Cricket umpire breaks silence on how he came narrowly close to losing an eye following a horror accident during a match

A cricket umpire, who was hospitalised after being hit ‘flush on the side of the face’ by a ball, has revealed he came very close to losing one of his eyes while opening up on the horror injuries he sustained.

Tone DeNobrega, aged 64, is a senior Australian cricket umpire and was overseeing a third-grade match at Charles Veryard Reserve in North Perth on November 16, when the shocking incident took place.

The West Australian Suburban Turf Cricket Association (WASTCA) said that a straight drive had caught DeNobrega in the side of the face, with the umpire blacking out for several seconds.

DeNobrega had been stood at the non-striker’s end and was forced to spend two nights in hospital.

He shared a gruesome picture of the aftermath of his injuries having been struck just below his eye, with the side of his face swelling up.

‘Tony was fortunate enough not to have had any broken bones however the doctors are keeping him in under observation as surgery is not out of the question,’ the Umpires Association had said, before sending their best wishes to the official following the ‘terrible incident’.

DeNobrega (pictured) was hit with a ‘straight drive out of the screws’ and had to be rushed to hospital

Doctors had been concerned that the swelling could affect his breathing, with the umpire having avoided undergoing surgery to drain the fluid around his face, after his condition had improved, before being discharged from hospital.

Speaking to 7News, DeNobrega has now opened up on the moment the ball hit him and the injuries he was left with claiming he feels like he ‘won the lotto’.

‘(My face) is still purple and swollen,’ he told 7NEWS.com.au.

‘It hit me just below the eye socket. 2cm up and I could have lost an eye, it was very, very close.

‘I’ve been saying I feel like I won lotto. No broken bones, just swelling.

‘It was my lucky day.’

He claimed to have lost sight of the ball for a moment before he collapsed on the ground. Rather incredibly, the official had organised a replacement umpire to take his place before heading off to hospital.

The umpire has also been having difficulty eating and talking, due to the swelling. He will see a dentist for a check-up on his teeth.

Calls have been made for umpires to be given greater protective equipment, including helmets, with Bruce Oxenford (pictured) one umpire who wears a protective perspex shield 

In the past two weeks since the accident, the swelling has slowly gone down, but DeNobrega still has large bruising on his face.

The incident comes amid concern over the safety of cricket umpires. Some had reacted to the Umpires Association’s Facebook message to call for helmets to be supplied for umpires.

For DeNobrega, the accident hasn’t changed his love for the game but said that it has heightened his fears over being hit again. He added that he is likely to wear a helmet next time he steps onto the oval.

‘The fear of being hit again is so high — I think (the option of a helmet is) important because the game has evolved,’ he said.

‘The bats are so much thicker now and even though (the players) are not professionals… the batters still hit so cleanly.’

‘Umpiring is in my blood and it’s at the forefront of the game. I love the game,” he said.

‘I’ve seen players like Cooper Connolly and Josh Inglis play as juniors and now they’re playing for Australia — you have the best seat in the ground.’

WASTCA chair Brad Pearce has said that the organisation have moved to supply helmets for any umpire who wants to wear one.

‘There aren’t too many incidents, it doesn’t happen often, but it can be catastrophic,’ he told 7NEWS.com.au.

‘I think there will be some genuine interest.’