I was blessed to play all of my junior cricket in the Nepean District Cricket Association. I vividly remember many of the umpires, coaches and scorers who gave their time, so boys like me could thrive and grow like weeds under the beating summer sun of the 70s and 80s. It was way hotter back then, no-one had airconditioners.

We young mountain men of the Springwood District Cricket Club U13s were taking on the pride of Werrington County on a balmy Saturday morning at what later became known as Rance Oval. Thomas J Rance was a long serving umpire and administrator in the Penrith district, who's home burnt down in the 90s with decades worth of NDCA and PDCA scorebooks lost but that's another story.

Back to Werrington, I was thundering in off the long run to Peter Ryman, one of the guns in the U13s NDCA rep side and was getting pumped. I couldn't work out why my out swinger wasn't hooping like the 2 piecer usually did. I realised the umpire, George Volkein, the Werrington coach was standing side on as I approached my delivery stride. George had paid for and sported a substantial beer belly by 1970s standards. I was having to run around him and was delivering from very wide on the return crease. I politely asked, "Mr Volkein, could you please face front on so I can get closer to the stumps?" he replied, cricket is a side on game son, batters are side-on, bowlers are side-on and I'm staying side-on so get back to your mark and bowl."