Upholding the laws (of cricket)

Editorial: Jesse Wray-McCann

Photography: Supplied

When Senior Sergeant Phil Gillespie umpires international cricket matches and things in the middle start getting a little testy, the players sometimes joke that he’ll break out the capsicum spray.

“A lot of them know my background as a police officer, so they’ll comment out on the ground, saying, ‘You’re not going to get anything over this guy, he’s a cop and he's dealt with a lot worse than this’,” Sen Sgt Gillespie said.

The police officer of 25 years has been a cricket umpire since 2009, after a succession of major injuries brought an end to his time playing the sport at an amateur level.

“I think my wife, who is a police officer as well, was getting fed up having to both look after our kids and babysit me as well, so it was time to stop playing,” he said.

He planned to get into coaching and, while attending classes on the laws of the game, was persuaded to go down the umpiring path.

Sen Sgt Gillespie quickly learned how well his training, skills and experience as a police officer had set him up for not only enforcing the rule of law, but the rules of cricket as well.

“In the police, they teach you a lot of people skills, and policing is pretty much sink or swim in that department,” he said.

“And in umpiring, one of the most important aspects of what we do is what we call player management or match management, and that’s all about people skills and communication skills.

“As police, we are very good at moving between different communication styles depending on the situation.

“During a match, we umpires need to be able to use two-way communication to listen well and help diffuse any situations, but if it’s beyond that point, you stick to your one-way communication and deal with the conflict that way.”

After years of umpiring at a national level, Sen Sgt Gillespie made his international debut last October in a T20 match between Australia and the West Indies at the Gabba in Brisbane.

Sen Sgt Gillespie (left) at the Gabba late last year.

Photo: Supplied

It was a hugely proud moment for a man who was originally happy just to umpire fourth grade in Victorian Premier Cricket, but who has now also umpired further international matches, two Big Bash League finals and at the MCG in front of a crowd of 75,000.

Sen Sgt Gillespie said the biggest reason for his progression through the levels was the support of his family and Victoria Police colleagues.

“My wife and two daughters are always cheering me on and came to my first international match in Brisbane, and it’s great to be able to share that with them,” he said.

“I've got a really supportive office at Victoria Police.

“I’ll be forever grateful to my bosses and my four sergeants who cover the load while I’m away because I simply could not do it without them.”

Not only do his work mates offer their support for his umpiring, but their feedback as well.

“They often watch my matches because I think they’re hoping they can give me a bit of a bit of stick for any bad decisions,” Sen Sgt Gillespie said.

“Sometimes I get back into the office the day after a match and they say, ‘Hey, by the way, how's that decision going for you?’.”