Cricket Umpires Australia
Umpire profiles
Born
Newcastle, New South Wales
Occupation
Professional Sport Official and Coach
Favourite cricketer growing up
Dennis Lillee
One word to describe you
Big
Favourite sporting teams
Carlton Blues (AFL), Newcastle Knights (NRL) and Liverpool (EPL)
Which cricket club did you play for
Southern Lakes DCC (Newcastle, NSW), Manly Warringah DCC (NSW), Sturt DCC (SA), Adelaide University CC (SA), Melville CC (WA), Rockingham Mandurah DCC (WA), Brighton & Hove CC (Sussex, UK), Tring Park CC (Herfordshire, UK) and Bunbury CC (UK). AIS Cricket Academy, South Australia, Western Australia, Aust A & Australia
First ever job
Trainee Accountant
Who would play you in a movie
Ed O'Neill (of course!) or The Edge (U2)
Favourite holiday destination
United Kingdom
Which sporting event in the world would you love to attend
US Masters
Favourite food
Indian
Which talent do you wish you had
The ability to sing or dance!
What's the best advice you've received
You will never succeed by taking short cuts
If you could invite three people to dinner, who would they be
Sir Richard Branson – inspirational & entertaining
Will Ferrell – one of the funniest people on earth
Heston Blumenthal – would make a dinner to remember
UMPIRING BACKGROUND
Why did you choose umpiring?
It gave me the chance to stay involved in the game after my playing career had finished
Who has had the most influence on your umpiring career?
Daryl Harper (sowed the Umpiring seed whilst I was still playing), Ric Evans (my first Umpiring manager) and Denis Burns (former CA Umpire Educator)
Describe your memories from your First Class debut
Presented with First Class shirts by Graeme Wood (WACA CEO and former Test player). Pitch was a traditional fast and bouncy WACA strip. My partner was Bruce Oxenford (now ICC Elite Panel) and Match Referee was Peter Marshall. NSW defeated WA in 2 ½ days on the back of some very quick bowling from Doug Bollinger. We had a great day on the golf course on Day 4!
Which is your favourite cricket ground to umpire at and why
Adelaide Oval – wonderful traditional venue now with a very modern upgrade. My favourite as a player, no different as an umpire
What's the strangest thing you've seen happen on field
A streaker at a BBL match at Adelaide Oval managed to run across the ground, over the fence, across the building site for the new eastern grandstand then on to King William St where he disappeared into the night!
Greatest cricket moment you've seen on field
Phil Hughes scoring a double century in a One Day match playing for Australia A against South Africa A. He brought it up with a 6 off the last ball of the innings & became the 1st ever Australian Male to achieve this milestone
If you could invent a new rule for the game, what would it be
Not a new rule but an old one - Bring back unlimited bouncers for bowlers
Why should people get involved in umpiring?
It is the best “seat” in the house, it’s a fantastic way to stay involved in the game and you work with some wonderful people along the way
What advice would you give to aspiring umpires?
Always remain true to yourself, learn from each match that you officiate in and keep it simple!