Trailblazing umpire Redfern to make history with LV= Insurance County Championship debut

Sue Redfern will again break new ground when she becomes the first female umpire to stand in a men's first-class match in England and Wales next week.

Redfern has been appointed to umpire the LV= Insurance County Championship match between Glamorgan and Derbyshire at Sophia Gardens, which begins on Tuesday 26 September.

Capped 21 times by England as a player between 1995 and 1999, Redfern has since become a trailblazing figure for female umpires.

Redfern will return to Cardiff where she made history two years ago by becoming the first female umpire to officiate a home England Men’s match, when she was the fourth official in the Vitality IT20 against Sri Lanka.

Earlier this summer, Redfern was the first female umpire to stand in a Vitality Blast match when she officiated the game between Gloucestershire and Middlesex at the Seat Unique Stadium in Bristol.

Redfern has also umpired in six major global tournaments including the 2022 Commonwealth Games as well as three ICC Women’s T20 World Cups and two ICC Women’s World Cups.

Redfern was the first female umpire to sign a full-time professional contract at the start of last summer when she was appointed to the ECB’s newly-created Professional Umpires’ Team.

Redfern said: “I have worked hard to earn this opportunity and I look forward to taking the next step in my career by umpiring a men's first-class match.

“That has been an ambition of mine for a long time and, while it is a new challenge that will test me, I know that I am ready for it.

“Umpiring has become such a fulfilling part of my life and while my focus is on being the best umpire I can be, I hope my journey can also be an inspiration to others.

“When I started umpiring I had to balance other work commitments with my umpiring, but it is now a career I can solely focus on. I am proud of the steps I have taken and that I am proving that opportunities now exist in umpiring for anyone if they’re willing to work hard and dedicate themselves.”

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