When I first said I was available to umpire during this week, I really did not know if I was looking forward to it or not. However, as the week edged closer, I suddenly found myself feeling really excited about the week. And, my excitement was justified, as it was a very enjoyable week. This was despite horrible foot pain especially after the first couple of days, and incredibly horrible foot pain by the end, which meant I couldn’t walk. There was some great cricket played between the representative sides, and watching these young girls fight it out is certainly something I will never forget.
I will admit it took me some time to get used to the smaller ball (142 grams) instead of 156, and a slightly smaller circumference. The ball was certainly a lot lighter than what I was used to, but by the afternoon of the first day, the ball felt normal. What also took some time to get used to was the slower nature of the bowlers, calling a fair few waist-high no-balls and remembering the exact playing conditions. Not too much of a hassle though. Furthermore, the playing tactics were foreign to me, as the batsmen (batswomen if you prefer), would hit the ball and basically run. It didn’t matter that it had only gone 10 metres. It really kept me on my toes, despite the fact that I was very relaxed, which proved handy, as there were some matches that went right down to the wire. Two particularly stand out. The first is North West VS Sydney South West. This was a match that Sydney South West had completely under control until a late collapse saw them final just four runs short of victory. It would be their only loss en-route to the final. The qualifying final between Sydney North and Polding is the second one. This one too involved something of a collapse. Polding looked in control of the match until the dying overs. They needed four runs off the last ball to win. They were unable to achieve this, which sent Sydney North through to the Final against Sydney South West, (I was quite happy about this), a match they won to remain undefeated. A massive turnaround from last year when they came 13th and last. A third close match, between Sydney North and Sydney East on the second morning also occurred, but it really did not have the same feeling, as Sydney East did not collapse late in their innings like the other two teams. And, by no means did these teams choke. Rather, the bowling became quite tight, and this made scoring incredibly problematic.
Another interesting observation was that of the fielding. The girls dropped a lot of catches, as they had the “crocodile grip” method. They are young though, so I’m sure with some practice, they will figure this out. This is not to mention their power. They are of course weaker than what we as umpires are used to. Slow outfields didn’t help matters either, nor did the running between the wickets. Another thing I’m sure they will learn from.
The poor running between the wickets saw a number of run-outs. By the end of the week, I think I had given nine or ten of them. My only other decision was a stumping on the very first day.
I will also take away some very fond memories of the week, including the fact that I experienced my first ever hat-trick as an umpire. I was standing at square leg for this momentous occasion, but it still counts. A bowled followed by two caught and bowleds. A second very found memory I will take away from the week does not come from a specific playing moment, but rather a team. The Sydney South West girls were very well coached, and no matter what the situation, were full of enthusiasm. It really was great to watch. I was even lucky enough to be able to chat with a few of them about cricket related matters and just some general silliness during the friendly game on the third afternoon. And, I will not be able to forget one girl almost always forgetting to collet her hat after she had finished bowling. This team was by far my favourite, and I have to admit that I miss umpiring them. Two of them made the state side, which I am absolutely thrilled about. I know I shouldn’t be, but they really are talented, and also a pleasure to umpire.
There were certainly some very talented individuals during the week, and I feel very honoured to have had the opportunity to see them play. I may one day have the chance to umpire them again, but if not, I will always remember their names. I’m sure many of them will end up playing for the Southern Stars in the future if they so desire.
Although I am happy the carnival has ended, especially considering I was exhausted and sore after six straight days of umpiring, in some hot temperatures, I’m still feeling a little down about it. This is because I have never, ever had such an enjoyable time as an umpire. There were no problems, and the girls absolutely loved having us on the field with them. Thus, if the opportunity ever arises to umpire something like this again, I will most definitely be on board.
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