Cyril Mitchley speaks at the Cricket Society of South Africa (13 Sep 1997)

13th September 1997

Cyril Mitchley speaks at the Cricket Society of SA

Test umpire Cyril Mitchley loves his job. "I've got the best seat in the house," he says.

He's a keen observer of cricket and cricketers, and always ready to voice his opinions, which he does, as befits a member of the National Grid sponsored ICC international umpires panel, emphatically but without malice.

His most recent international assignment was in England, where he stood in the recent Ashes series. These were his first Ashes tests in England and he was impressed by the prestige still attached to Ashes tests in that country.

"Ashes tests are important in Australia too," he observed, "but in England they are really on a higher plateau than other matches."

He was also quick to give his opinion about England as a cricketing power: "They are not a poor cricketing nation. Most people would say that Australia are the best in the world right now. Well, England beat them 3-0 in the one day series and then lost just 3-2 in a 6 test series. That's not a bad performance.

"There are two things that they lack: A quick bowler who can consistently get a break through; and a bit of aggression.

"The Australians dished out a lot of 'verbals' in those games and England just took it. They didn't seem to have the agression that the Aussies displayed. Or if they did then they didn't express it."

He feels that Dominic Cork would've gone a long way to resolving both problems.

"He keeps on coming at you, both as a bowler and as competitor. He always wants to get the batsman out, and it shows."

Mitchley earned a reputation as a ferocious appealer during his playing days. He kept wicket for Southern Suburbs in the Southern Transvaal league and his nickname "Squire" is alleged to be a contraction of "Cyril's choir", the popular name for the vociferous Southern Suburbs slips cordon under Mitchley's leadership.

These days he enjoys exchanges with the players and is not put off by what he calls "the psychology of appealing".

"After all," he chuckles, "I invented most of it."

He recalls a confrontation he had with Shane Warne during the recent series between South Africa and Australia. Warne was bowling to Pat Symcox and Mitchley turned down 2 consecutive and confident appeals.

"The first actually seamed in a little bit, but I couldn't be sure that Symmo would've been out. The second was straighter but again I wasn't sure. Shane told me he'd watch the replays of both deliveries during the evening's highlights package. I told him to get right ahead and to discuss things with me before the start of play the next morning."

The next morning Warne was conciliatory.

"Mitch", he said "I watched the highlights last night, and you were absolutely right to turn those two appeals down."

Mitchley thanked him for his observation, and then pointed out that he too had watched the highlights package and that the two contentious deliveries had not even been included.

Mitchley has great admiration for Warne who he characterises as being convinced that every ball that he bowls will dismiss the batsman.

"That's the kind of agression and comittment that England lacked."

He is also of the opinion that Warne is the best spin bowler in the world and that rumours of his demise are premature.

"I don't think we saw the best of him when he played in South Africa earlier this year. But I saw a lot of his bowling in England and I can tell you that he's back to his best now. His accuracy and control are superb."

Mitchley went on to give his opinion that "Warne is the only current player who can turn a match in 3 balls. Brian Lara says that Mushtaq's the better bowler but, with respect, I disagree."

Mitchley enjoyed a warm reception in England.

"When I arrived the press was full of stories about how my presence was going to be bad for Australia. The cricket writers, especially Jack Bannister, were saying that I have no time for Warne and that I don't give LBWs.

"They seem to have forgotten that the last time I stood in England I'd given 2 LBWs in a hat-trick.

"What I won't do is give an LBW if there's any doubt in my mind. In fact, if I find myself asking if the ball would've hit the stumps or how big a stride the batsman took then there's already doubt and I won't give it. If I'm convinced that the appeal is good then my finger goes up immediately."

His first match was at Trent Bridge, a ground he enjoys both for it's aesthetic qualities and because of the crowd.

"They respect an umpire and the umpire's duties in Nottingham. They'll give you a polite round of applause as you walk onto the field. In Johannesburg it's more likely to be 'Hey Cyril, let the bastards have it!'"

Accusations of impartiality are part and parcel of an umpire's life. One England player to accuse Mitchley of bias was Andrew Caddick, after the umpire had turned down a 4th strong appeal.

"He asked me why I was biased against England and what had been wrong with his appeal. I said to him that the 4th one had been pretty close but the previous 3 were so bad that he should have been embarrased to even be asking about them."

And whilst you can never please everybody, there are days when it seems that you can't please anybody.

Mitchley told a story of two phone calls that he received at home after the rain and light interrupted 5th day of the India/South Africa match in Johannesburg.

"The first was from an Indian gentleman. He asked me why I had delayed in restarting the game, so I talked him through the procedure that we follow, the light meter readings and so on. He wasn't that happy but he accepted my reasoning.

"5 minutes later the phone rings again. This time it's an Afrikaans bloke asking me how, as a presumably patriotic South African, I could've restarted the game so quickly."

By now you might well be shaking your head and wondering how anybody could want to be an umpire. Cyril Mitchley has been involved in the game as a player, as an umpire and as a member of numerous committees for 46 years now and still enjoys his cricket.

And after a career of that length it's refreshing to hear that the newly named Gauteng (formerly "Transvaal") Cricket Board will be taking the unusual step of awarding an umpire a benefit year. The year is yet to be finalised, but Mitchley is hoping that it will coincide with the West Indies tour to South Africa in 1998/9.

Source:: Own correspondent