Chris Roos, a cricket umpire from Strand, who just completed the pinnacle of his career as an umpire at the International Masters over-40 World Cup, has made tremendous strides in his career since he started at the tender age of 16.
“At a very young age I become obsessed with cricket, especially scoring for various teams in my school, Hoerskool Tuine in Pretoria. As a teenager I used to organise local day/night games at the school and sorted all logistics and arrangements that were needed for the games over the next three years that followed, including preparings stats for teams.”
At age 17 years, his teacher at the time got him involved in umpiring and during that same season he got involved with the Western Province Cricket Umpires Association.
Roos said he remembered starting in the Division 2A league and his first match was Helderberg Cricket Club vs Elsies River CC.
“I was the youngest umpire in South Africa at the time. As the years went on and I developed my role and so I climbed the ladder.
I did a lot of youth-age-group tournaments over the years, and in 2003 I stood for the first time at Newlands. I progressed from the second division to first division and now I’m currently in the Premier League”.
Along the way he umpired several provincial games and most recently the International Masters World Cup hosted over February and March.
“My greatest fans in this world are my mother and the Almighty,” said Roos, adding that his role models are the late Mohammed Bagus and Ronnie Pilowski.
He has also received many accolades over the years for umpiring and recently was honoured as ambassador for charitable endowment receiving organisation AWQAF for his services to cricket and umpiring.
Roos is currently serving his 25th season in the Premier League of Club Cricket SA and is executive member of the Western Province Cricket Umpires Association and chair of the Helderberg Vikings veteran’s team.
“In general I see umpiring as follows: ‘it doesn’t matter what age group you are officiating, young or old, the laws stay the same.”
