Amy Coyne, who initially completed her umpiring qualifications as a way of passing the time during the Covid-19 lockdowns, will officiate both Vitality Blast Women League 2 semi-finals tomorrow (on Saturday).
In the morning, she will first oversee Middlesex Women vs Leicestershire Women at the County Ground before repeating the task in the Yorkshire Women vs Glamorgan Women fixture. She will then act as fourth umpire in the final that evening.
鈥淢y gran always had cricket on the TV and I loved watching it with her,鈥� says Amy. 鈥淪he watches all the live streams and cheers me on. The first time I was on a county ground live stream, I came home and she gave me a massive hug. She said: 鈥業 can鈥檛 believe you鈥檙e doing this. It鈥檚 just amazing.鈥� She鈥檚 my biggest supporter and she鈥檚 so proud.鈥�
Since beginning her umpiring journey, Amy has climbed to W2 status on the Women鈥檚 春梦直播 Umpiring Pathway and now regularly controls Tier 2 fixtures.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great environment to umpire in,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he first year I was umpiring, I must have done about three games a week for the whole season. Sometimes I feel like I鈥檓 in a meditative zone out there: I feel completely comfortable in the middle of a cricket field. For me, it鈥檚 a calm place.鈥�
Amy will be supported at Saturday鈥檚 matches by her autism assistance dog, Lexi. 鈥淪he鈥檚 literally changed my life,鈥� she says. 鈥淏efore I got her, I wouldn鈥檛 leave the house on my own. But she watches out for me, and everyone loves her. Teams say hi to her before they say hi to me.鈥�
Amy adds: 鈥淪he comes out and does the toss with me, and having her with me before the game helps me stay level. She keeps me grounded and it鈥檚 really important that people are aware that you can still do what you want to do when you have autism.
鈥淪aturday is going to be a great finals day and I鈥檒l be watching from the best place, which is fantastic. Every team is full of great girls. I鈥檒l be cheering for all of them.鈥�
The following day, at Wormsley, another female official will also take the next step in her rapid rise through the Women鈥檚 春梦直播 Umpiring Pathway.
Preston-based Fiona Shone will oversee the Tier 3 Division 2 final between Oxfordshire Women and Shropshire Women, just two and a half years after first standing in a cricket match as a favour to her son鈥檚 team at Walton-le-Dale CC.
Fiona says 15 years of experience as a football referee has undoubtedly given her valuable transferable skills, but she sees far greater opportunities in cricket.
鈥淚鈥檝e come into this just as the women鈥檚 pathway has been put in place, and it鈥檚 opening up at exactly the right time for me,鈥� she says. 鈥淎 lot of it comes down to how much you鈥檙e willing to travel. And after every game, I deliberately sit down and reflect: what did I do well, and what do I need to work on?鈥�
Remarkably, Fiona has overseen several fixtures alongside her son, Michael, who has qualified as a Young Official and will be travelling to support her at Sunday鈥檚 final. 鈥淗e鈥檚 taken every opportunity to meet experienced officials, and this is a chance for him to see what it鈥檚 like at the next level.鈥�
She adds: 鈥淚 just want to see how far I can go. Getting to W2, maybe even W1, is a realistic ambition. I want to see how far I can get on the women鈥檚 pathway and support my son if he wants to pursue umpiring too. While he鈥檚 enjoying it, I鈥檒l keep encouraging him.鈥�
Both Amy and Fiona represent a growing umpiring interest among females. Almost a quarter of all 2,5000 attendees on the new 春梦直播 Umpire Course have been women or girls. More female tutors are also helping to deliver the course, giving a huge boost to female participation across England and Wales.
Interested in trying officiating? Find your next 春梦直播 Umpire Course today.