |editor-last=Engel |title=Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2005 |edition=142 |year=2005 |publisher=John Wisden & Co. Ltd |location=Alton, Hampshire |isbn=0-947766-89-8 |page=833}}</ref> Both Burns and Somerset's first-team coach, [[Kevin Shine]] were criticised for the team's failures; Shine was reassigned as the county's academy director, while a committee of former captains was set up to assess the captaincy. On the recommendations of the group, composed of [[Roy Kerslake]], [[Vic Marks]] and [[Brian Rose (cricketer)|Brian Rose]],<ref name="wisden2005"/> Somerset signed the captain of the [[South Africa national cricket team]], [[Graeme Smith]], to lead them in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/story/135694.html |title=Smith and Morkel given all-clear |author=Cricinfo staff |publisher=ESPNcricinfo |date=6 December 2004 |access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref>

===Later career=== The signing of Smith, along with the youth policy adopted by Somerset's new first-team coach, [[Mark Garaway]], meant that Burns had limited opportunities in 2005; he played nine first-class<ref name="fcbbs"/> and eight List A matches during the season,<ref name="labbs"/> and did not appear for the first team after July. He scored an early-season century, hitting eleven boundaries on his way to 107 runs against Warwickshire in the totesport League,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/82/82035.html |title=Warwickshire v Somerset: totesport League 2005 (Division 2) |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref> but only scored 63 runs across his remaining seven one-day matches.<ref name="labbs"/> As a result of his lack of first-team action, he opted to retire from first-class cricket at the end of the 2005 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/story/220144.html |title=Farewell and thanks for the memories |author=ESPNcricinfo staff |date=26 September 2005 |access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref> In all, he scored 7,648 first-class runs at an average of 32.68, and 4,802 List A runs at 25.81. He also took 68 first-class wickets and 58 in List A cricket.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/4/4224/4224.html |title=Player Profile: Mike Burns |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref>

Burns continued to play club cricket in Somerset for [[Taunton St Andrews Cricket Club]] until 2009,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/4/4224/West_of_England_Premier_League_Matches.html |title=West of England Premier League Matches played by Mike Burns (50) |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref> helping them to become [[West of England Premier League]] champions in his final season with the club.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/Tables/12/West_of_England_Premier_League_2009.html |title=West of England Premier League 2009 Table |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref> He made minor counties appearances for Cumberland throughout 2006, before switching to [[Cornwall County Cricket Club|Cornwall]] in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/4/4224/Minor_Counties_Trophy_Matches.html |title=Minor Counties Trophy Matches played by Mike Burns (10) |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref> He also toured with the [[Marylebone Cricket Club]], travelling to Brazil and Chile in March 2007, and to [[Saint Kitts and Nevis]] in March 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/4/4224/Miscellaneous_Matches.html |title=Miscellaneous Matches played by Mike Burns (42) |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref> He has subsequently stood as an umpire, and after standing in second-eleven matches in 2011, he was added to the ECB's reserve list of umpires for 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/story/543086.html |title=Saggers promoted to full umpires list |author=ESPNcricinfo staff |date=30 November 2011 |access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref> He made his debut as an umpire in first-class matches in March 2012, officiating in a match between Somerset and the [[Cardiff MCC University]] side.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/4/4224/Umpire_in_First-Class_Matches.html |title=Mike Burns as Umpire in First-Class Matches (2) |publisher=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref>

==See also== * [[List of One Day International cricket umpires]] * [[List of Twenty20 International cricket umpires]]

==Notes and references== ===Notes=== {{reflist|group="n"}}

===References=== {{reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-sports}} {{succession box| |before=[[Jamie Cox]] |title=[[List of Somerset cricket captains|Somerset County Cricket Captain]] |years=2003–2004 |after=[[Graeme Smith]] }} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burns, Mike}} [[Category:1969 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Cornwall cricketers]] [[Category:Cumberland cricketers]] [[Category:English cricketers]] [[Category:English cricket umpires]] [[Category:Somerset cricket captains]] [[Category:Warwickshire cricketers]] [[Category:Cricketers from Barrow-in-Furness]] [[Category:English One Day International cricket umpires]] [[Category:English Twenty20 International cricket umpires]] [[Category:20th-century English sportsmen]]