- Tony DeNobrega was hospitalised after incident
- Umpire was seriously hurt during game in Perth’s north
A senior Australia cricket umpire has been hospitalised with shocking injuries after he was hit ‘flush in the side of the face’ by a ball struck by a batter over the weekend.
Tony DeNobrega was umpiring a third-grade match at Charles Veryard Reserve in North Perth when the potentially deadly incident occurred.
‘A straight drive out of the screws hit Tony flush in the side of the face,’ the West Australian Suburban Turf Cricket Umpires Association posted on Facebook.
‘Spending the night in hospital, Tony was fortunate enough not to have had any broken bones however the doctors are keeping him in under observation as surgery is not out of the question.’
A graphic photo showed DeNobrega’s face afterwards, with severe swelling around his lips, right cheek and eye.
The umpires association conveyed their best wishes to DeNobrega, hoping he recovers fast from the ‘terrible incident’.
Perth umpire Tony DeNobrega has been hospitalised after he was hit in the face by a ball during a match last weekend
DeNobrega (pictured) was hit with a ‘straight drive out of the screws’ and had to be rushed to hospital
Some of the comments posted below the announcement called for helmets to be supplied for umpires.
There have been increasing concerns about umpire safety in recent years, particularly for those officials standing at the bowler’s end of the wicket.
In 2014, Israeli umpire Hillel Oscar was killed in a club match after the ball ricocheted off the stumps and struck him in the head.
The incident occurred just two days after the death of Australia Test player Phillip Hughes, who suffered fatal injuries after being hit by a bouncer during a Sheffield Shield match.
In 2019, Welsh umpire John Williams died after he was hit on the head by a ball in a match he agreed to referee at the last minute.
Aussie umpire Bruce Oxenford is pictured with a shield designed to protect umpires from shots like the one that struck DeNobrega
Some umpires have chosen to wear helmets in recent years, with Aussie match official Bruce Oxenford going as far as wearing a perspex forearm shield while he’s on the field.
The former chairman of Cricket Australia’s National Selection Panel, wicketkeeping great Rod Marsh, has expressed his concerns for umpire safety over the years.
‘It’s only a matter of time before an umpire in an international or first-class match is seriously hurt, if not killed,’ Marsh said in 2016.
‘If I happened to be umpiring right now I’d be wearing a baseball catchers helmet, a chest pad and shin guards.’
