Pye Inducted into Hall of Fame

NSWCUSA has welcomed the 16th member of the Association’s Hall of Fame, with Life member Kevin Pye inducted at the 2025 Annual Dinner and Awards Night in Bankstown on Saturday 5 April.

Mudgee-based, Pye was the guest of honour at the night, which also saw him presented with a Cricket NSW Community Distinguished Service Award.

Since joining the Association in 1985, Pye has served with distinction both on and off field, recognised with Life membership in 2024.

During his time as an active umpire he officiated in the Mudgee DCA, and representatively within Mitchell Cricket Council, Western Cricket Zone, as well at New South Wales Country and Australian Country Cricket levels.

He umpired at the at Australian Country Cricket Championships held in Dubbo in 1987 and Barooga in 1999, and was appointed by the NSW Cricket Association to:

• New South Wales Country v Sri Lanka, South Grafton, 1990

• New South Wales Country v India, Wagga Wagga, 1991

• Australian Country v West Indies, Newcastle, 1993

• New South Wales Country v Zimbabwe, Dubbo, 1994

• Bradman XI v South Africa, Bowral, 1998

He was also appointed to a women’s ODI in 2000 between Australia and England in Bowral, two WNCL fixtures and State Second XI matches.

He was an inaugural member of the Country Umpire Representative Panel when it was instituted in 1991, awarded with cap number 4.

He umpired two Country Championships Finals, and was the Country Umpire of the Year in 1994 – an award which was named in his honour in 2012.

Off field, Pye was the inaugural Country Cricket Umpire Advisor, taking the role when it was created in 2001, spending four years in the role establishing and embedding processes for the benefit of regional umpires.

In his last season in the role, he was the Umpire Coach at the Australian Country Cricket Championships hosted by Far North Coast Cricket Council, overseeing a panel of umpires who performed to an excellent standard.

Life member Darren Goodger made the presentation to Pye at Bankstown Sports Club, paying tribute to the impact he had on regional umpires, “Kevin Pye is a legend of New South Wales Country Cricket, an umpire, advisor, coach of exceptional quality, and mentor to so many.

“He is also a person of the highest integrity with an exemplary work ethic, one who selflessly made a massive positive difference to others. Kevin not only identified talent, he nurtured it and he developed it.”

Pye was joined on the evening by wife Narelle and daughter Karen, and received a standing ovation from members and guests in attendance on the night after accepting the honour.