- Who
- Mary Smith
- What
- 41:050 year(s):day(s)
- Where
- United Kingdom (Carlisle)
- When
The longest career as a cricket umpire (female) is 41 years 152 days, and was achieved by Mary Smith (UK) who has umpired from 19 April 1980 to 18 September 2021.
Mary learned how to play cricket at school in the 1950s and played for the girls’ team. In 1979 she was watching a local cricket match and noticed the bowler was throwing - which is an illegal bowling action - so notified the batsmen waiting to go in to bat. Not long after that an umpire course was held at the club and it was suggested that she apply. By 1980 she was umpiring her first match in the Derbyshire and Cheshire league.
She remained in the Derbyshire and Cheshire league from 1980 until 2003, covering not only league matches, but several charity matches as well. From 1990 to 2003 she also umpired in the Cheshire County Cricket league on alternative weeks.
In 1992 she joined the panel for Lancashire Youth Cricket and umpired a number of games featuring promising young players, including a young Andrew Flintoff. She has also umpired for the Women’s Northern Premier League and the Women’s Domestic Umpires list for the ECB. This led to joining other umpires standing in the Super4’s in 2003. Players included Charlotte Edwards, Isa Guha and Ebony Rainford-Brent.
In 2003 she moved to Cumbria with her husband and joined the North Lancs and Cumbria league (now renamed Cumbria Cricket League) umpires panel, where she still umpires most weekends.
