I started umpiring as a BBF team umpire for the Guildford Mudcats back in 1995.  We played at the Guildford Spectrum, which was a great field. 

Ted Gerard-Thesingh got me started which helped my career develop over the years.  Not enough thanks can be expressed to Ted for his leadership and help over the years which he gave to me, and all the other umpires he was able to support and maintain contact with over his many years in umpiring.  Another great help came from Jacob Plieth.  He is greatly missed, and I would like him to return to the field of play with us all!

I umpired all the Mudcats’ home games, and played in the field for their away games and also had to umpire several away games as well!  What has changed?  It was a very good way to start in umpiring.

Over the years I was able to increase my interest and development through the great training sessions we had (and still have)  at Upper Heyford, and eventually increase my development through CEB and the never unforgettable trip to the Jim Evans clinic in Florida.  If you can arrange a trip to one of his clinics, which is highly recommended, you’ll be aware of the way the ABUA-GB has developed our own training and standards over the years, and continues to do so, helped by our experiences at these clinics.  It was an invaluable experience in learning how to be a good, efficient and professional umpire!  Again, I recommend this to you all to experience.  The CEB European tournaments were also an invaluable experience in seeing how other umpire organisations work and develop their umpires and also work with other member countries to improve umpiring throughout the whole of Europe.

I have enjoyed working with so many umpires in the ABUA-GB, and look forward to working with you all, and hopefully many more, in the future.

Just remember….keep your eye on the ball!

In 1971 my involvement started with Baseball

I watched a final at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg

After ragging one of the umpires throughout the game it was no surprise that when the game ended he came up to me my cousin and his wife putting a book into my hand saying that at the back was the address and when the umpires met every week.  That Sunday night I read the umpiring rules and was impressed and decided to go to the next meeting.  The season was over but the umpires still carried on doing clinics and on field training. 

Well as the saying goes the rest is history in 1973 I was fully qualified as an international umpire In 1974 I was elected on the Umpires Association Board be coming the secretary I was also voted onto the South African Baseball Association board. Where I served on both committees until October 1979 when I left South Africa to come to England During this time I umpired in every Tournament Cup Final and Internationals

Only in 1981 when I was reading the local paper that there was a team playing baseball in Bromsgrove and they played in a league.  I went to the ground on that Sunday. Introduced myself to the Garrington Dodgers manager explained who I was.  He asked if I had my kit with me. Being an umpire I was prepared it was in the car. He called the other team manager of Liverpool Trojans over they where quite happy for me to plate the game. I then called as I would normally do.  After 1st inning both managers came up to me stating that they had never seen umpiring of my standard before.  I was surprised but toned down to what was basically a strike ball safe and out calls. I ran a few clinics which were well attended mostly on how to interpretation the rules.  After umpiring a few games at Garringtons I was asked to do a local derby in Liverpool.  It was very much a crunch match.  At the plate discussion telling both managers I was going to umpire the game as I saw it and call it as I saw it. It went very well.  That was the start of my introduction to the B B S F (British Baseball Softball Federation) (as it was then called).  My involvement became countrywide doing umpire clinics in London Hull and Liverpool At the start there were only 7 umpires around the country.  Elected to the board of BBSF in 1982, as Umpire Officer which I held until 1995. Also elected to be a C E B A umpire and did all the games that Great Britain were playing until 1995 that is when my left knee gave way.  I became the first GB Umpire to work in the European “A” Championship in 1989. During my umpiring career I had two goals Firstly to umpire in the Olympics which could have been possible if Manchester had been successful in 1996. Secondly to do 100 hundred internationals. I am very proud to have achieved one of my goals in umpiring In my last international tournament in Austria in 1995 I managed to get 103 internationals.  1995 I was elected to be the first life member of the BBF with a vote which I am very proud to have.

From 1982 to 2000 my time in baseball was spent trying to get as many umpires as possible and run clinics wherever necessary with likes of Benny Benson Gary Mortimer Frank Scherer Alan Foster became involved in running clinics and then the late 1990’s Ed Edsall Darren Muller Jacob Pleith Allan Newell BJ Dlorenzo and other took over. Very proud that at last my years of umpiring on my own were over. And the ABUA-GB was formed in 2000 as much as the body wanted to there was no way I could go on umpiring.  I was then invited to become Technical Commissioner at Final 4 finals from 2000 until 2006.  My right leg was giving me a lot of problems which meant that in 2006 was my last involvement working as Technical Commissioner

January 2001 I was honoured by ABUA-GB as an Honorary Life Member In 2003 a new award was presented by ABUA-GB in my name for Umpire of the year. Both are a tremendous honour for me.   At the 2006 final I was presented by the BBF an award for Lifetime Contribution to British Baseball

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those people who I have worked with in any capacity on and off the diamond

There is so much I could relate to over the last 40 or so years I have never ever regretted becoming an umpire.

If I was asked Would I do it over again the answer would be a quick and precise Yes I bloody will!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!