WITH more than three decades of umpiring experience Darren Goodger has seen plenty of talented bowlers, so it speaks volumes that he rates Trent Copeland as one of his most admired.
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Since Goodger first stood in a match in 1987, he has become one of the most respected cricket umpires in New South Wales.
When Goodger stood in his first Sydney Grade match in February, 2000, Copeland was still three summers away from making his debut for St George.
When that debut came in third grade Copeland was better known as a wicket-keeper and batsman than a bowler, but things soon changed.
Copeland has gone on to not only skipper the Saints in first grade, but star with the ball. He has taken a total of 463 wickets across the grades at the impressive average of 17.19.
Copeland's performance in the 2009-10 grand final when he had match figures of 10-94 off 39 overs ranks near the top of his highlights list.
No doubt recognition from Goodger, someone Copeland labels a 'bloody legend' will be well received as well.
Goodger told a Cricket Sydney Q&A that Copeland is one of his three most admired bowlers alongside Doug Bollinger and Greg Matthews.
"Trent Copeland: incredible consistency and accuracy. Always made the batsman play, asked tough questions of them and us," he said.
"Had that capacity to beat the bat by half its width, giving him every chance of picking up wickets."
