Billy Bowden

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Brent Fraser "Billy" Bowden (born 11 April 1963) is an international cricket umpire from New Zealand. He is known for his dramatic signalling style, which has earned him both fans and critics alike. He began his career as a player until, at the age of 21, he began to suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, seemingly ending his career as a cricketer. Soon after, he took a position as an umpire. His condition was contributory to his flamboyant style but he has since adopted it deliberately.

Critics include Test captain Martin Crowe, who compared Bowden to Bozo the Clown. He has also been accused of incorrectly judging a number of leg before wicket decisions. His fans contest that he brings a new lease of life to the game. He is recognisable by his trademark crooked finger, jumping six signal and baseball style four wave.

Australian and English fans will remember Bowden for an incident which occurred during the first Test of the 2006/07 Ashes series. Bowden was umpiring at square-leg when the English batsman Geraint Jones struck the ball towards him. Bowden attempted to move, but the ball hit him on the thigh (or perhaps his radio), knocking him over and sending his electrical equipment flying. As Bowden lifted himself from the ground, television cameras captured him yelling "f**k".

He is a member of the ICC Elite Umpire Panel and regularly umpires one-day and Test matches.