Sticky Wicket - November 2015

Sticky Wicket November 2015 Edition Newsletter of the South Australian Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association Established 1911

Exchange Range

Tropical Thunder at Under 17s

A cool

200 banked

by our Treasurer Sticky Wicket窶年ovember 2015 Edition

Page 1

Your Umpires & Scorers Association SACUSA Committee - Main Contacts

SACA

President: Craig Thomas

0434 165 310

Umpiring & Coaching Manager: Neil Poulton 0416 623 518 or 8300 3211 npoulton@saca.com.au

Vice President: Tony Trist

0408 828 129

Secretary: Michial Farrow

0435 872 215 secsacusa@hotmail.com

Treasurer: Lynton Donisthorpe

0418 317 856

Patron: Neil Dansie OAM Sticky Wicket Editor Kristen Thomas 0414 326 978 cricketwidow@y7mail.com

facebook.com/sacricketumpiresandscorers

Umpiring & Coaching Administration Officer: Amy White (new umpires, uniforms, course registrations and umpire pays) 8300 3874 awhite@saca.com.au Umpiring Coordinator: Sarah Fry (appointments, availabilities, reports, votes and match coaches) 8300 3212 sfry@saca.com.au SACA Information Line (including details relating to inclement weather) 1900 950 598

@SACAUmpires

Contents From the President ............................................................................................................... 3 Lynton Donisthorpe - First Grade Double Ton - and counting ......................... 4 Oh Pellew’s!! ............................................................................................................................ 5 Graham’s Gags ..................................................................................................................... 5 Exchange of Cultures ........................................................................................................... 6 Umpire Profile – Cory Black ............................................................................................. 8 Important Dates ................................................................................................................... 12 Valued Sponsors:

COVER PHOTO: Our current much-admired Treasurer, Lynton Donisthorpe, stands in his 200th Premier 1st Grade (formerly A Grade) match this season - a feat only achieved so far by a select few in our Association.

Sticky Wicket—November 2015 Edition

Page 2

From the President They say it never rains but it pours, and November looks like it will be belting down with cricket.

Although there’s no SACA Premier Cricket scheduled for November 28 and 29 , it will be replaced by the first two days of the historic world premiere of a Day/Night Test Match - and it’s in our own backyard at Adelaide Oval. Obviously, we are very fortunate to have this momentous event staged in our home State, and I’d encourage as many of you as possible to attend some, or all, of the Test and be one of the first to see the controversial ‘Pink Ball’ in action at the highest level.

Adelaide will also be playing host to the Test Cricket Umpires Reunion during the event - a function held somewhere in Australia every four years so that the exceptional group comprising the ‘Test Cricket Umpires’ can catch up, reminisce, and enjoy the most traditional form of the game in comfort. Word on the street is that Adelaide was far and away the preferred choice of venue this time, so that everyone could experience the new Adelaide Oval and the historic new Test format. I extend my sincere welcome to all the Test Umpires visiting from around the country (and one from New Zealand) and I hope they all have a magnificent time. And while speaking of w e l c o m es , I a l so congratulate Victorian Premier Cricket Umpire and VCAUSA member, Stephen Pitts, on his sojourn in Adelaide over November 14 and 15 while he umpires in the SACA Premier 1st Grade with Luke Uthenwoldt at Gliderol Stadium.

Stephen will be standing with Luke in the Glenelg v Woodville match, and I pass on my best wishes for a really positive and enjoyable game.

Sticky Wicket—November 2015 Edition

The umpire exchange program between SA and Victoria really seems to be expanding, which is not surprising given the benefits to an umpire’s education when they experience a different environment. Our Umpiring Manager, Neil Poulton, and Cricket Victoria’s equal, Richard Patterson, have worked diligently over several seasons to nurture this program, and are to be sincerely thanked for their efforts. The majority of the feedback I’ve heard from our membership indicates that people feel this is a really worthwhile program.

