WA Umpires gear up for record-breaking summer

As has become the norm in recent years, the day full of valuable learning and development was hosted at the WACA Ground, with umpires been put through their paces both mentally and physically.

During the seminar, umpires were briefed on several aspects of their role, including communication, match, and player management.

They also had the opportunity to learn from members of the State Umpiring Panel (Ahmad Khan Ashlee Gibbons, Jarryd Buscall, and Kate Holloman, offering the group valuable advice on how to take their umpiring to the next level.

Gibbons and Holloman are the two leading Female Umpires in Western Australia, with the pair playing a key role in inspiring many young females to get involved in the game of cricket through umpiring. 

WA Cricket have seen record Female participation in recent seasons, with both Gibbons and Holloman showing the next generation the potential opportunities available for Females in both domestic and international cricket. 

The pair have each broken new ground in the last calendar year, with Gibbons making her international T20 umpiring debut, while Holloman continues to be a regular at Women’s Big Bash League level.

Aswell as theoretical learnings there was a practical element to the sessions, which included assessing how our umpires handle in-game situations, LBW appeals and assessing boundary calls.

The aim for these sessions was to give umpires an opportunity to develop their mental skills away from the field and arm them with the knowledge that gives them the best chance to succeed on game day.

Keynote speaker, Jacob Van Galen from Outside the Locker Room came in and presented on the importance of wellbeing and mental health for cricket umpires, highlighting the importance of regular exercise, mateship and consciously practising gratitude to grow personal wellness.

The Umpiring group were also joined online by experienced UK umpire Anthony Blondell, who offered an insight into the aspect of reviewing your performance out in the middle with not only yourself, but others too.

While the annual umpiring seminar day presents an opportunity for new and developing umpires an opportunity to hone their skills before the heat of the summer begins, it also offers experienced officials the chance to pass on their knowledge to the next generation. 

One of the state’s longest-standing officials, Todd Rann, relishes the opportunity to connect with his fellow umpires, while also giving the next generation of umpires some advice on what to expect in the heat of battle.

“The umpire’s day is always a great chance to connect with your fellow umpires before the start of the season, and to meet some of the newer faces that might be trying their hand at umpiring for the first time.

“Coming to these days, you get to see how much growth there has been in the umpiring space, not only from a numbers point of view, but some of the skills that WA Cricket are trying to implement into their umpiring cohort.

Since making his umpiring debut in 1996, Rann has umpired over 600 WA Premier Cricket matches, with many of those coming in First Grade. While he has stood in the middle over many warm summer afternoons, the thrill and enjoyments he gets from the caper is still the same.

“I have been fortunate enough to umpire at Premier Cricket level for a long period of time, and I have shared the field with some wonderful people who I now call friends for life.

“Umpiring brings me so much enjoyment. I have always been a massive cricket fan, and umpiring gives me the chance to have front-row seats to the best game in the world.

“It has given me the opportunity to share the field with some outstanding cricketers and officials, which would never have happened if I had just been playing cricket.

As for the best he has seen up close, he couldn’t go past a certain a classy left-hander.

“Shaun (Marsh) stood out to me from the very start, I remember umpiring his first-grade debut as a 15-year-old and the talent he had from an early age was obvious for those who watched him play,” Rann recalls.

“You could tell he was going to go on and have a very successful career, and he will probably go down as one of the best ever players to come out of WA.”

While Rann realises, he is closer to the end of his umpiring days than the start, he is pleased to see the depth of younger talent coming through the ranks.

“What is really encouraging is that our umpiring cohort is getting younger, we are seeing a younger generation coming into the game, especially girls, which is great,” Rann said.

“I would encourage anyone who is considering umpiring to give it a go, it has given me so many great memories over the years and an even greater love for the game of cricket.

To find out more about umpiring in Western Australia, visit the WA Cricket Umpiring webpage here