On Saturday 14th of October, Matthew Raby will Celebrate his 400th 1st Eleven Match as an Umpire in the VSDCA. Congratulations!!!
Now for the story behind the story.
Matthew Raby was born in Sheffield England, on the 7th of October 1966. 1966 was a special year for England, as they won their one and only Soccer World Cup! It was also the year that decimal currency was introduced in Australia.
As a side note, cricketers born on 7th October are George Bailey in 1982 and Victor Richardson in 1894 and from his hometown in Sheffield; English author and academic Malcolm Bradbury was born in 1932.
In 1984, Matthew moved to Australia with a 6-month working visa and took on a job in a shop fitting company. He liked Australia so much he decided to stay. Soon after, his mum, dad, and sister emigrated to Australia. In 1988 Australia bicentenary year, Matthew became an Australian Citizen. Over the years, Matthew lived in several places, including Springvale and Werribee, and finally ended up in Agnes 6 years ago.
His working career has been enjoyable, with a 17-year stint at Sara Lee as a Warehouse Manager being his favourite. He currently works in Agriculture Administration.
Cricket has been his passion and a fun journey. He has watched test cricket at Lords, Trent Bridge in 1981 (Botham’s Win), Old Trafford, and Headingly.
His first role as an umpire was in women's cricket. A friend, Richard Parsons, was a Subbies umpire at the time and asked him to join the panel, so he did! At this stage of the story, you need to know that Matthew has never played an official game of cricket, hit a ball, or even put a set of pads on!
Kevin Carmody the VSDCA Umpires Advisor, decided that Matthew needed an apprenticeship in cricket, so for the next 3 years, all he umpired was the second elevens. At that time, Matthews biggest challenge as a 21-year-old was earning the player's respect and believing he was good enough to do it.
34 Seasons and 399 1st Eleven games later, Matthew is one of Subbies premier umpires.
How is this for his match statistics?
14 x 1st Eleven Grand Finals,
2 x 1st Eleven Champions Final, & 1 x 2nd Eleven Championship Finals (last of each)
Multiple Grand Finals in 2’s. 3’s & 4s.
Interstate match Vic vs SA at Noble Park.
Outside of cricket his interests lie with Soccer (Liverpool), Snooker, and Rugby Union, and he has been a Member of the Hawthorn Football Club since 1984.
Cricket is his main game. Some memorable dismissals were a Mankad and a Handled the Ball. One game that stands out was the only outright match he ever umpired in all his time was Brighton vs Ivanhoe in 2022.
This season, Matthew celebrates his 400th 1st Eleven Game, and with thirteen more matches, also his 500th game in Subbies.
To put into context Matthew's love of and commitment to cricket, in the last 5 years, Matthew, who now lives in Agnes near Toora (200km from Melbourne), drives on average 400km to and from cricket, in simple sums this equates to 52,000 km over the 5 years. Just for the record he listens to eighty’s music on the journey! Fortunately, over the past four seasons, Matthew has stopped over every Saturday night, with his great friend and fellow Subbies umpire Greg Rollo and partner Janet at their home in Brighton.
When asked why the VSDCA? He likes how the competition managed, and loves the people, "we have a fantastic group of guys, and the cricket is of an excellent standard. " He does miss the afternoon teas and would like to see them return.
He aims to enjoy every match and work with his partner.
Congratulations Matthew, on your amazing milestone! The effort and dedication you put into umpiring, is special! Matthew Raby.
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