I cannot end this column without extending my deep congratulations to our current Treasurer, former President, life member and good friend, Lynton Donisthorpe, on attaining the very impressive milestone of being appointed to 200 Premier 1st Grade (formerly A Grade) matches on October 31. The number alone speaks volumes about Lynton’s dedication to cricket umpiring, and his commitment to contributing to South Australian cricket. He joins a very small group who have reached this milestone, and his personal record gives all our membership something to aspire to. Great work, Lynton.

Just briefly, don’t forget our match against our friends at SA Blind Cricket on December 6. It’s an experience I can’t recommend enough.

SACUSA President,

Craig Thomas Page 3

Lynton Donisthorpe First Grade Double Ton - and counting matches and trips, has been voted the SACUSA 2014 Life Member by our Association’s membership, presently sits on the Grade Cricket Committee at SACA as SACUSA’s delegate, is a three time winner of the SACUSA ‘Tony Crafter Award for Best Umpire in A Grade’ and has now also stood in his 200th Premier First Grade (formerly A Grade) match.

SACA’s General Manager Cricket Operations, Shane Bernhardt, made a presentation to Lynton on October 31 at Price Memorial Oval to acknowledge the commencement of Lynton’s 200th appointment to a Premier 1st Grade match. He stated that Lynton “ has played an important role in the alignment of Premier (formerly grade), community and country umpires. “ Photo courtesy of Mick Harper, Sturt DCC Secretary © 2015

In the late 1990s John Howard was Australia’s Prime Minister; John Olsen was South Australia’s Premier; Ricky Martin was on top of the charts singing The Cup of Life; Star WarsThe Phantom Menace was released in cinema; and Lynton Donisthorpe began umpiring cricket for SACA. Since that time Lynton has served as SACUSA Vice-President and President, is currently SACUSA Treasurer, has served as coordinator of our historic Ea ster Cr ocke tt Shie ld cric ke t Sticky Wicket—November 2015 Edition

Officiating in 200 matches at First Grade (or A Grade) level is no mean feat. Lynton joins Fred Godson, Max O’Connell and Peter Weddell in this elite club, and there are possibly a select few others who can be confirmed if we are ever able to reconstruct the service records. This is a task which the History Subcommittee is keen to see achieved one day, but at present it takes a back seat to the priority which is writing the history of SACUSA. Eventually it is hoped that we can know the identity of all our officials who have served in the top level of SA’s district competition. The accuracy of the knowledge will cement our records and inspire future generations to continue the work which is undertaken today.

Anyone who knows Lynton will attest to his true dedication to cricket umpiring’s development and to his deep regard for the occupation’s status and health. He goes out of his way to deliver brilliant social and traditional functions to members and family members, and he is wished continued success and extended sincere thanks by all his friends at SACUSA. Page 4

Oh Pellew’s!!

Snippets from our immediate past Editor

$$$$$$$$$$ In an unprecedented move, 100 of Australia’s elite cricketers have joined together to pledge $A20 million towards the growth of cricket in our country. The funds are being allocated through the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) to help the game at grassroots level, support past players and develop further opportunities for female cricketers. The money will be provided over a number of years, with the first payment being $A4 million.

Female Umpire: First Class Move Jamaica’s Jacqueline Williams will become the first West Indian woman to officiate at first class level when she takes the field in the West Indian Cricket Board’s (WICB) Professional Cricket League match between her home country and Guyana at Sabina Park in mid-December. The appointment will make Williams, 39, only the second woman to ever stand in a first class fixture, the first being New Zealand’s Patricia Carrick who, after a playing career at international level, stood in 15 such matches in her country’s domestic competition in the late 1980s.

First International Cricket Match?

Long before World Series baseball or the Super Bowl, the most eagerly anticipated sporting event in North America was an annual cricket match between Canada and the United States. In 1844, the U.S. and Canada sent teams to New York for what some argue was the first international match in cricket history. It was front-page news in a lot of newspapers but the Civil War disrupted it and they had to stop it because the war broke out”.

Brainteasers Johnny's mother had three children. The first child was named April. The second child was named May. What was the third child's name?

There is a clerk at the butcher shop, he is five feet ten inches tall and he wears size 13 sneakers. What does he weigh?

