WA Cricket is mourning the loss of Peter McConnell, unquestionably Western Australia’s most decorated umpire, yesterday.
His journey as a First Class umpire began with a tour match between Western Australia and India in 1977. Fewer than six years later, in November 1983, McConnell made his Test match umpiring debut as Australia triumphed over Pakistan by an innings and nine runs at the WACA Ground.
Such was the consistency and quality of his performances, McConnell soon became a permanent member of the Test panel, overseeing 22 Men’s Tests and two Women’s Tests over the course of his career.
These included five Ashes fixtures, the Jubilee Test at the WACA Ground in 1984, celebrating 50 years of Women’s Test Cricket in Australia, and the Bicentenary Test between Australia and England at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 1988.
McConnell eventually retired from First Class umpiring in 1992, having also overseen 275 First Grade Games across two decades.
His efforts were recognised with life membership to the WA Cricket Umpires Association, where he served as secretary for a period after his career on field.
In 2000, McConnell became the first umpire to earn WACA Life Membership and, later that year, received the Australian Sports Medal as WA’s most decorated international umpire.
His legacy was recognised in the season of 2000-01 by the WA Cricket Umpires Association, which instituted the Peter McConnell Medal in his honour, awarded annual to the best WA Premier Cricket umpire.
Such was the esteem McConnell was held in, he became the first on-field official inducted into the WA Cricket Gallery of Greats.
A high achiever wholeheartedly devoted to his profession, McConnell is the 38th person inducted into the WA Cricket Gallery of Greats.
WA Cricket extends its deepest condolences to the McConnell family.