Southland umpire to raise finger for Stags v Firebirds in first-class debut
Pete Pasco is more than accustomed to raising his right index finger or shaking his head when required.
The Invercargill cricket umpire is set to do plenty of that in the coming days as he officiates in the four-day clash between the Central Stags and the Wellington Firebirds from today until March 11 at Fitzherbert Park in Palmerston North.
There, he will raise the number of Southlanders partaking in the Plunket Shield competition to three. Players Jacob Duffy and Ben Lockrose are in the Otago Volts squad set to take on Canterbury in Alexandra, also from today.
Pasco said he was excited by the opportunity to make his first-class debut.
“It’s been a long time for me to be able to get this far. I have known about it since September.
“It seemed a long way away then, but it’s nearly here.”
In the leadup to the clash, Pasco officiated in a three-day warmup match between the Wellington A and Canterbury A teams.
He said this was a good chance to spend time in the middle, and while clubs played red-ball cricket in Invercargill, they were only one-day matches.
“Because I am away quite a lot, I don’t get to do the Hawke Cup stuff much.”
Pasco, who has umpired for about 15 seasons, said he was pleased his persistence had paid off.
First-class umpiring had been “a goal for three or four seasons now”, he said.
“I’ve been knocking on the door, and now I am excited I have that chance. It’s going to be a real challenge, but that’s part of it.”
He will be standing with experienced umpire Wayne Knights, which will help to ease the nerves.
“I know him reasonably well without ever having stood in a match with him, so it’s going to be good fun.”
There should be some pretty good players on display, plenty of whom have played either age-grade cricket for New Zealand, A-level cricket for New Zealand, or with the Black Caps themselves.
Although Palmerston North wasn’t top of the list for first-class debuts, Pasco isn’t fazed.
“At the end of the day, I will take it anywhere it is. It would have been nice to do it here in Invercargill, but it’s currently not in the four-day picture ... You travel anywhere for your debut.”
On the domestic circuit, Pasco has done about 20 games in the one-day and Twenty20 formats, and he has umpired several Hawke Cup games over the years.
“Four-day cricket is my favourite, because of the challenge and the cricket you are going to see. It keeps you on your toes the whole time. Keeping up the concentration is probably the hardest.”
Pasco has umpired players such as Duffy, Rachin Ravinda, Finn Allen, Dale Phillips, Will O’Donnell and others at agegroup level, and said it was great seeing them progress to a higher level.
“I enjoy it. It’s a great way to see the game, and great seeing guys I have umpired carry on through the ranks.”
International cricket is still his goal, and Pasco is hopeful that one day he might get that opportunity.
For now, he wants to get established on the regional panel and then earn a spot on the national panel.
“If I can make the national panel, then there’s still a chance. I just have to continue umpiring well and doing things right.”
“I’ve been knocking on the door, and now I am excited I have that chance.”
Pete Pasco