Ruci Kaiwai Muriyalo will break new barriers when she takes on the role of a cricket umpire during the upcoming Pacific Cup in Auckland, New Zealand from 17 to 21 January 2024. Ruci, 37, was a former national women’s cricket player and captain, and had her swansong in Vanuatu during the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s T20 East Asia Pacific World Cup qualifier last year. With a colourful playing career spanning 13 years, Ruci will now embrace a new challenge as the first Fijian woman to officiate as an umpire in a regional cricket tournament.
“I look forward to the tournament as it will be the first time for me to officiate, and will look forward to learn as much as I can from this experience”
Teams that will participate in the tournament are Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand Maori, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Vanuatu.
“I have played against most of the players from the other teams and have made friends with them in the past 13 years as a player, and it will be a challenge for me to officiate when they play. But I will maintain the standards and responsibility of being an umpire and provide decisions based on the laws of the game” Ruci shared.
Prior to the tournament, Ruci and High-Performance Manager Tomasi Nawaciono will undergo an ICC Umpire Tutor course, where they will be trained as accredited ICC Tutors to deliver the ICC Level 1 Umpire Course in Fiji. Their involvement, especially Ruci’s will align well with Cricket Fiji’s objective of having at least 50% of accredited local umpires as women by 2026.
Ruci’s ground-breaking involvement not only adds a significant chapter to her personal journey but also contributes to the broader goal of fostering diversity and inclusivity in local cricket officiating. Her determination and leadership will also set a positive precedent for aspiring women umpires in Fiji and around the region.
