BY CONRAD SUTCLIFFE

WORLD famous umpire Dickie Bird has been remembered fondly by Devon’s cricket community following his death at the age 93.

Bird, who played professionally for Yorkshire then Leicestershire between 1953-1964, began umpiring in 1970 and was in the middle for 503 First Class matches, including 66 Tests, as well as 491 limited-overs games and 69 one-day internationals.

During the time between leaving the professional game, and donning the white coat, proud Yorkshireman Bird spent four years at Paignton CC as club professional. He also doubled as cricket coach at Plymouth College.

“Those were happy, relaxed times for me,” said Bird in his 1997 autobiography, Dickie Bird. “I enjoyed coaching the schoolboys so much I went in for the advanced coaching certificate. Receiving that award was as thrilling as playing for Yorkshire – and winning my Leicestershire cap.”

A professional’s job was to perform consistently in the 1st XI, coach players of all ages and generally make himself useful. Between 1965-1969, Bird certainly did that.

Bird was a consistent, if extremely patient, run maker for Paignton in those pre-Devon League days of declaration matches, scoring more than 10,000 runs across five seasons.

The statistics are seem impressive – 2,520 runs in the summer of 1966 at an average in the early 90s – but Bird did pad-up 47 times to get them.

South Devon’s Joe Oliver played against Bird numerous times and remembered him as a limpet-like batsman.

“Dickie would bat all day if he could, which we didn’t mind that much as he would take so long getting to 50,” said Oliver.

“In the bar afterwards he was a lovely bloke. He always had plenty to say and was quite a character.”

Tim Ward, the present Paignton chairman, did not play with Bird. But his late father Trevor did back in the 60s.

“Dickie was quite a character – always with plenty to talk about – and always pleased to walk round the ground with his cap taking a collection after he had scored a 50,” said Ward

Bird loathed getting out and, according to Torquay professional David Post had a way of convincing umpires to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“I remember he ‘nicked’ one off my bowling and was caught, the umpire’s finger went up and Dickie should have been out,” said Post.

“Dickie said ‘I nicked it … I am not out’ and carried on. How he got away with it I will never know.”

Post knew Bird better than most as when he arrived at Paignton he ‘lodged’ with his family for his first season.

“Bert, my father, was the chairman at Paignton and when Dickie first arrived he had nowhere to stay,” said Post.

“My parents said he could stay for a couple of nights while he sorted something out – and he ended up staying for four months!”

“I never saw any rent changing hands, or anything else!”

Richard Hussey, a Paignton lifer with a seven-decade connection to the Queen’s Park club, is one of the few people still around who played with Bird. He remembers him with affection.

“I was never old enough to play in the first team with Dickie, but we had a lot of midweek games against touring sides and I played with him in those a number of times,” said Hussey.

Describing Bird’s approach to batting, Hussey said: “Let’s just say he was a typically dour Yorkshire batsman from that era.

One of Bird’s duties was to umpire colts’ matches, which Hussey also played in.

“Little did any of us know that Dickie would go on to umpire Ashes Tests and three World Cup finals,” said Hussey.

It was during Bird’s final summer at Queens Park in 1969 that he first considered being an umpire, at the suggestion of former Middlesex and England fast bowler John (J J) Warr, who was captaining touring side Heffle Cuckoos in a mid-week game.

“I just laughed,” said Bird in his autobiography. “However, it set me thinking.

“The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. I eventually convinced myself it would be a good substitute for playing, so why not give it a shot?”

Bird’s first appointment in the middle was in May 1970  at Trent Bridge alongside former Leicestershire team-mate David Constant. 

Three weeks later Bird was back at Leicestershire’s Grace Road ground, where Kent were the visitors.

It was during that game that the former Torquay and Devon keeper-batter Roger Tolchard, who went on to play four times for England during a 19-season career, first met Bird.

Tolchard, who played for Paignton after his professional career ended in 1983, soon developed a huge soft spot for Bird.

“Dickie was always so kind and helpful, no more so when  I was at Leicestershire,” said Tolchard.

“I always felt  he would try his level best not to give me out – and he always made us laugh.

“When I became Leicestershire captain (1981-83) I had to mark him – and always gave him top marks.”

Within three more years Bird was back at Headingley, where he had previously played for Yorkshire, standing in the third Test between England and New Zealand.

Together with Devonian contemporary David Shepherd, Bird went on to become one of the best-known umpires in world cricket.

Despite his globetrotting role as an international umpire – which took him to Zimbabwe, Pakistan, India New Zealand, Canada, Australia and Tasmania, and all over the Caribbean, Bird never forgot his time at Paignton. 

Out of season Bird was a regular guest at the Livermead House Hotel, owned  by friends John and Pat Perry, where he would catch up with old 60s team-mates such as Len Harvey and Ron Fenton.