CA appoint female umpire for Matador Cup

Goulburn product Claire Polosak is set to make history in this year’s Matador One-Day Cup when she becomes the first female to officiate as a third umpire in a List A Australian competition.

Polosak, who has worked her way through the umpiring ranks via the men’s Sydney grade cricket scene, the Women’s National Cricket League and even the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars internationals against West Indies last year, was appointed as Cricket Australia’s Female Project Panel umpire in the 2014-15 season.

The 27-year-old impressed and will now take part in the men’s domestic limited-overs tournament, filling the role of third umpire in the Queensland v Cricket Australia XI match on October 19 at Drummoyne Oval.

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Polosak putting in the research ahead of the Matador Cup // cricket.com.au

Polosak will also be reserve on-field umpire for two matches during the tournament.

“When I started umpiring at 15 I really didn’t think I’d have the opportunities that have already been presented to me at 27,” she told cricket.com.au.

“I’m really looking forward to working more with the national panel guys, and the opportunities and challenges that will come with that, and working hard to make sure I’m better the next game that I go out for – whether that’s as third umpire or out in the middle.”

Polosak is eagerly anticipating the next move in her burgeoning career – though the step up in exposure and standard doesn’t come without a degree of anxiousness.

“I’ve been told by everybody in the national panel that the first time you have to make a decision as third umpire, your heart jumps up into your throat and you’ll need a drink of water afterward,” she said.

“I’m very excited, and I’m a little bit nervous. The way that I view nerves is as butterflies in your stomach, and I figure that as long as you have all the butterflies flying in the one direction, you’ll be fine because that means you’re prepared and you’ve done as much as you can to be as ready as you can be.

“I’ve had some training in third umpire protocols so I’m feeling confident, which is good. I’ve met all of the national umpires now, and they all seem very supportive going into the high-performance cricket.

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“I just want to be the best umpire I can be. The game that’s happening in front of you is a Test match for the players that are involved – because that’s the most important game they’re involved with.

“So you need to make sure that you’re on top of your game for them, to give them the respect that you’re trying as hard as you can.”

A full-time high school science teacher, Polosak says some of the skills required in her day job are interchangeable in her position in the middle of the cricket field.

“The communication skills that you learn on the field carry over into my day job,” she said. “The communication and decision-making skills, even the conflict resolution skills, when you’ve got 11 players on the field and 30 kids in class, sometimes they’re very similar skills you have to use.

“Being involved in the game is what I really enjoy.

“The decision making, the fact that you don’t know what’s going to happen every ball and the challenges that are placed on you there.”

The Matador Cup begins next Monday (October 5), with Simon Lightbody and David Shepard also making their third umpire debuts in the tournament.