Before Mt. Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain in the world?

How much dirt is there in a hole that measures two feet by three feet by four feet?

What word in the English Language is always spelled incorrectly?

Graham’s Gags -

chuckles from the coaching ranks

Secret to a happy marriage A woman was sipping a glass of wine while she was sitting on the patio with her man. She said, “I love you so much. I don’t know if I could ever live without you.” Her man asked, “Is that you or the wine talking?” She replied, “It’s me, talking to the wine.”

Wisdom A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.

Once you’ve seen one shopping centre you’ve seen a mall.

The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.

Sticky Wicket—November 2015 Edition

Page 5

EXCHANGE OF CULTURES SA & VICTORIA

By Cain Kemp

A trip east reveals some familiar similarities between the two States, AND a notable difference between the standard of umpires rooms ...

Saturday it was Prahan v Dandenong at Toorak Oval with Dale Ireland, and on Sunday it was down to Junction Oval for St Kilda v the newly formed Kingston-Hawthorn with Tony Ward. Tony probably needs little introduction, having umpired many first-class games in recent seasons, and Dale is a member of the Victorian State Panel and will be heading over to Adelaide next month for the CA U19 Male Championships.

On October 10 and 11 I was lucky enough to be selected to umpire two Victorian Premier Cricket 1st Grade games as part of a newly arranged umpire exchange with Cricket Victoria and VCAUSA. Many thanks to Neil and his Victorian counterpart, Richard Patterson, for organising this experience.

For those that aren’t aware, a Victorian Premier Cricket umpire, Stephen Pitts, will be coming across to Adelaide this weekend to umpire a SACA Premier Cricket two day game with Luke Uthenwoldt.

Steve is well known to many SA umpires through his Crockett Shield games for Victoria.

I think it’s safe to say that Richard looked after me with the appointments for the weekend, in terms of teams, venues and umpiring partners.

Cricket Victoria front load their season with one day fixtures, so on Sticky Wicket—November 2015 Edition

Dale Ireland and Cain Kemp at Toorak Oval

Page 6

The Umpires Rooms at Prahan—grander than I had been expecting!

In terms of the matches themselves, I couldn’t ask for two better games of cricket - but for different reasons. Prahan won the toss on a very good wicket and were bundled out for 167 on what appeared to be a sub-par total.

David Hussey, turning out for Prahan, only managed twelve from 30 balls, so I was a little disappointed from an umpire/ spectator point of view. However, a spirited bowling and fielding effort saw Prahan win, knocking Dandenong over for 159 in the 48th over. Hoping for that momentum to continue, Sunday did n’ t disappoint. St Kilda won the toss and elected to bat on a superb Junction wicket (for anyone who hasn’t been to this ground, it’s probably in the top three grounds in Melbourne behind the MCG and Albert Park). They made 4/256 from their 50 overs led by their c a p ta i n , Gr a e m e Rummans (a familiar name to some, no doubt) who scored a superb run-a-ball 92 not out. Kingston-Hawthorn’s run chase got off to a slow start but they got moving in the last fifteen overs to be within striking distance. Needing fifteen from the last over, they lost a crucial wicket on the second to last ball of the innings.

Needing six from the last ball to win, they just fell short and finished with 7/253.

Notable Sticky Wicket—November 2015 Edition

performances were from Michael Beer (returning from WA) with 2/30 from ten overs and who bowled superbly, and Wil Tavare (Chris Tavare’s nephew and out for the Australian summer) with 95 from 102.

So, what did I learn from this?

Probably two things stick out.

Firstly, it was a confirmation that despite being from different states, cricket umpires speak a common language with what we do on the field. I had umpired one game with Dale previously at another Cricket Australia underage carnival, but I had never met Tony before. Despite this, given all the training that we do here, the games were able to be managed well between us with no issues. The second thing is that Victoria have much better umpire rooms! I could not believe my eyes when I saw two couches and a coffee table in the rooms at Toorak (see picture attached, so it did happen)!

