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Today SUNSPORT continues its Around The Pavilion series, which features personalities involved behind the scenes during the Busta Cricket Series.

It's always every local umpire's dream to stand in a first-class match.

And there are few umpires who would have shown the type of dedication that landed Vincent Bullen his big moment.

The 43-year-old postman, who is officiating with Steve Bucknor in the Busta match between Barbados and Windward Islands at Kensington Oval, has hardly ever missed a day of duties in domestic competitions.

"If I go into something, I do it seriously. I was umpiring for the last 15 seasons and I have missed cricket on only two Saturdays " the day I got married and the day my brother got married," Bullen told SUNSPORT after the experience of his first day in the middle as a first-class umpire.

He admitted there were some nerves at the start of the day but the presence of one of the game's most respected umpires was very beneficial.

"Bucknor was extremely helpful. From the time I came to the ground, he was giving me tips on what to do, what not to do and how to function in the middle," Bullen said.

During the tea interval he received a pleasant surprise when some of his colleagues at the Eagle Hall Post Office presented him with a small gift to mark his 21st anniversary at the branch.

"They are my most loyal supporters. They are the people who keep me going. When I go to work on a Mondays, they would tell me that the commentators gave me licks on Saturday, but they would tell me on hang in there," he said

"There was testimony today [Friday] that they are my greatest supporters. I was surprised. I knew that they were coming to cricket, but I didn't know they would have gone that far and I want to thank them very much."

As an umpire, Bullen has gone through thick and thin.

It is a job which brings criticism from all quarters, but he has come toaccept it.

"All umpires make mistakes. I will make mistakes, but you just have to try and not to make too many and put them behind you," he said.

"If you make honest mistakes, players will forgive you and they will understand.

"You have got to take the good with the bad. Sometimes you want to finish, like when you get heckled by the spectators. It is challenging, but it is interesting."

Born in Hillaby, St Andrew, Bullen now lives in Crawford Road, Black Rock, St Michael but he visits his family in the country every weekend.

His first involvementin cricket was not asan umpire. He was a useful leg-spinner for Hillaby Cultural in the Barbados Cricket League and was once good enough to capture seven wickets in an innings. In addition, he finished the 1982 season with more than 70 scalps.

There were times, however, when he could not make the team and he volunteered to umpire when officials were absent. Last year he had a "big break" being the only Barbadian at the Millenium Softball Cricket Competition at Disney World in Orlando, United States.

It was from there that he developed an interest in the job and he joined the Barbados Cricket Umpires Association in 1987 before becoming a qualified regional umpire in 1990.

That was the year in which he stood in his first Division 1 match which he described as a "telling experience". It was a clash between Empire and St Catherine, which he said was played before a charged atmosphere at the tiny Bank Hall ground. He distinctly remembers top Empire batsman Carlisle Best falling lbw to the second ball ofthe match.

Bullen, who is married to Barbara and has two children, is not short of future ambitions.

"I believe that all good things come to those who wait," he said when asked if it was his goal is to reach international level.

"If that is to happen to me, I would be delighted, but at this present moment this is the first step and I will have to wait and see what happens," added the father of Harriet, 23, and Jamal, 15.

© The Barbados Nation