Lou Rowan facts for kids

Louis Patrick "Lou" Rowan (2 May 1925 – 3 February 2017) was a famous Australian cricket umpire. He was the umpire for the very first One Day International cricket match. This historic game happened at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 5 January 1971.

Lou Rowan umpired 25 Test matches between 1963 and 1971. He became Australia's most experienced umpire after Col Egar retired. Before becoming an umpire, Rowan worked as a Detective Sergeant. His first Test match as an umpire was between Australia and England. It took place at the Sydney Cricket Ground from 11 to 15 January 1963. He umpired this match with Bill Smyth.

Umpiring in the 1970-71 Ashes Series

Lou Rowan umpired six out of seven Test matches in the 1970–71 Ashes series. This series was known for some disagreements. Some England players, like Ray Illingworth, Geoff Boycott, and John Snow, were not happy with some of his decisions.

After the series, Boycott and Snow had to attend a meeting about their behavior. Illingworth and Snow never toured Australia again for cricket. In this series, no Australian batsman was given out lbw (leg before wicket). The England team felt this showed unfair umpiring. It's important to remember that umpires at the time made decisions instantly. They did not have slow-motion replays to help them.

Controversial Decisions

In the First Test, Keith Stackpole should have been run out. Geoff Boycott knocked over the wickets. But Rowan gave Stackpole the benefit of the doubt, meaning he was not out. Australian newspapers later showed photos proving Stackpole was clearly out. They called it "one of the worst decisions in cricket history." Stackpole then went on to score 207 runs, his highest Test score ever. This decision made the England players doubt Rowan's umpiring skills.

In the Second Test, Ray Illingworth won the coin toss. He asked for the roller to be used on the pitch before play. Rowan refused his request. Rowan later realized his mistake and said sorry during the lunch break.

John Snow's Bowling

England's fast bowler John Snow often bowled short balls. He hit Australian players Garth McKenzie and Terry Jenner on the head during the series. Rowan felt these balls were too dangerous. He warned Snow twice for bowling in a way that could intimidate batsmen. Snow did not agree that balls hitting the rib cage were intimidating. He kept bowling them. As a result, Snow received an official warning. This meant he could not bowl again if he got another warning.

Snow felt Rowan was being unfair. He thought Australian bowler Alan Thomson was not warned for similar bowling. Thomson bowled many bouncers at Snow and Illingworth.

The First One Day International

In the abandoned Third Test in Melbourne, Rowan and Tom Brooks refused to start play. The field was not safe to play on. Even though officials wanted the game to start, the umpires stood firm. Instead of a Test match, a 40-over match was played. Australia won this game by 5 wickets. This match became the first ever One Day International. Rowan and Brooks were the first umpires to stand in such a game.

Final Test and Book

In the Sixth Test, Geoff Boycott was run out. He strongly disagreed with the decision. He later refused to apologize for his behavior. This caused a big discussion in the news. However, there was no clear proof that Rowan's decision was wrong this time.

The Seventh Test in Sydney was Lou Rowan's last Test match as an umpire. It was from 12 to 17 February 1971. Tom Brooks was his umpiring partner. England won this dramatic game by 62 runs and won back The Ashes.

During this match, Doug Walters was given not out by Rowan when he should have been stumped. A few balls later, he was stumped by Brooks. Later, Keith Stackpole was caught, but Rowan gave him not out. England captain Ray Illingworth said it was "unbelievable."

Later in the game, John Snow hit Australian batsman Terry Jenner on the head with a bouncer. Rowan warned Snow for dangerous bowling. The crowd was very unhappy and booed loudly. A spectator grabbed Snow, and beer cans were thrown at him. The English players walked off the field. Rowan told them they had to either continue playing or lose the match. The players returned after the crowd was cleared.

In 1972, Rowan wrote a book called The Umpire's Story. In his book, he was very critical of the England team, especially Illingworth and Snow.

Later Umpiring Career

In the 1971-72 season, a tour by the South African team was cancelled. This was due to protests against the apartheid policies of the South African government. Instead, a 'World Team' visited Australia. They played a series of matches that were like Test matches, but not officially recognized. Rowan umpired three of these games. One match was at Perth, where Dennis Lillee took 8 wickets for only 29 runs in one innings.

See also

• List of Test cricket umpires
• List of One Day International cricket umpires