Trent Boult whacked the first ball of his innings straight back down the wicket, almost taking out umpire Phil Reed.

A 160 gram, rock hard, red missile propelled at 160km/hr-plus can be menacing.

'I yelled oi! What do you think you're doing?” recalls Phil. Boult the Black Cap has an impish sense of humor and replied in kind. 'Coach told me to play a straight bat for the first few deliveries, so you better get out of the way!”

That's the richness of cricket according to Phil– it's all interactions, experiences and anecdotes. He loves it, loves being an umpire, loves being out amongst the wickets, the runs and players like Boult.

'Of course you are watching the ball, but you are also doing some serious, close-up people-watching. It's stimulating and fascinating seeing the batting and bowling personalities unfold while standing at the crease.”

Phil is making a pitch for his craft and for more cricket umpires. There are nine premier grade men's cricket teams in the Bay of Plenty: two in Rotorua, one in Taupo and the rest from Tauranga – and just a small pool of about 12 umpires to cover those matches each weekend. They're stretched. They need more.

Often there aren't enough umpires available to have two standing in each game. 'Some weekends we have only one, and he has to go from end to end. There's no square leg umpire.” A player from the batting team can stand in. 'But they can't make any difficult game-changing decisions. And of course there may be concerns about impartiality.”

It's not good but they can only commit as many umpires as they have. 'And we don't have enough,” says Phil.

So, when numbers are crunched, a pool of at least 24 senior qualified umpires would be ideal. 'Because we would also like to cover reserve grade games as well.”

There's a programme to encourage teenage umpires. Phil's 15-year-old son, who's been playing cricket for six or seven years, is now a level one umpire as well. It's in the genes.

Level one involves an online course and a couple of hours' practical training at Blake Park. Level two is a written test or zoom interview. Level three is more complex than level two; and level four is both answering questions and a written two-hour exam.

The local cricket scene is also evolving and it's exciting. 'The borders are open, new international players are coming in from overseas, and when you walk out to the middle for a game you don't know what you'll be facing,” says Phil.

So what makes a good cricket umpire? 'Patience, concentration and man management skills. You have to manage both captains and be calm, resolute, respectful and personable. Not overly friendly, but personable.” A level of fitness would help. 'I typically walk 13,000 paces in a 50 over match – 13km.” And it can be a long day. If a game starts at 11.30am Phil arrives by 10am. There are things to be done. And the game can go through to 7 or 7.30pm.

So there has to be understanding at home. 'Summers are cricket,” says Phil. 'My wife is a cricket fan and as long as I have one day at home during the weekend, she understands. But I am home all winter.”

Which reminds us of one of the most famous of cricket umpires, England's bachelor Harold Dennis ‘Dickie' Bird. 'That's why I never married; I was married to cricket.”

A cricket game is not all flannels, sunblock and bonhomie. 'Eleven fielders all screaming at you, appealing, ‘howzat!', and when you say ‘not out', you can feel the heat.”

It would be helpful to send some decisions up to the third umpire, the TV umpire, but they don't have that luxury. 'You just have to make the hard decisions. You observe, weigh it up, then adjudicate…firm and in good faith. And then you get on with it.” That's when the training, the professionalism and the experience of an umpire kicks in.

There's a modest sweetener. Cricket umpires get paid $100 a day. 'It won't make you a rich man at my level, but it's nice.” Then there are all the travel expenses.

Phil has been admitted to the A Board of umpires to oversee lower level and age-group Northern District representative games. He has an eye on the regional board where he would officiate at Ford Trophy, Plunket Shield and Super Smash games. And beyond perhaps.

'I would love to stand at the MCG one day, be an international umpire…the Ashes, or the IPL.” His $100 for a day in the sun in Tauranga would blow out to $100,000 as an elite panel ICC umpire.

You can join the great institution of cricket umpiring by emailing: bopumpires@outlook.com