Читать книгу Classic After-Dinner Sports Tales - Jonathan Rice - Страница 13

Dickie Bird MBE played county cricket for Yorkshire and Leicestershire and then went on to become our best known and best loved umpire. At the start of his 66th and final Test, at Lord’s in 1996, the Indian players stood as a guard of honour as he came out to umpire. He still gave Michael Atherton out lbw in the first over.

I remember umpiring at Old Trafford (everything seemed to happen to me at Old Trafford) in an England v Australia Test. Bob Holland, the Australian leg-spinner, was bowling from my end to Graham Gooch. Holland bowled a full toss, which Graham hit straight back at me like a bullet. It hit me on the ankle and down I went. The Australian physio came out onto the field to give me treatment, to a huge cheer from the full house at Old Trafford.

After I received my treatment and stood up rather shakily to restart play, Bob Holland thanked me for saving four runs. Graham Gooch, on the other hand, was not happy at having lost four runs. It’s amazing what can happen in the middle of a Test match.