THE 49th person to join the magical 300 game club of the Western District Umpires Association (WDUA) raised his flags on Saturday to acknowledge the feat.

Goal umpire, Owen Drinkell, added his name to the illustrious list of people who have given their knowledge, expertise, and time to a game they love across the history of the WDUA.

It all started for Drinkell back in 1968 when he was with the Burwood United Churches Football club in the Eastern Districts Football League, asked to forego his usual time keeper’s role for the club, to pick up the flags after the regular goal umpire failed to turn up.

When that individual failed again to show the next week, Drinkell was hooked, and he hasn’t looked back, as he saw the sport from a completely different aspect between the sticks.

It was 1974 when he was transferred to Mount Gambier for work, that he joined the South East Football Umpires League and took up his position.

From then till now, he has officiated in 1540 games, and incredible number that emphasises his love of the sport and the game.

Of course, in that time there have been immeasurable highlights in his career, with various finals and grand finals, but one highlight sticks out.

“It was a game where Des Trotter entered the game on 97 goals and he was kicking to my end in the first quarter,” Drinkell said.

“Well, Des had five kicks at goal and missed them all in that term, and after the fifth shot he said to me, ‘what do I have to do to get a goal out of you Drinkell?’, and I replied, ‘you have to kick it straight’.

“The quarter ended, and he went down the other end and promptly added goals number 98, 99, and 100, and promptly turned around after and gave me the two-fingered salute.”

Drinkell is not a winter sports specialist only, umpiring cricket in Mount Gambier, Portland and Hamilton with the highlight being a 1979 one-day first class match between Victoria and Tasmania at Henty Park, Portland with Dean Jones, Tony Dodemaide, Roger Woolley, and David Boon just a few of the players involved.

Each year he covers in excess of 40,000kms driving too and from the games he officiates in, and said he still has a few years left in him yet.