Well, our season finally got underway with all games reverting to 1 day affairs. 2019-20 was the last season that actually started on time! Looking through the appointments on Play Cricket we counted up at this time, 14 umpires making their VSDCA debut. Plus there were three former umpires who have come back to the fold to continue their careers and one club umpire who has stepped up to the panel {and reduced the average age of the panel umpires, considerably, in doing so :)

Good afternoon. On behalf of the Board, I write to advise that due to the large number of grounds being unavailable for play for this coming weekend plus the forecast of heavy rain across Melbourne on both Thursday and Friday, the Board has decided to delay the commencement of our 2026-27 season until Saturday October 10. All games (1st to 4th XI) scheduled for Saturday October 3 and Sunday October 4 have been cancelled. Round One will now be played as a One-Day fixture on Sa

The Victorian Sub District Cricket Umpires Association general meeting on 12 August 2026 endorsed and adopted: • Australian Cricket’s Policy for Safeguarding Children and Young People • Australian Cricket’s ‘Looking After Our Kids:’ Code of Behaviour for Affiliated Associations and Clubs • Australian Cricket’s Commitment to Safeguarding Children and Young People • Cricket Victoria’s Member Protection Policy • Cricket Victoria’s Reporting and Complaints Policy For full policy

The VSDCUA Annual General Meeting was held on August 12, 2026, at the Spotswood Cricket Club. The meeting was well attended with 50 members present, including Mr. Neil Burns, Chairman of the VSDCA Board; Deputy Chairman Dr Geoff Hart; and CEO Mr. Ken Hilton. New Umpire Coach David Stein also delivered his first address to the meeting, outlining the strategies he plans to use in his presentations at monthly meetings. The following members were elected to the committee for Seas

Notice is hereby given of the Annual General Meeting of the Victorian Sub District Cricket Umpires Association, which will be held on Wednesday,12th August 2026, starting at 7.00pm Location: Spotswood Cricket Club (Donald McLean Reserve Pavilion) 31 The Avenue, Spotswood. Agenda for 2026-27 AGM Minutes of 2025-26 AGM Minutes of Monthly Meeting held on 18 February 2026 Apologies If you cannot attend the meeting please forward your apology by return email. Committee Nominatio

It is with much sadness that we learned of the sudden passing of one of our former colleagues, Ian Shields. Ian dedicated over two decades to serving as an umpire with the VSDCA, from 2000--01 to 2020-21, officiating in 242 games, which included 15 finals. Two of these finals were 2nd XI Group Finals. He won the Matt Harris Shield as Most Improved Umpire in his first season, a remarkable achievement. Other accolades he gathered included Life Membership of the VSDCUA in 201

We are saddened to announce the passing of Bob Kilby, a dedicated umpire and respected colleague of the VSDCUA and VSDCA. Our heartfelt condolences go out to Margot, his wife of 69 years, along with his family and friends. Throughout his 22 years of service from 1983 to 2006, including his tenure as President from 1999 to 2004, Bob contributed significantly to the organisation. He was known for his enthusiasm and dedication and continued to follow the activities of the VSDCUA

Well here we are into the final round of finals for Season 2025-26. Congratulations to everyone who was fortunate enough to get an appointment. As Neill our Appointment Manager mentioned in one of his recent Fireside Chats , if you missed out on an appointment, you may care to use this as motivation to go one better next season. Your committee fully agree with this statement and encourage all members to return with enthusiasm and readiness under the guidance of our new coac

The VSDCA Board has decided that commencing in Season 2026-27 , as a further commitment to player safety an approved neck protection must be worn when a helmet is in use. This will be enforced for all Pre-Season Practice, Pennant, Sunday Competition, T20 Twilight, and JG Craig Under 15 Games and in line with Cricket Australia’s recommendations for Community Cricket, it will apply for the use of helmets when batting, wicket keeping or fielding close to the stumps.

