Harold "Dickie" Bird
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Harold Dennis Bird, MBE, commonly known as "Dickie" Bird (born in Barnsley, Yorkshire on April 19, 1933) is a retired international cricket umpire. The son of a miner, he gained the nickname 'Dickie' at school. He resides in the South Yorkshire village of Staincross.
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[edit] Playing days
When a knee injury put paid to playing football professionally, he followed his second love, cricket.
In his early career in Barnsley, he played club cricket in the same team as Geoff Boycott, and journalist and chat show host Michael Parkinson, who became a lifelong friend. In 1956, he signed up with his home county, Yorkshire.
Between 1956 and 1964, Bird played first class cricket as a batsman for Yorkshire and Leicestershire in the English County Championship. After his County career, he coached and played league cricket before becoming an umpire.
[edit] Umpiring days
He stood in his first county game in 1970. Three years later he officiated at his first Test match (England v New Zealand at Headingley, Leeds). He gained a reputation for stopping play for weather and not giving batsmen out LBW.
Bird's attention to detail turned nasty at the centenary Test at Lord's in 1980, between England and Australia. Although the Saturday of this particular match had mostly pleasant sunshine, Bird and his fellow umpire refused to let play start because of the previous night's rain; parts of the outfield were still waterlogged too much for comfort, according to the officials. Some Lord's pavilion members became upset and jostled Bird and apparently struck the then England captain Ian Botham. This most unsavoury incident became sadly this prestigious Test's most notable talking point which ended in a dull draw. Thankfully, Bird was never really involved in anything more of this nature for the rest of his Test umpiring career.
One of his strengths was that he was able to manage and earn the respect of some of the more volatile players in the game, sometimes by using his infectious humour. He was also known as being eccentric, famously arriving at a ground five hours early as the Queen was to visit that day.
At the beginning of his sixty-sixth and final Test in 1996, the two teams - India and England - formed a 'guard of honour' as he came out, and he received a standing ovation from the crowd. Bird, an emotional man, was in tears. Two years later, in 1998, he stood in his last county match.
Bird umpired in 66 Test matches and 92 one day internationals including 3 World Cup Finals around the world.
[edit] Celebrity days
Bird went on to write his autobiography simply titled My Autobiography which sold over a million copies. Bird set up the Dickie Bird Foundation to help disadvantaged under 18s achieve their potential in sport.
He received an MBE from the Queen in 1986 and has also received honorary doctorates from Leeds and Sheffield Hallam Universities. Bird has been given the Freedom of Barnsley.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Bird, Harold Dennis |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Dickie |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Cricket umpire |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 19, 1933 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Barnsley, Yorkshire |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
