Aussie cricket umpire in hospital after being hit by ball

An Australian cricket umpire suffered a “brutal blow” and taken to hospital over the weekend after he was hit in the side of the face by a ball struck by a batter.

Tony DeNobrega was umpiring a third-grade match at Charles Veryard Reserve in North Perth when “a straight drive right out of the screws” hit him flush in the side of the face, the West Australian Suburban Turf Cricket Umpires Association said on Facebook.

Luckily, DeNobrega did not have any broken bones but spent the night in hospital so doctors could keep an eye on him.

“We wish Tony all the best for a fast recovery from this terrible incident and look forward to him being up and about shortly.”

DeNobrega is not the only umpire to be seriously hurt while officiating a match, with welfare concerns increasing over the years.

Some have chosen to wear helmets on the field, such as Gerard Abood, who became the first Australian on-field official to wear head protection, donning it for a Big Bash League match between the Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers in 2015. Another Australian umpire, Bruce Oxenford, has even created a perspex forearm shield to wear while on the field.

In 2015, former Australian wicketkeeper Rod Marsh called for regulations to be changed so umpires were able to stand further back, giving them more time to react if the ball was hit in their direction.

“It’s only a matter of time before an umpire in an international or first-class match is seriously hurt, if not killed,” Marsh said at the time.

“If I happened to be umpiring right now I’d be wearing a baseball catcher’s helmet, a chest pad and shin guards.”

In 2014, Israeli Hillel Oscar was killed in a club match after the ball hit the stumps before hitting him in the head.

In 2019, Welsh umpire John Williams died after he was struck in the head by a ball hit by the batsman.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission