Cricket Wellington Umpires and Scorers chairman Jeremy Busby has been elected as a Life Member of the organisation at this weekend’s Annual General Meeting.

The accolade is yet another milestone in a champion umpiring career for Busby, who last year brought up forty years of community umpiring when he stood in Johnsonville’s win over Taita in the Ewen Chatfield Trophy.

Busby started his career in November 1979 aged just 18, a few days before the Erebus plane disaster and has gone on to stand in over 800 community matches.

His introduction to umpiring occurred entirely by accident.

A promising left-arm spinner with the St Albans club, Busby badly broke the thumb on his bowling hand in a football training accident in 1979 and facing a summer of inactivity he decided to try umpiring.

He made rapid progress mentored by Fred Goodall, New Zealand’s top umpire at the time.

He has been appointed to several first-class games, numerous provincial one-day games, and age-group and women’s one-day internationals and, on top of his umpiring achievements, Busby has also contributed 35 years to umpire training.

He became involved as early as 1983, and he was the regional training officer in Canterbury before being made a Life Member of the Canterbury umpires’ association in 2006.

Busby’s training expertise was swiftly utilised when he moved to Wellington in 2008 and was appointed the Regional Training Officer.

Since then Jeremy has continued his incredible contributions to umpiring and umpires training and has been chairman of Cricket Wellington Umpires and Scorers since 2014.

He originally only took on the role as a caretaker for one year, but has continued through to today, further highlighting his dedication and passion for umpiring.

At the conclusion of the 2017-18 season, Busby’s commitment to umpiring was acknowledged as he was awarded the Mike Curtis Cup for services to community cricket at the Cricket Wellington Club Awards.

Busby’s contributions to umpiring in Wellington are showing no sign of slowing as he was also reappointed as Chairman of the organisation alongside his election as a Life Member.

Cricket Wellington would like to congratulate Jeremy on yet another accolade in a glittering umpiring career and we look forward to your contributions in the future.

Busby's achievements in the umpiring space continued in late-August when he was awarded Life Membership to the New Zealand Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association (NZCUSA).

Article added: Monday 27 July 2020