Lindsay Edwards

Lindsay Edwards has given stalwart service to Whanganui and New Zealand Softball for around a half century as a player, umpire and administrator.

As a catcher for the Whanganui Aces club, Lindsay played representative softball for Whanganui and Hawke's Bay.

During his career as a Detective Sergeant in the New Zealand Police, he also played for the NZ Police and Combined Services teams.

Lindsay essentially exchanged one mask for another taking up umpiring fulltime after ending his catching career.

From 1994, Lindsay attended almost every tournament on the NZ softball calendar and was often selected for the umpiring crew for tournament finals.

In 1998 he became an International Softball Federation certified umpire, allowing him to officiate internationally, which enabled him to travel with the New Zealand Black Sox team on a North American tour in 1998.

He was the NZ umpire at the men's junior world championships in Sydney in 2001, the year Lindsay was adjudged NZ Umpire of the Year.

Lindsay was selected as an umpire for the 2004 ISF men's world championships in Christchurch, extending a proud record for Whanganui umpires. He became No 3 in a list of four Whanganui 'blues' to officiate a world series, following former NZ players Charlie Phillips (an early mentor for Lindsay) and Don Brewer in 1976. Lance Brown became the fourth when he officiated at the 2013 and 2015 tournaments.

He was also part of the umpiring staff for a four-team international series in the Bay of Plenty in 2005 and for the Oceania men's world championship qualifier in Auckland in 2008.

Lindsay has been a long-time umpire’s administrator in Whanganui and served as the central region umpires director from 2004 to 2012. Since 2012, he has been a deputy national director.

Lindsay has long been a devoted Whanganui Softball Association administrator, beginning a long spell as secretary in 2007 - two years after he was made a Whanganui life member.

Now a Whanganui sports store proprietor, few people have given as much service to softball in provincial New Zealand as Lindsay Edwards.