A DECISION to give up playing cricket at the age of 17 to focus exclusively on umpiring has paid off big time for one of the island’s up-and-coming officials.
Leslie Reifer Jr has been appointed to the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) International panel of umpires at the age of 26, making him the youngest ever member of the sport’s governing body’s second tier of officials.
The former St Michael School student, who has been a member of the West Indies Cricket Board’s senior panel of umpires since 2013, was notified of his appointment last week and described the elevation as a “dream come true”.
“From the time I was a very young boy, I knew that I wanted to be in international cricket. I wanted to play international cricket. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it as a player. To be given the opportunity to officiate at the highest level feels great,” Reifer told WEEKEND SPORT. (HG)
Please read the full story in today’s Weekend Nation, or in the eNATION edition.