Overall, it was a fantastic experience - a great way to start the year, and one that I would recommend to anyone.

Hopefully this initiative can keep going and become an annual event, and one that South Australian umpires can aspire to.

Page 7

Umpire Profile Cory Black AGE: 35 OCCUPATION: Research Chemist at the Australian Wine Research Institute WHAT MADE YOU TAKE UP CRICKET UMPIRING? Like most of us I grew up loving cricket, but I couldn't even make the 1st 11 at a school with a senior class size of 35. Therefore I thought umpiring was the best way to get involved. When I approached Neil to have a go at umpiring, I only thought I'd be umpiring casually at schools. I didn't even have a clue what Grade cricket was!

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE OUT OF UMPIRING ?

Like most of us I'd love to umpire a Test match one day, but I'm realistic so I'll settle for an ODI :) Seriously though, I took up umpiring to be involved in the game, and I'm enjoying the cricket I'm doing now. It's ok to have Test cricket as a goal, but you have to be realistic and build experience and ultimately get lucky.

WHAT HAVE BEEN THE HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR UMPIRING? I've been fortunate enough to attend two U17 National tournaments, umpire Domestic Women's cricket and have a Futures League game under my belt. But really, any game where I have walked off the field happy with my decision making and match management, is a highlight.

WHAT CHARACTERISTICS DO YOU BELIEVE ARE NEEDED TO BE A GOOD UMPIRE? Concentration, ability to manage the family/work/umpiring teamwork, people skills, mental toughness, consistency and searching for the 1%ers that will help you be better in the I don't feel I've mastered any of these things yet, but working on it.

situation, constantly next game.

I'm always

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO WHEN NOT UMPIRING CRICKET? Spending time with my young children, reading, travelling, watching movies, playing guitar, attending concerts.

Brainteasers answers: Johnny; He doesn’t weigh anything - clerks don’t weigh things in butcher shops; Mt Everest is the highest mountain in the world whether it has been discovered or not; None — a hole doesn’t contain anything; Incorrectly

Sticky Wicket—November 2015 Edition

Page 8

SACUSA wants YOUR views Umpires - Scorers - Umpire Coaches That’s right! SACUSA wants your ACTUAL views on game day.

Take photos of what you’re seeing at your designated venue prior to the match starting, hashtag them #cricficiallens and upload to SACUSA’s Facebook page.

Pitch, scenery, wildlife, colleague (with permission) - your inspiration is the limit!

We want to record the season as it happens and we want to see it as you do.

facebook.com/sacricketumpiresandscorers

Sticky Wicket—November 2015 Edition

Page 9

Black and Thunder in the Tropics

By Cory Black Recently I was selected to umpire from 28 September until 8 October at the Under 17 Male National Championships in Brisbane as the representative from South Australia. This season the tournament was changed to a ten team format, involving South Australia, Western Australia, NSW Metropolitan, ACT/NSW Country, Victoria Metropolitan, Victoria Country, Tasmania, Queensland (the eventual champions), Northern Territory and a Cricket Australia (CA) XI, which had been selected from the most talented players at the Under 15 School Sports Carnival held in Darwin earlier in the year.

A number of former players were also involved as coaches, selectors or attendees, including Matthew Elliott, Stuart Law, Usman Khawaja, Ryan Harris, Steve Waugh and Ian Healy. Greg Cory in action, standing in a match at the CA Under 17 National Championships (Photo courtesy Cricket Australia Pathways ﾂｩ 2015)

Sticky Wicket窶年ovember 2015 Edition

Chappell, the National Talent Manager, was also present to select the CA XI for attending the Under 19 tournament in Adelaide later this year.

The leading run scorer at the tournament was Ryan Hackney from NSW Metro who put together an incredible 495 runs over eight matches. including three centuries (the one match I umpired him in he got a duck though!).

Despite being the youngest at the tournament (all U16), the CA XI did well, making it to the semi-finals with help from Steve Waugh's son, Austin, and CA CEO James Sutherland's son, Will, alongside other potential future superstars.

