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Spitfire St Lawrence
Partly cloudy
Kent
Derbyshire Men
For the latest edition of A Career in Cricket, in partnership with Her Game Too, Club media spoke to current professional cricket umpire, Sue Redfern, about her experiences of officiating the game.
A former England and Derbyshire cricketer, Sue was desperate to remain in the sport that she had dedicated her life to for over 25 years.
Encouraged by her father, who was a local league umpire in Nottinghamshire, she made the decision to pursue a career in umpiring, which has seen her officiate on the biggest of stages and become the first female umpire to officiate men’s first-class cricket.
Speaking on her career, she said, “I never expected it to turn into a full-time profession. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to do lots of things and it’s taken me around the world.
“Some highlights for me personally would be my surprise selection for the Women’s World Cup in 2017. I never expected that and my umpiring was very raw in those days.
“I was very lucky to be asked to do the opening game of The Hundred at The Oval, which was a very special night – both from my umpiring perspective and the importance of that game for women’s cricket.”
Having become an ever-present in the middle across numerous domestic men’s and women’s competitions, Sue also passed on a few words of advice to anyone looking to pursue a career in officiating.
“Don’t be shy to ask for help. What I do, there’s nothing new – it’s all learned from colleagues.
“For a new umpire setting out, make sure you get yourself in a position to ask to be appointed with experienced umpires who are going to share that with you and are going to help you.”
Sue also reflected on how much women’s cricket and opportunities for women in cricket has grown in recent years.
“It’s just unbelievable really, in terms of where we were when I was playing and the opportunities now.
“A few years back people would say to me, do you think you’ll ever be a professional cricket umpire and I was like, ‘no there isn’t really a route for that’.
“So, to see the women’s game grow and being recognised now, I feel incredibly proud to be part of the history of it and incredibly excited about what the future might look like.”
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