NSW Cricket Umpires’ and Scorers’ Association

New South Wales Cricket Umpires’ and Scorers’ Association Inc.

Elected Board Directors: Mark Hughes (Chair), Andrew Coates, Geoff Garland, Claire Polosak, Ben Treloar. Appointed Board Director: Darren Goodger. Honorary Treasurer: Laurie Borg. Liaison Officer: Neil Findlay. Patrons: Brian Booth MBE, Richard French OAM, Graham Reed. Delegate to Cricket NSW: Mark Hughes. Delegate to Sydney Cricket Association: Laurie Borg. NSW Premier Cricket Umpire Observer Panel: Laurie Borg, Graham Chudleigh, Errol Cranney, Bob Davis, Berend du Plessis, Rupert Mathews. Country Umpire Observers: Graham Chudleigh, Neil Findlay, Darren Goodger, Keith Griffiths, Ian Thomas. Administrator: Bede Sajowitz. Education Officer: Ben Treloar. Umpire Educator–Female Engagement: Claire Polosak. State Umpiring Manager, Cricket NSW: Darren Goodger. Executive Officer: Troy Penman.

Annual General Meeting

The 108th Annual General Meeting of the Association was held online on 4 August, with 147 members in attendance. Principal Membership was awarded to seven members for their outstanding contribution to the Association – Kevin Battishill, John Colwell, Tony Hackett, Claire Polosak, Owen Ridge, Tony Wilds and Sue Woodhouse. The AGM was preceded by a Special General Meeting at which Bob Davis was awarded Life Membership of the Association, recognition of an exceptional contribution during his time as a member.

Jeff Egan and Brenton Harrison at the SCG ahead of the Sixers Conference Final in the Plan B Regional Bash

Annual Dinner and Awards Presentation

The Association’s Annual Dinner and Awards Presentation took place on 23 April with 150 members and guests in attendance to celebrate the 2021/22 season, with significant award winners as follows: Alan Marshall Medal (Rookie Umpire of the Year): Ram Tadepalli. Malcolm Gorham Scorers’ Award: Harpreet Singh (Sydney Cricket Club). NSW Premier Cricket Panel 4 Umpire of the Year: Andy Storey. NSW Premier Cricket Panel 3 Umpire of the Year: Nathan Harvey. NSW Premier Cricket Panel 2 Umpire of the Year: Michael Meehan. NSW Premier Cricket Panel 1 Umpire of the Year: Darren Goodger. Kevin Pye Medal (Country Umpire of the Year): Keiran Knight (Newcastle). Ted Wykes Medal (Affiliated Association Award): Simon Dodwell (Sydney Shires Cricket Umpires’ Association). George Borwick Memorial Award: Michael Meehan.

Sponsorship

McDonald’s continued as the major sponsor of the Association, whilst the Association also continued its sponsorship arrangement with Beastwear which provided umpires with field shirts, and other merchandise, of the highest quality.

Umpires Nathan Harvey and Bob McGregor with the captains ahead of the Women’s First Grade Final

Scorers

The following scorers were selected on the Cricket NSW Representative Scorer Panel for season 2021/22: Sarah Berman, Janelle Carew, Peter Garlick, Toni Lorraine, Darren Mattison, Robyn Sanday, Harpreet Singh, Adrian Tham, Sue Woodhouse, Ian Wright. The Men’s Ashes Test at the SCG was scored by Darren Mattison and Ian Wright; limited-overs internationals were scored by Toni Lorraine, Darren Mattison and Ian Wright.

Representative Umpires

NSWCUSA was represented on the following umpire panels: • Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires

Rod Tucker. • Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires

Paul Wilson. • International Panel of ICC Development Umpires

Heath Kearns, Claire Polosak, Ian Thomson. • Cricket Australia National Umpire Panel • Gerard Abood, Greg Davidson, Tony Wilds, Paul Wilson. • Cricket Australia Supplementary Umpire Panel • Simon Lightbody, Troy Penman, Claire Polosak, Ben Treloar. • Cricket NSW State Umpire Panel • Andrew Hamilton, Roberto Howard, Sharad Patel, Bede Sajowitz. Congratulations are offered to the: • NSWCUSA members who umpired national finals in 2021/22 –• Weber Women’s Big Bash League – Simon Lightbody – Women’s National Cricket League – Simon Lightbody and Ben Treloar

– U19 Male National Championships – Sharad Patel – U19 Female National Championships – Dinusha Bandara

Claire Polosak in the middle during the Australia v India Women’s Test match Umpires Greg Davidson and Ben Treloar with Benaud Medal winner Jake Turner after the Men’s First Grade Final

Country Cricket NSW

Country Umpire Representative Panel: Bruce Baxter (North Coastal), David Cullen (Greater Illawarra), John De Lyall (Western), Graeme Glazebrook (Western), Brenton Harrison (Riverina), Keiran Knight (Newcastle), Phil Rainger (Newcastle), Neil Smith (Riverina).

