Cricket Shepparton umpire Brett Sharp, pictured back in his playing days, is looking forward to throwing the pads on against an invitational XI this Sunday.
Photo by
Simon Bingham
If ever a match was destined for cheeky appeals, questionable decisions and a heavy dose of banter, it’s this one.
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Picture this: how often do those in the hot seat cop stick from players and can’t give it back?
A bowler’s quip delivered in a manner that challenges the spirit of the game, angled at an umpire who just wanted the best seat in the house?
It’s common all right.
This Sunday, however, the tables are about to turn.
As part of a Cricket Shepparton Super Sunday at Princess Park, a team of umpires will be able to get their own back as they pad up against an invitational XI.
Brett Sharp, organiser of the umpires’ outfit, explained how the concept first arose.
“When Paul Wickham approached me last season, he said we should have a game against the umpires,” he said.
“When I was talking with Steve Nash earlier this year, he said he was putting together a game between the internationals against Cricket Shepparton and I thought it was an opening for us to have a game versus a select XI that Paul Wickham was going to pick.
“We’ve got it all ready to go; it should be a fun day, there’s going to be plenty there, and hopefully we get people there to support it all.”
Wickham, who plays for Kyabram’s B-grade outfit, is steering an invitational side comprised of local junior and senior players.
His counterpart Sharp will try and rustle up the best of the men in grey — although the pickings might be slim, as he cheekily indicated.
“We’re all well past it apart from a couple — Abas (Ali) still plays cricket so to speak, he plays in a winter comp here for his nationality and there’s a couple of others who swing the bat every now and again,” Sharp said.
“We’ve got a few bowlers in the side — we haven’t got a wicket-keeper so feel free to come down and wicket keep if you want to.
“I dare say there’ll be some very funny banter going backwards and forwards between the players and umpires.”
On one side, the umpires will try to prove they can do more than just wag fingers and adjust bails.
On the other, a ragtag squad of lower-grade warriors, a mix of wily veterans and eager rookies, all licking their lips at the rare chance to send an umpire back to the sheds.
Comical digs and friendly sledges aside, Sharp views the exhibition as a great step forward for the local cricket community.
And if it just so happens to double as a chance to recruit more umpires, even better.
“We’d like to see some crowds get down there and support what we’re trying to achieve,” he said.
“Whether we pick up a couple of umpires for next season going forward or not, it’s just a way of us umpires building relationships with the clubs.
“If we can do it in a fun, controlled atmosphere, that’s all well and good.”
The game between Cricket Shepparton umpires and Wickham’s invitational side is slated to start at 11am as a curtain raiser for the Cricket Shepparton under-23s versus an international XI.
Cricket Shepparton’s Super Sunday will also feature a junior girls’ game to kick off the action.
Photo by
Holly Daniel
However, like all good things, this Super Sunday comes in threes.
Kicking off the suite of exhibition matches is a junior girls’ match to build on the rolling success of female cricket in the Greater Shepparton region.
“We’re going to have an under-15s girls’ game; essentially anyone is welcome to come down and enjoy the game,” organiser Chris Barclay said.
“If people have their own cricket gear they’re welcome to bring that, if not we can provide them with some kit gear.
“We’ll work out the format once we know how many girls we’ve got down there.
“It’ll be the girls who’ve been participating in the Cricket Shepparton junior girls comp, but it’s open to any girls under 15 who want to have a hit.”
This season alone has welcomed a host of girls’ clinics around the traps, which then snowballed into a new competition for females to take to the crease.
“We introduced the competition with the aim of building a bit of interest for junior girls’ cricket,” Barclay said.
“As soon as girls come out of master blasters, they’ve got no option except for playing with the boys or not playing at all.
“It’s about giving them the choice where if they want to play with the boys they can, but they can also play with the girls as well.
“The establishment of this competition was to give girls a choice and keep more girls playing cricket for longer.”
The junior girls’ match on Sunday is set to begin at 9am.
