Female Umpire Tops Table

Astonishingly, Alison had only begun her umpiring journey at the beginning of the season. Prior to this, she was merely a spectator of the game. 

“I cannot remember a time in my life when I haven't loved cricket, but I grew up in a time when opportunities for girls and women to play the game were extremely limited” she recalled. It was on a mental health break from her work at Queensland Health that Alison realised she needed an interest outside of work, and the simplest answer was her favourite sport. 

“I felt it was beyond me to pick up playing the game now that I'm in my 50s. I sat with it for a bit until one night when I was watching the women's T20 at the Commonwealth Games, I saw a female umpire. Suddenly, a light bulb went on and I thought: ‘Hey, I could do that!’ Soon, I found myself googling ‘how to become a cricket umpire’.”

“The pathway was very clear, and training was easy to access - even though at that stage I wasn't sure whether I would become an umpire. I thought, if nothing else, I would learn more about the game I love.”

Alison credits the encouragement and support from Regional Umpire Coordinator John Baldwin and the Townsville Cricket Umpires Association for the opportunity and courage to take a leap of faith to start her umpiring career. “They have been there to train, mentor and support me 100% of the way, and I am so very grateful,” she said. 

Alison has been described as a shining light and fantastic addition to the North Queensland Cricket umpiring ranks since her start last season.

Alison is extremely knowledgeable and committed to her role and shows an extensive willingness to improve. Her favourite aspect of umpiring is the challenge. “As someone who has never played cricket formally, there are lessons for me from every single match, and I relish that. I seek feedback at the end of each match from other umpires, scorers, captains, and coaches so that I can learn and grow.” She says one of the most comforting aspects of the journey is that there isn't an umpire alive who doesn't make mistakes but, as with all things in life, we learn far more from our mistakes than we do our successes. 

Alison is the second female umpire in North Queensland, and she hopes that her presence in the ranks will help inspire the next generation of female umpires. 

“There's an entire support network out there to help you find your feet in umpiring and, though challenging, is one of the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences you will have. Umpiring truly is ‘the best seat in the house’”. 

To get involved as an umpire visit https://www.qldcricket.com.au/support/umpiring-scoring