FHumpires.com
Getting It Right
October 09 2010
One of the most difficult things anybody can do is bounce back after a sub-par performance. When you are able to accomplish it, however, the sense of relief is liberating.
The match I was facing to rebound in would not prove to be an easy one. Points in the standings were still crucial and I was having to face a Trinidad & Tobago team that wasn’t very happy with me after the last match. There was also the pressure of an evening game when crowds were a little more substantial as well as working with Satinder Kumar, who is, in my opinion, one of the top five umpires in the world.
When you have a late game the day can drag on, but I managed to keep myself quietly occupied. Thankfully the hotel is comfortable and there are enough things to do to avoid boredom. The bus for the pitch leaves 2 hours before the scheduled time and despite Delhi traffic we arrived in plenty of time to ease into the match.
The build up to the match was so different from my first outing. I made conscious efforts to smile and kept running plays in my head thinking how I would handle each situation. I took a few moments to enjoy the surroundings; the building crowd, the media on the big screen and all the things that made me nervous two days earlier.
The match was played at a fairly quick pace. South Africa was deliberate in their build up and took their time to attack. Trinidad were content to hold firm in the back and counter attack at speed. Sati and I spoke before-hand about maintaining a lot of eye contact and making a physical display of showing everybody we were in constant communication. The result was a really good first half of hockey with a score line of 2-2.
There was only one decision that the UM thought could have been more severe; a T&T attacker in the circle along the base-line turned to dribble away from the keeper and was taken down. I quickly awarded a penalty corner and the suggestion was that I could have easily awarded a stroke. T&T scored on the ensuing penalty corner and I managed to get away with it, but I have made a mental note of the play. My only excuse was that I lacked the courage to call the stroke, which I will definitely need to work on.
The second half was going to be intense, as South Africa were not going to be happy being even on the score line. Sati and I agreed that we would need to be very tight for the first 5-10 minutes to keep things under control. When it comes to any game (but even more so for games played on a scale seen at the Commonwealth Games) management is of paramount importance.
According to Tony (one of our UMs) the second half was better than the first. This was a good sign because as games go on fatigue can set in and negatively influence your decision making. This didn’t happen and there were exciting plays that I saw myself in the middle of. Goal-mouth scrambles, shots hitting the cross bar and rocketing down to the goal-line only to be batted out of danger, and a last second goal to put the game out of reach.
My next match will be the game prior to the big draw for the week between India and Pakistan. I will be working with Peter Wright of South Africa on the Australia-Malaysia game, and it will be fantastic. The difference between now and the start of the tournament is that I am saying it will be great instead of hoping it will be.
Comments
- DeToro
01:00pm, 10/10/2010
You’re in the groove!!!! Keep it up!
Detoro
