Ron Saywack

Ron Saywack has been an umpire in Canada since 1985. As a teenager in Guyana, he played and umpired the game in the West Indies at the inter-school level and demonstrated remarkable batting talent, often compared to the former West Indies great Rohan Kanhai.

As a player, he is a fairly reliable opening batsman, a useful off-break bowler and a competent fielder. He has represented both Calgary and Alberta as a player and acquired all three levels of CCA umpiring certification currently available in Canada: level 1, in 1985, level 2 in 2002 and Level 3 in 2004.

As an umpire, he has officiated at the inter-city, the inter-provincial and, most recently, at the national level. He told Cricinfo: "Some of my memorable occasions have been doing the MCC/Alberta game in Calgary in 2005, partnered with MCC umpire Rob Bailey, and officiating in the Canada Cup in Edmonton in 2006, partnered with ICC elite umpire Daryl Harper. I also enjoyed umpiring the Western Invitational Tournament in Winnipeg this August where some of the best talent, west of Ontario, can be found."