A hand injury in 1979 gave birth to Jeremy Busby’s career as an umpire, his debut coming in a schoolboy’s match between Burnside High School and Christchurch Boys’ High School.
1000+ matches, or 46 seasons later, it is the enjoyment of cricket and the people who keep him coming back.
“Really I just enjoy being part of the game,” said Busby.
“Plus, I have met some wonderful people over the years – in many cases friends for life,”
“There is an often-used cliché that umpires have the best seat in the house to watch the game,”
“All joking aside, I reckon it is, for the most part, true.”
Across his 46 seasons of umpiring in Canterbury and Wellington, Busby has enjoyed many career highlights, including umpiring First Class and International cricket, umpiring at two ICC Women’s World Cups, and umpiring at a Men’s U19 World Cup.
Yet, his fondest memories come from grassroots cricket—standing in 24 club finals and witnessing countless player milestones across both regions.
Busby’s contributions to the sport extend far beyond the boundary.
For over 43 years, he has played a pivotal role in umpire education across Canterbury and Wellington, mentoring hundreds of aspiring officials.
Jeremy is the kind of mentor every aspiring umpire hopes to have. He is patient, approachable, and genuinely invested in the development of those he works with.
In more recent years, Busby has received ‘his biggest thrill’ from training and educating umpires.
Cory Black is one of the hundreds of Kiwi umpires to be trained and mentored by Busby - @photosportnz
Cory Black, who debuted this season as an international umpire, credits Busby as a key influence on his development.
“Jeremy has been a great mentor and friend to me throughout my 8 years in Wellington and has showed incredible support as my career has progressed,” said Black.
“His wealth of experience umpiring over many years means that he has seen most things that can happen on the cricket field, which makes him an incredible source to tap into to help you develop.”
“He is well loved and admired within the umpiring fraternity and we’re very grateful to have him around.”
Even with such an impressive officiating record, Busby has no plans of stopping any time soon.
“I keep coming back because I love doing the job,” explained Busby.
“My ultimate fantasy is to retire from active umpiring after another 10 seasons,”
“That would give a lovely symmetry of 28 seasons in each province.”
