About a decade ago, Elizabeth O’Dwyer, a lawyer, had a passing interest in cricket. She had never played the game herself, and when watching matches on TV with her partner Grant, would often ask questions to understand what exactly happened out there.
She Lives by the Laws of Umpiring
When she saw an ad in the paper inviting all interested to apply for an umpiring course, her partner challenged her to pass the preliminary test. According to her, he never believed she could get the answers right. She did what any self-respecting lady would do in that situation, or even in general. She sought to prove him wrong. She answered all of the cricketing questions she was asked, well enough to convince the experts who were training her that she would make an amazing umpire.
O’Dwyer says that passing the umpiring course held at Moore Park all those years ago made a big difference to her life. The last 10 years, the Dulwich Hill resident has spent almost every cricket season umpiring in about 20 games on an average. A mother of an eight-year-old daughter and a two-year-old toddler, O'Dwyer works long hours as a lawyer, and then spends most of her weekends as an umpire.
This year, during Women & Girls Week, Cricket NSW will celebrate stories of success for seven days, bringing forth extraordinary stories of ordinary women and girls who have thrived on and off the cricket field because of their love of the sport.
The stories will feature, among others, a volunteer on the Far North Coast who gathered 250 girls to come in and try cricket, a girls’ competition in Hornsby and Hills Districts where the players combine cricket with perfecting their moves with dance, and a female coaches’ collective in Newcastle that has infused fresh blood into cricket in the region.
On November 26, during the Weber WBBL match at SCG, 100 girl cricketers from clubs funded by the Growing Cricket for Girls Fund will walk a lap of honour around the field.
O’Dwyer is one of NSW’s inspiring women in cricket that Cricket NSW is showcasing as part of the Women & Girls Week. From her early days of umpiring in women’s grade cricket to officiating during 2nd Grade Men’s Premier Cricket matches, O’Dwyer has loved her umpiring journey.
Each match has presented its own challenges, and through the years, she has aspired to higher standards and better skill levels as the game needed. As she has improved, so have her responsibilities. “As I get better, I get more opportunities. But I have enjoyed every one of them.”
A highlight of her career as an umpire has been winning a men’s premier cricket panel award in 2020-21. The award is dependent on a number of factors, most importantly, recommendations from the players and the team captains. A female umpire winning the award is rare, and O’Dwyer doesn’t take the achievement lightly.
O’Dwyer says that to perform her job to the best results both on and off the field, she compartmentalizes her life. Her work life is what it is, and her home needs are enormous at this point. But cricket is the counterbalance to the stress she has to deal with everywhere else. Her smartwatch doesn’t lie.
She says that when she steps on to the field as an umpire, her heart rate on her watch flatlines, showing that she is her calmest on the cricket field. She continues to do this for her mental health, she says.
At the heart of it is her love of cricket that has grown over the year. Every game is to be celebrated, she said. “I wouldn’t be doing this if it didn’t bring me joy.”
Cricket NSW is proud of its female umpires who bring dedication and excellence to the game. Cricket Central has two umpiring workshops scheduled in December, the first one on December 5 (6.30-9.30 pm) and the second, for females only on December 11 (6.30-9.30 pm).
TO REGISTER FOR THE UMPIRING WORKSHOPS, GO HERE
Claire Polosak, Umpire Educator/Female Umpire Engagement, Cricket NSW said:
“Elizabeth O’Dwyer’s commitment to excellence, like those of many other female umpires across NSW, is an important cog in the wheel of cricket and the smooth management of the game. Cricket is growing for women every season, and the presence of female umpires, coaches and volunteers help women play the game in an environment that makes them feel safe and boosts performance.
“It is heartening to note that Cricket NSW’s efforts through the years has helped us improve the gender divide in leaps and bounds in the field of officiating. Good umpiring goes a long way in making our players play and love cricket and umpires such as Elizabeth foster that inspiration.”