Orange District Cricket Association president Mark Frecklington will take on a far less thankful job – as an umpire. 

Frecklington made his first grade debut in the competition’s opening round on Saturday, and he said he hopes to stay there for the season. 

He took to the field in Sydney University’s win over Manly-Warringah and had the best seat in the house to watch an Ed Cowan half century. 

While the game wasn’t a pressure-cooker environment – Sydney Uni won by 140 runs – Frecklington downplayed the occasion as “another game”. 

“I guess there were a few little nerves, but it’s just like second-grade but with a bit more pressure,” he said.

“It’s hard to explain it, you just trust yourself.”

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He said he didn’t have any curve-balls or contentious calls thrown his way by either side and just called it as he saw it. 

“I really enjoyed it,” he said. 

This will be Frecklington’s third season making the trek to and from the big smoke to umpire city competitions, and first grade was “an opportunity that came up” that he seized with both hands. 

”I guess I just wanted to go down and give it a shot,” he said. 

Higher grades often bring bigger egos, and with David Warner lining up across town in the same division, the sledging could take a different tack for Frecklington over the summer – whether it’s directed at him or at players.

Although having spent time umpiring and playing lower grades and regional cricket, it’s unlikely Frecklington will come across words he hasn’t heard before. 

That said, he had an uneventful debut on the weekend. 

“They behaved pretty well, they all played in good spirits. There was a bit of chatter,” he said. 

Frecklington will miss the second round of grade cricket due to being away on holiday, but other than that he is aiming to get to Sydney every game of the season, and hoped to end up in first grade as often as possible. 

He admitted getting to Sydney every week would be difficult, but said he had a routine in place to make it work for him. 

“I’ve got to make sure I’m well-rested, you don’t want to be falling asleep in the middle of a game,” he said.

He’s spoken to a few people around the traps, including veteran umpire Chris King, who has been travelling to and from Sydney for a decade, about how to make it work.

NSW Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association executive officer Darren Goodger said Frecklington had earned his spot in the top grade, with captains and observers impressed with “accurate and consistent decisions, composure under pressure and excellent match management skills”. 

“Mark made it impossible to not pick him … he earned his spot,” Goodger said. 

Frecklington joins more than a dozen umpires from as far away as Wagga Wagga and Taree who travel to Sydney to umpire in district cricket.

It’s something Goodger is proud of, being a state-wide body and not Sydney-centric. 

“It shows there are opportunities for umpires from anywhere in the state, and while they’re competing for spots they’re also working as part of a team.