NSW Men’s Country Championship Umpires:

Northern Carnival (Central Coast) – John De Lyall, David Grainger, Keiran Knight, Phil Rainger. Southern Carnival (Shoalhaven) – Bruce Baxter, David Cullen, Brenton Harrison, Neil Smith. The NSW Country Championship Final was played at Bradman Oval, Bowral on 13 February between Newcastle and ACT Southern Districts, umpired by Graeme Glazebrook and Keiran Knight. The Plan B Regional T20 Bash Final was played at the SCG on 14 February between ACT Aces and Lake Mac Attack, umpired by Bruce Baxter and Graeme Glazebrook.

The NSW Women’s Regional Bash Final was played at North Sydney Oval on 7 February between Coffs Coast Chargers and Riverina Bullets, umpired by Elizabeth O’Dwyer and Phil Rainger.

Darren Mattison and Ian Wright during the SCG Men’s Ashes Test

Membership

NSWCUSA membership stands at 1,288 with 44 affiliated associations.

Sydney Cricket Association

Two umpires were appointed to every match in NSW Premier Cricket and Sydney Shires Cricket, a 100 per cent coverage. To have such an extensive coverage is pleasing and a credit to those umpires who made themselves available so willingly and who fulfilled their appointments in a professional manner. Stephen Blomfield (Sydney Shires Cricket Umpires’ Association) and Dr. John Colwell (Sydney Women’s Cricket Umpires’ Association) are thanked for their assistance in managing the umpire appointment process on a round-by-round basis to ensure all matches were officiated by accredited umpires. A total of 143 umpires officiated in Men’s Premier Cricket in season 2021/22, including 10 members from affiliated associations, who accepted the opportunity to further their experience. In collaboration with the Sydney Women’s Cricket Umpires’ Association, 60 umpires were appointed to officiate in Women’s Premier Cricket during the season.

The umpires appointed to the NSW Men’s Premier Cricket finals were:

First Grade: Northern District v Mosman at Bankstown Oval – Greg Davidson and Ben Treloar. Premiers Mosman.

Second Grade: Mosman v Sutherland at Allan Border Oval – Darren Goodger and Sharad Patel. Premiers Mosman. Third Grade: Northern District v Bankstown at Pratten Park – Andrew Hamilton and Troy Penman. Premiers Northern District. Fourth Grade: Parramatta v Manly Warringah at Hurstville Oval – Roberto Howard and Bede Sajowitz. Premiers Manly-Warringah. Fifth Grade: Eastern Suburbs v UNSW at University Oval – Daniel Moran and Andrew Yarad. Premiers Eastern Suburbs.

Kingsgrove Sports T20 Cup: Sydney University v Randwick Petersham at University Oval – Troy Penman and Ben Treloar. Premiers Randwick Petersham.

Poidevin-Gray Shield: Sutherland v Penrith at Glenn McGrath Oval – Bede Sajowitz and Andrew Yarad. Premiers Sutherland. A.W. Green Shield: St. George v Northern District at Hurstville Oval – Bede Sajowitz and Bruce Whitehouse. Premiers St. George.

The umpires appointed to the NSW Women’s Premier Cricket finals were:

First Grade: Sydney v Penrith at Drummoyne Oval – Nathan Harvey and Bob McGregor. Premiers Sydney. Second Grade: Parramatta v Bankstown at Rothwell Park – Aldo Cantori and Elizabeth O’Dwyer. Premiers Parramatta. Third Grade: St George-Sutherland v Gordon at Olds Park – John Colwell and Kevin McFarlane. Premiers St George-Sutherland. Brewer Shield: St George-Sutherland v Penrith at Glenn McGrath Oval – Sue Gregory and Varun Marwaha. Premiers St GeorgeSutherland.

The Association extends its thanks and appreciation to the NSW Premier Cricket Umpire Observer Panel. Their feedback and observations have assisted to improve umpiring performances across the grades. The observers completed a total of 237 observations of 129 different umpires. The Association offers congratulations to umpires Ben Farrell, Michael Meehan and Scott Rogan, each of whom were appointed to make their Men’s Premier Cricket First Grade debut during season 2021/22.

Training and Development

The Association maintained its commitment to umpire training and development across New South Wales, continuing to offer online umpire training whilst restrictions on travel and movement were in place. By being able to facilitate courses online, we were able to accredit 111 new umpires and scorers, a result the training team can be well pleased with. The Association was again unwwable to facilitate its Annual Convention in-person, but was able to provide an online series of live and pre-recorded events for all members. The Association’s keynote speaker was Olympian Leisel Jones who spoke with great positivity and strong messages about thriving in an elite environment.

Vote of Thanks

The NSWCUSA Board and Management Team offers a vote of thanks in appreciation to Cricket NSW for its support of match officials and the Association during the past season. The Association sits in Cricket Performance. To Greg Mail, Lee Germon, and the NSW Cricket Board, NSWCUSA expresses its gratitude. The leadership and management of the State Cricket Association during the season and throughout the COVID-19 crisis has been first-class.

Bede Sajowitz

Interim Executive Officer NSWCUSA