Paul Wilson

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!