While there were few major milestones this round, Graham Hill reached an impressive achievement by umpiring his 200th 1st XI game. He shared the field at Oakleigh against Caulfield with Ian Wyatt, who also made news at our End of Season Dinner held earlier in the week.. Well done Graham and as a consequence of this milestone, he qualified to become a member of the VSDCA ‘200 Club’ So congratulations again Graham. And thanks also go out to both teams for participating in the

A great night was had by all those in attendance at the VSDCUA Pre-Finals dinner held at Sandy by the Bay on Tuesday 3rd March. We were delighted to have Ruth Hall from Community Bank Malvern East, our major sponsor, present. The event saw a new Life Member installed, 3 new members added to the VSDCUA '200 Club, the Matt Harris Award for 'Most Improved Umpire' announced (unfortunately the winner was an apology) and the inaugural awarding of the Brian Goodman Award for the 'B

A couple of major milestones were achieved by Colin Newport who umpired his 400 th game alongside Chris Stevens who notched up his 100 th Subbies game. Thanks to the Preston and Ormond teams for joining in the celebration of these achievements. C Congratulations to Paul Loughrey who will be nominated for Life Membership at our next AGM, as a result of umpiring his 150 th game. Paul has had a big season and recently did his 100 th 1st XI game. And Rudy Fernandes, Peter

During our monthly meeting held at Spotswood Cricket Club on 18 February, Dr. Geoff Hart, Deputy Chairman and Cricket Operations Manager of the VSDCA, announced the Board's appointment of David Stein as the VSDCA Umpire Coach for the upcoming two seasons. The appointment was well received, and we look forward to working with David in his new role. David Stein being congratulated on his appointment by VSDCUA President Colin Newport David is no stranger to Subbies, as he was a

Our dedicated secretary, Rudy, has been actively working to build an even stronger relationship with our major sponsor, Community Bank, Malvern East . We are pleased to announce the introduction of teardrop banners displaying our sponsors' logos, which were effectively utilised at Ormond during Round 13. #communitybankmalverneast #bendigobankmalverneast #vsdcua #vsdca Milestones for this round featured Neill Murray attaining VSDCUA ‘200 Club’ membership, whilst running the sh

Ray Stokes & Ken French The 2025/26 J.G. Craig competition reached its conclusion on February 8 with Brunswick and Oakleigh squaring off in the Final. Congratulations to Ken French and Ray Stokes on their appointment to this game. As anticipated, they both demonstrated their worthiness for the role and did an excellent job managing the game. Congratulations to Brunswick on winning the final. And to one of our colleagues, John Doig, who swapped his umpire hat for an Oakleig

A major milestone event was achieved by Bill Finnigan reaching 400 VSDCA games, which has previously been reported on in this forum. Bill even got his name up in lights, with a scoreboard tribute to his milestone. Congratulations again to Bill, and his achievement was also celebrated by the Taylors Lakes and Williamstown teams, whom we thank for joining in! Also celebrating a milestone this round was Peter Riddell, who marked his 100th VSDCA game alongside Brendan Schutt in

A big shout-out to one of the VSDCUA’s most popular umpires, Bill Finnigan, who will officiate his 400th VSDCA game in Round 12, alongside his partner in crime, Gary White, in the 1st XI clash between Taylors Lakes and Williamstown. Bill started his career with Subbies back in Season 2001. Highlights along the way are achieving both VSDCUA Life and 200 Club memberships, membership of the VSDCA 200 Club and a swag of finals which are listed below. And to top it all off he

One of our colleagues Michael Moore has kept himself busy when not involved in cricket. He has penned a powerful true story about two boys growing up in the tough inner suburbs of Melbourne—one surrounded by family, the other left to face the world alone . We will have 2 copies of this book (signed by the Author) as raffle prizes at our End of Season Dinner on 3rd of March 2026. If you can't wait until then to read it click here to purchase a copy via Amazon. #WheresYaDad #

To all Panel and Club Umpires, you are cordially invited to attend the VSDCUA End of Season Dinner which is to be held at Sandy by the Bay (Trevor Barker Beach Oval) Beach Rd, Sandringham on Tuesday 3rd March 2026, commencing at 7.00pm. Guests are also welcome. Please note that to ensure our catering requirements are correct we require payment by no later than the 20th of February 2026 . Payment CAN NOT be accepted on the night.

Happy New Year and welcome back to the second half of the season. Round 9 The first in a series of three rounds of one-day matches featured some impressive milestones. Bill Keenan (as reported in a previous post) was the star, reaching his 300th Subbies game—a remarkable achievement that complements the 200 Second XI games milestone he reached in Round 5. Michael Moore Michael Moore also celebrated by umpiring his 150th 1st XI match. Well done, Michael. Round 10 This