Reffin' hell: Let's look at infamous incidents of officials getting in the line of fire

AFTER a cricket umpire cops a nasty drive to the ribs, we take a look at some infamous incidents of officials getting in the line of fire.

ALL athletes and sports fans have a love-hate relationship with officials.

Sport wouldn't function without them, but how we despise them when they get in the way of a good spectacle.

That's why nothing is more satisfying than seeing the men in the middle get taken out. Whether it be intentional, accidental or even completely undeserved - we love to see them cop it.

With the latest Ashes series filled with umpiring howlers and inexplicable dismissals, Hampshire batsman Jimmy Adams appears to have taken it upon himself to get one back on behalf of his fellow hard-done-by willow wielders.

When served up a juicy half-volley by Lancashire bowler Arron Lilley, Adams sent the ball straight back past him like a tracer bullet and into the ribcage of flailing umpire Neil Mallender.

They say Hot Spot can’t pick up everything, but we're sure that the blow will leave a mark of a very different kind on Mallender's torso.

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See Adams's painful payback at the top of the page.

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The incident got us thinking about all the other times umpires, referees and officials have found themselves in the line of fire, and here are some of our favourites.

Boxing referees must struggle to get health insurance, given their constant proximity to trained fighters and flying punches, and this was demonstrated perfectly at the 1982 North American Boxing Championships.

Cuban Pedro Cardenas was being pummeled by Canadian opponent Willie DeWitt, and was saved from a certain knockout blow when referee Bert Lowes separated them.

Cardenas proceeded to floor his saviour with a devastating left hook - the only clean connect he made all night.

Lowes was replaced for the remainder of the bout, which unsurprisingly didn't last much longer with DeWitt finishing off Cardenas, to the relief of Lowes' stand-in.

However getting punched isn't something refs only have to worry about inside the ring.

NBA referee Danny Crawford took a fist to the groin when an overexuberant Carlos Boozer punched what he thought was the air after netting a tough hook shot.

Fortunately Crawford saw the funny side after the Chicago Bulls power forward spun away to celebrate his basket, only to hammer the official below the belt.

But even when the fists aren't flying, the referees aren't safe.

On the footy field there often isn't anywhere safe to stand, but it helps when you keep an eye on the 100kg receiver running straight at you at top speed, as this American football ref discovered.

Wideout Payden McVey rushed downfield for a long pass from his Deer Park High School quarterback, only to collide at full force with the referee.

The impact left both player and official requiring treatment and, more importantly, denied Deer Park a crucial touchdown.

In the words of the cameraman: "Get out the way ref!"

However, getting out the way isn't always an option, as NRL ref Tony De Las Heras found when he was steamrollered by South Sydney's Jamie Simpson.

The Rabbitohs winger was tearing Brisbane's defence to shreds and would have had clear sight of the tryline, had he not beelined straight into De Las Heras.

The initial impact sent the referee to the dirt, but it was the subsequent knee to the head, courtesy of the Broncos' Tonie Carroll, that knocked him out cold.

Despite needing treatment, De Las Haras can count himself lucky he didn't end up like French rugby referee Mathieu Raynal.

Raynal broke both his tibia and fibula when the trailing legs of a Racing Metro player, who was in the process of tackling Montpelier's scrum half, cleaved him down.

To add to Raynal's woes, he not only severely broke his leg, but somehow cracked his collarbone as he collapsed to the ground.

Of course, any story on the perils of referees wouldn't be complete without a compilation from the world of football.

Whether they're being floored by falcons or pummeled by raging players, we leave you with some of the best (or worst) moments of referees getting in the line of fire from the round-ball code.

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Which one of the above is your favourite? Let us know in the comments about any great 'umpires in the way' moments we've missed out.