Being an Umpire

Andrew and Jane are two wonderful MyRounders umpires that oversee games in various South Wales leagues. We chatted with them to find out their inspiration for taking on the umpire role.

How long have you been umpiring?

Andrew explained that he is relatively new to wearing the iconic orange jersey- having completed the umpire training only a few months ago, he recently started taking charge of games over the past few weeks and is enjoying the experience.

Jane is slightly more experienced and has been making those all important decisions for around a year.

What made you want to become an umpire?

Jane tells us that having played for a while she wanted to understand the more technical side of  rules and decisions during matches, one of the benefits of umpiring was to be able to relay information back to her team, giving them clear explanations.

Andrew’s wife had started playing rounders over a year ago and was often talking about the game. Instead of just listening to all the news and gossip of the matches, Andrew decided to get involved and join himself. Andrew decided to get ahead of the game and gain a better understanding of the rules, he took on the umpire training and is now umpiring as well as playing.

Do you have a favourite venue to umpire?

Jane has a preference for outdoor venues and likes the Llanelli outdoor league.

Being new to umpiring, Andrew has mainly experienced Llanelli Leisure Centre and says he likes this venue as it is loud and enthusiastic!

Do you play for a MyRounders team?

Both umpires took up the bat before starting their umpire journey and still play.

What’s the best part about being an umpire?

Jane tells us that she isn’t able to play as much rounders as she would like to, so being an umpire enables her to still be part of the community but in an equally rewarding role.

What is the hardest part of being an umpire?

For Andrew, it is the fact that everyone has got an opinion, and it is not necessarily the same as the officials.

Jane says that although she is confident in her calls, and always officiates with fairness, it can be hard if you’re umpiring a very competitive game, and someone gets in your head.

Both also said that although it doesn’t make any difference to how you would call a game, it can be difficult if you are umpiring people you know.

How do you deal with conflict?

Both umpires agreed that conflict hasn’t really been an issue and is not something that they find difficult, providing they are fair. Jane tells us that she is always happy to explain her decisions and encourages players to come and ask her about anything that they are confused about. She says “I’d rather people ask me about decisions, than moan about it… I haven’t experienced conflict between teams, more competitiveness.”

Is there a phrase you find yourself saying in your sleep?

For Jane, it is the dreaded call for any batter, “Backwards hit, first base only!”

Would you recommend becoming an umpire?

Andrew feels that although umpiring isn’t for everyone, it would be beneficial if captains had the training to be able to help explain decisions to the rest of the team. Jane agreed and said she would recommend the umpire training.

Any Top Tips?

Andrew says Don’t argue with the umpire!

Jane’s tip is, if there’s anything you’re not sure of, to ask the umpire.

We finished off by chatting generally about MyRounders. The main feeling was that it is an inviting, fair community where everyone is supportive and inclusive.

Interview by Rhian Howells

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