Umpires Darrell Holt and Dan Bomford reach Premier Cricket milestone

Two of Victorian Premier Cricket’s greatest umpires brought up great games tallies on Saturday, standing in the same match.

Milestone umpires Darrell Holt and Dan Bomford.

They’re great umpires, and they’re also great friends.

Darrell Holt and Dan Bomford were delighted, then, to stand in the same match on Saturday as they achieved milestones in Victorian Premier Cricket.

It was Holt’s 700th fixture and Bomford’s 650th.

Bomford was supposed to reach his milestone two weeks ago, but the COVID shutdown kept him off the ground.

The bonus was that it brought him and Holt together at Footscray’s Merv Hughes Oval, where, with more than 80 years of experience between them, they oversaw the Second XI match between the Dogs and Casey South Melbourne.

Cricket Victoria CEO Andrew Ingleton made a presentation to them before the game, and they also appreciated the recognition of both teams.

Decision-wise, it was a straightforward day.

“The game went very quietly,’’ Holt said.

On Saturday night the umpires and their wives enjoyed a celebratory meal at La Porchetta at Carlton.

Bomford started umpiring in District Cricket in 1979-80, and Holt began 12 months later.

They went on to become two of Victorian cricket’s most respected and decorated decision-makers.

Cricket Victoria CEO Andrew Ingleton (middle) with umpires Darrell Holt and Dan Bomford.

“We both worked in the state public service,’’ Holt said.

“We didn’t know each other until I joined the panel. He came up to collect some work from the government computing service, where I was working, and he said, ‘Oh, you must be Darrell Holt’. It was the start of a very good friendship. The families have been close, the Bomfords and the Holts.’’

Holt rose to big cricket, standing in an ODI, 22 Sheffield Shield games, 10 other first-class matches and six List A fixtures.

When a match between an English XI and New Zealand at the Sir Paul Getty Ground in 1999 is counted, he umpired every international team, the list of players including Gavaskar, Gower, Akram, Lara and Tendulkar.

In the 1990s he watched Dean Jones peel off a series of centuries for Victoria.

But he regards Greg Blewett’s 268 for South Australia against Victoria at the MCG as the best innings he took in as an umpire.

“It was in very quick time. He absolutely destroyed them. He was a terrific player, Blewett,’’ Holt said.

“He lacerated the mid-wicket fence with his pull shot. Everything went through mid-wicket like a rocket.’’

Wasim Akram, he said, was the best bowler he stood behind.

In Premier Cricket, Holt has umpired 366 men’s First XI matches and 254 in the Second XI.

Bomford’s breakdown is similar: 329 matches in the men’s Premier firsts and 260 in the seconds.

Both are now serving as mentors to umpires across the grades and acting as on-field observers in the Second XI competition, helping guide and prepare new umpires.

“Their willingness to assist with the development of umpires is of huge benefit to the whole Victorian panel,’’ Premier Cricket umpire selector and coach Damian Herft said.

Cricket Victoria operations manager Shaun Graf agreed, saying Holt and Bomford were giving invaluable insight and advice to young umpires.

He said they had set the standard for many years and were now helping maintain it.

Greg Blewett sweeps another boundary on his way to 268, the best innings Darrell Holt saw in his many years as an umpire.

Graf joked that Holt had a reputation for giving few LBWs.

“Some would say he never gave one in his life, but I have seen given him an LB,’’ he said.

As for Bomford, former St Kilda star Graf remembered an incident in which the umpire was hit by a ball.

“He was at square leg at a game at Arden St many years ago and Darren Walker, who was our left-arm quick, fielded a ball at deep backward square, went for a run out and threw a very flat, hard throw towards the keeper,’’ he said.

“It absolutely sconed Dan right in the back of the head. He went down, and how he wasn’t seriously injured, I don’t know. He shook his head, had a Dispirin and continued to umpire.’’

Graf said it was tremendous that Holt and Bomford still had such passion for the game and were continuing to umpire.

Aside from standing in District/Premier Cricket, both also umpired hundreds of others matches with schools and the Crusaders.

Both are also life members of the Victorian Cricket Association Umpires and Scores Association (VCAUSA), which they served in various capacities.

And both are advising to community cricket associations, Holt with North West Metro and Bomford with Eastern.

Asked how long they would keep umpiring, Holt was almost prepared to give himself out.

“That was being talked about yesterday,’’ he said.

“Personally, if I was running Cricket Victoria, I’d say to keep things turning over you probably shouldn’t be having blokes beyond a certain age, which is probably beyond my age.

“Against that, the Footscray captain yesterday was arguing that if you keep umpiring at the standard you’re umpiring, you should just keep going for the good of cricket.

“It’s a hard one to know. But for the moment we’re still here.’’