Whanganui cricket umpire Scott Oliver on staying relaxed and ‘thinking things through’

Scott Oliver in action at Cornwall Park in Auckland earlier this year. Photo / Central Districts Cricket

Scott Oliver enjoyed a long career in club cricket but when he threw his kitbag into the wardrobe, his time in the middle was just beginning.

Oliver has been reappointed to New Zealand Cricket’s regional umpire panel and will be spending most weekends this summer watching “22 people trying to hit a set of sticks in the ground” from the best seat in the house.

Keeping relaxed and “thinking things through” was the key to his job, but staying focused for hours on end wasn’t as arduous as people might think, he said.

Enjoyment was his biggest motivation, rather than trying to climb the ranks.

“Was the ball going to hit the stumps, yes or no? It doesn’t matter who was bowling or batting. That’s the same at every level.

“The day where everyone walks off and says ‘Every LBW [leg before wicket] decision I saw this season was 100 per cent correct’ is just never going to happen. People see things from different angles and it can be a little bit subjective.”

Before officiating, he played six club seasons in Wellington and 12 in Whanganui, mostly for Marton.

“I was an opening batsman,” Oliver said.

“Whenever I played at Collegiate, Bob Wake [Collegiate manager] would tell me as I walked out that he had already put six dots in the scorebook.”

Oliver’s stoic stays at the crease came to an end after he was tapped on the shoulder and asked if he would consider umpiring.

He made his way through four exam levels and after the third, he began umpiring in regional competitions such as the Shrimpton Trophy and the Furlong Cup.

“Most players don’t sit down and read through the laws but I think things would be much easier for them if they devoted half an hour of their lives to flicking through,” Oliver said.

“Nigel Owens [rugby referee] recently said Richie McCaw was the only player he came across that actually read the rules of rugby. There is probably something to be said for that.”

Cricket Whanganui manager Pete Bowman said sports officials in general seemed to be in the spotlight, but local umpires were “rigorously tested”.

“The ECB [English Cricket Board] used to have a link where you played four videos and you had to pick whether or not they were out in real-time,” Bowman said.

“Of course, a lot of people would get them wrong because they didn’t know the law.

“Umpires are definitely under the pump but if we look at this [one day cricket] world cup, for the most part, they have nailed it.”

Cricket Whanganui general manager Pete Bowman. Photo / Bevan Conley

Keeping up to date with new laws was also a must, Oliver said.

The latest involved animals coming onto the field.

“If a person, animal or other object comes onto the field of play, it now becomes a dead ball.

“There was nothing about animals in there before but for 99 per cent of cricket games around the world, it’s a stark reality.”

Bowman said abuse directed at officials - rugby referee Wayne Barnes being a recent example - could put people off getting involved in that side of sport.

Getting “a million likes” on social media didn’t always reflect what happened in a game.

“Mark Howard, who does a lot of Big Bash [Australian cricket league] commentary and slots in all over the place, was talking about some of the flak even he gets,” Bowman said.

“Any time he commentates, this one lady is straight on the internet - ‘Your voice is annoying, you are the worst ever, why do I need to listen to you?’

“Then, he’s touring India and someone will say he has the most melodious voice they’ve ever heard.”

Oliver said he hadn’t experienced too many contentious moments on the field, with the vast majority of people accepting a decision and getting on with the game.

As for the art of sledging, he said most talk on the field was simply players keeping each others’ spirits up.

“I’ve never really been told how to do my job out there [on the field].

“Mostly, it’s using humour to help your teammates get through. Playing can be challenging and you’re out there for a long time.

“When people start swearing and yelling you have to knock it on the head before something bigger happens. That doesn’t happen very often.”

Bowman said there were pathways available in Whanganui for people to become umpires and scorers and Oliver was a great example.

“Without umpires, we don’t have a game. I’ve said that for many, many years.

“Who knows, the next Billy Bowden could be out there somewhere.”

This weekend, Oliver will be umpiring and Whanganui’s Andrea Mills will be scoring in the country’s premier woman’s one-day competition - the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield.

Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.