Former Border semi-professional captain Abongile Sodumo is thriving in his new career of umpiring after retiring from playing in 2015.
Sodumo, a wicketkeeper batsman, who represented Border, Eastern Province and the Warriors over a playing career that spanned more than a decade, played 104 first-class matches, 73 List A games and 31 T20s before hanging up his gloves on a high note, with Border winning the Provincial One-Day Cup in his last game.
Sodumo then moved straight into umpiring and has slowly been making a name for himself over the past two years.
“I thought I was going to miss playing but I have really enjoyed umpiring since hanging up my gloves,” admitted Sodumo.
“I am happy with the progress I have made, I have come on in leaps and bounds and received some good reports from my previous tournaments, which is great. I have umpired in two finals in three major tournaments, so there has been great progress but there is still lots of work to be done because you are constantly learning.”
Most recently, Sodumo umpired in several major school cricket tournaments including the 2016 Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week and the Coca-Cola Schools’ T20 Challenge in Stellenbosch just last weekend.
He was also the man in the middle when Hudson Park took on St Stithians in the tournaments’ finale this past Sunday.
“I have done two Coke Weeks and umpired the final in the most recent one.
“ I have done two rural weeks and now have done the schools’ T20 competition and did the final as well, so it has been going well,” claimed Sodumo.
“I think the schools’ T20 competition is a fantastic tournament. We see a lot of talent being exposed here and I think there is a bright future for South African cricket.”
With the 2016-2017 season winding to an end, Sodumo only has a few more games to officiate in before the off-season commences next month.
He will be aiming to impress in his next few matches and will hopefully be able to then move on to the next level.
“I have two more tournaments this season.
“I have the Community Cup and then the club champs, which will be the biggest of the lot for me to progress to the next level,” he said.
Being an umpire is often a thankless job, with players, coaches and supporters often unhappy with decisions on the field, especially in the heat of the moment.
However, Sodumo admits that he learnt quickly to keep above it all and stay focused.
“Obviously there is always going to be pressure but I have played in some big games during my playing career, including two finals that we won, so I am used to the pressure,” said Sodumo.
“But the main thing is to remain calm and make sure you enjoy what you are doing.
“The more you stay calm, your head will be clearer and you will make the right decisions.
“The biggest thing is if you make a wrong decision you need to try and forget about it as quick as possible, especially in T20s as the match goes quickly.
“So if you start thinking too much about what you did wrong, then you will miss quite a few.”
With the positive development of his fledgling umpiring career, all the signs are there that we could see Sodumo on our screens soon enough covering franchise and possibly even international matches.
“All I have to do is keep progressing and keep working on my umpiring.
“Some things are out of my control so I just have to take it step by step and as long as I work on my game and keep improving every time, whatever happens will happen,” he said.
Sodumo relishes new role in umpiring world
Sodumo, a wicketkeeper batsman, who represented Border, Eastern Province and the Warriors over a playing career that spanned more than a decade, played 104 first-class matches, 73 List A games and 31 T20s before hanging up his gloves on a high note, with Border winning the Provincial One-Day Cup in his last game.
Sodumo then moved straight into umpiring and has slowly been making a name for himself over the past two years.
“I thought I was going to miss playing but I have really enjoyed umpiring since hanging up my gloves,” admitted Sodumo.
“I am happy with the progress I have made, I have come on in leaps and bounds and received some good reports from my previous tournaments, which is great. I have umpired in two finals in three major tournaments, so there has been great progress but there is still lots of work to be done because you are constantly learning.”
Most recently, Sodumo umpired in several major school cricket tournaments including the 2016 Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week and the Coca-Cola Schools’ T20 Challenge in Stellenbosch just last weekend.
He was also the man in the middle when Hudson Park took on St Stithians in the tournaments’ finale this past Sunday.
“I have done two Coke Weeks and umpired the final in the most recent one.
“ I have done two rural weeks and now have done the schools’ T20 competition and did the final as well, so it has been going well,” claimed Sodumo.
“I think the schools’ T20 competition is a fantastic tournament. We see a lot of talent being exposed here and I think there is a bright future for South African cricket.”
With the 2016-2017 season winding to an end, Sodumo only has a few more games to officiate in before the off-season commences next month.
He will be aiming to impress in his next few matches and will hopefully be able to then move on to the next level.
“I have two more tournaments this season.
“I have the Community Cup and then the club champs, which will be the biggest of the lot for me to progress to the next level,” he said.
Being an umpire is often a thankless job, with players, coaches and supporters often unhappy with decisions on the field, especially in the heat of the moment.
However, Sodumo admits that he learnt quickly to keep above it all and stay focused.
“Obviously there is always going to be pressure but I have played in some big games during my playing career, including two finals that we won, so I am used to the pressure,” said Sodumo.
“But the main thing is to remain calm and make sure you enjoy what you are doing.
“The more you stay calm, your head will be clearer and you will make the right decisions.
“The biggest thing is if you make a wrong decision you need to try and forget about it as quick as possible, especially in T20s as the match goes quickly.
“So if you start thinking too much about what you did wrong, then you will miss quite a few.”
With the positive development of his fledgling umpiring career, all the signs are there that we could see Sodumo on our screens soon enough covering franchise and possibly even international matches.
“All I have to do is keep progressing and keep working on my umpiring.
“Some things are out of my control so I just have to take it step by step and as long as I work on my game and keep improving every time, whatever happens will happen,” he said.
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