Because of the ten team format, ten umpires were required, making for a larger group than usual. We were observed over the eight matches by members of the Umpire High Performance Panel, and received feedback on our performance from post-match meetings and a debrief at the end of each match day. I was happy with my umpiring and picked up a few things to work on over the coming season.

As a group, we all got on well and were involved in a morning training session at the National Cricket Centre at Allan Border Field on our first day away from umpiring. The training sessions were run by CA Umpiring Educator, Bob Parry, and the newly appointed National Umpire Coach, Ian Lock. Group discussions were around the key performance areas CA are looking for, including Attitude and Teamwork, Preparation, Match Management, Decision Making, Technique and Self Management. A lot of discussion in particular was held around technique, where they are looking for consistency around things like monitoring the pitch, the "crouching tiger" pose when looking for a run out, and the so-called "tic tac toe" Page 10

(i.e. signalling bat/pad/nothing) when standing at square leg.

umpiring over a two week period, with continual constructive criticism and feedback.

Six of the matches were played in Brisbane, and two consecutive rounds were played up on the Sunshine Coast, requiring a three hour round trip on both days, which was a test on our concentration backing up over two days. We were also treated to classic Brisbane weather of thunderstorms in one match, but thankfully all matches were managed well in regard to getting off the field before the storm reached the ground.

(Editor’s note: You should definitely take the time to check out the video that Cory mentioned on YouTube - thanks for the heads up, Cory. A sunny day and Benny Hill are involved. 36 seconds of umpiring gold. That is all.)

Social media was also strongly present at the tournament, with numerous videos, Facebook and MyCricket pictures added over the two weeks. I was even videoed being a little too much of a perfectionist while setting up the stumps if anyone is interested in checking out "Umpires really are perfectionists!" on YouTube!

I can highly recommend having one of the underage tournaments as a goal in the coming years, as it is a significant part of the umpiring pathway and it is incredible how much you will learn and improve by focusing entirely on

Thunder Down Under - Cory and Co check the conditions at the recent Cricket Australia Under 17 National Championships in Brisbane (Photo courtesy Cricket Australia Pathways © 2015)

Sticky Wicket—November 2015 Edition

Page 11

IMPORTANT DATES 

Wednesday 11 November 2015



Friday 27 November 2015 World First Day/Night Cricket Test begins @ Adelaide Oval (Aust v NZ)



Sunday 6 December 2015 Adelaide Uni Oval



Wednesday 9 December 2015 Member Christmas Meeting @ Parkinson Oval 6pm PARTNERS WELCOME (bring a plate to share)



Friday 18 December 2015 BBL Adelaide Strikers v Melbourne Stars @ Adelaide Oval 7.10pm



Thursday 31 December 2015 WBBL Adelaide Strikers v Perth Scorchers @ Adelaide Oval 2.10pm



Thursday 31 December 2015 BBL Adelaide Strikers v Sydney Sixers @ Adelaide Oval 6.40pm



Friday 1 January 2016 WBBL Perth Scorchers v Adelaide Strikers @ Adelaide Oval 2.30pm



Tuesday 5 January 2016 BBL Adelaide Strikers v Perth Scorchers 7.10pm



Wednesday 13 January 2016 BBL Adelaide Strikers v Hobart Hurricanes @ Adelaide Oval 7.10pm NO MEMBER MEETING



Friday 15 January 2016 WBBL Adelaide Strikers v Melbourne Renegades @ Adelaide Oval 2.30pm



Saturday 16 January 2016 WBBL Adelaide Strikers v Brisbane Heat @ Adelaide Oval 10am



Saturday 16 January 2016 WBBL Perth Scorchers v Melbourne Renegades 2.30pm



Sunday 17 January 2016 WBBL Melbourne Renegades v Adelaide Strikers @ Adelaide Oval 10am



Sunday 17 January 2016 WBBL Melbourne Renegades v Perth Scorchers @ Adelaide Oval 2.30pm

Sticky Wicket—November 2015 Edition

Member Meeting @ Parkinson Oval 6pm

Match against a team from Blind Cricket SA @

Page 12