DEVONPORT NETBALL MUM EJECTED FOR "REFEREEING THE REFEREE" AT UNDER-12 GAME
Umpire is 15. Mum is 47. Saturday at Ngataringa Park did not go well for either.
A Devonport mother has been removed from the sideline of an under-12 netball match at Ngataringa Park on Saturday after spending the entire first quarter shouting corrections at a 15-year-old umpire she described, loudly and repeatedly, as "fucking blind".
The mother, Annabel Cresswell-Jones, was watching her daughter's Belmont Intermediate B team play a Takapuna side when she took exception to a contact call in the circle. Witnesses say she began with "that's not contact, love" and escalated within four minutes to "are you actually fucking serious", at which point a club official walked over with a clipboard and a face.
"She was carrying on like a pork chop," said another parent, Hine Walters, who'd brought a thermos and now wishes she'd brought earplugs. "Telling the umpire where to stand. Telling the umpire what the rule was. The umpire is in Year 11. The umpire cried in the car park afterwards. I saw it."
My late husband Gerald umpired junior cricket for eleven years in Marshlands and was never once hollered at by a woman in activewear that cost more than his car. Standards on the Shore are what one expects when houses go for $2.3 million and the mothers have nothing left to win at.
A Netball North Harbour spokesperson confirmed Mrs Cresswell-Jones had been asked to leave and would face a "please explain" letter, adding that umpire abuse at junior level was "becoming a weekly thing, honestly". The umpire, contacted via her mother, said she was "fine" but had decided to take next Saturday off to "do literally anything else".
Mrs Cresswell-Jones was last seen on the Lake Road side of the park, on the phone, telling someone the call had been "a fucking disgrace". Her daughter's team lost by 14. Her daughter has asked to switch to hockey.
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Reader Letters
Garry (Halswell)
Back in my day, we respected umpires. Didn't matter if they were 15 or 50. People have forgotten how to watch a game and just enjoy it.
SarahTheLocal
I live in Devonport. These netball matches are starting to feel like a combat sport, but the action's all on the sideline. You should see some of these parents go!
Roger_The_Ref
For the record, technically the call was correct given the player's position. Seems like Annabel doesn't understand the rules as well as she thinks she does!
Annoyed_In_Albany
@Roger_The_Ref It's not just about rules, mate. It's about decency and showing support. Shame on Annabel for making a spectacle.
Karen_NotThatOne
Figures, just another example of the rich feeling entitled to dictate everything. It's a netball game, not the stock market! Get a grip, lady!
Trev_Hornby
Lol, ref's only a kid, give her a break! It's netball not the World Cup. Annabel needs to take a deep breath… and a chill pill.
MumOf4_West
My boy played soccer and never had these issues. I find it's the netball and rugby parents who lose the plot most often. Lansdowne parents, you know what I'm talking about.
Sandra McKenzie
Is $2.3 million even accurate for a house in Devonport? Might be more these days. Set her expectations too high, if you ask me.
BarryBishopdale
@Sandra McKenzie Mate, doesn't matter if it's 2.3 or 3 mil, point is she's behaving like a right knobhead. It's about attitude, not property prices.