Cricket Community Honors Iconic Umpire Dickie Bird at His Funeral, Joined by Former England Captain Michael Vaughan

The cricketing world came together to bid farewell to the iconic umpire Dickie Bird, who passed away at the age of 92. A ceremony held in his honor was attended by a host of notable figures from the sport.

Among the attendees at St Mary’s Church in Barnsley, Bird’s birthplace, were former England players Michael Vaughan and Sir Geoffrey Boycott. Both cricketers, along with others, came to honor Bird’s remarkable contribution to the game.

Renowned for his presence on the field, Bird’s death on September 22 prompted a wave of heartfelt tributes. His career as an international umpire was illustrious, overseeing 66 Test matches and 69 One Day Internationals, including officiating three World Cup finals.

Today, former England captain Michael Vaughan was one of the many who gathered to pay their last respects to the beloved umpire, whose legacy in cricket will be remembered for generations.

Among those present to pay their respects today was former England captain Vaughan. 

After hearing news of his death last month, Vaughan had shared a farewell message on social media, noting that it was ‘such a sad loss’. 

‘Mr Yorkshire will always be remembered,’ he added. 

Fellow mourners included ex-Yorkshire director of cricket Martyn Moxon, and Bird’s close friend and former England batsman Sir Geoffrey Boycott who read a eulogy during the service.

‘I first met Dickie Bird when I was 15, at the time I was playing cricket for Hemsworth Grammar School,’ he said, before noting wryly: ‘He called me Gerald for years.’

‘Surprisingly with all the nerves he had as a batsman, he became a great umpire because he could channel all that nervous energy into good decisions,’ Boycott continued.

‘Dickie was refreshingly different. Eccentric but fair. It would be hard to find anyone who didn’t like him.’

In 2014, Bird was appointed president of Yorkshire Cricket Club, and was a regular visitor to county and international matches at Headingley. 

He funded the Dickie Bird Players’ Balcony with £125,000 of his own cash, as well as offering financial awards to young players – with current England star Harry Brook among his beneficiaries. 

At his final Test match, between England and India at Lord’s in 1996, he received a guard of honour from both teams, before going against his stereotype by giving Mike Atherton out lbw for a duck in the first over to Javagal Srinath.

A fervent royalist who claimed to have met the Queen 29 times, he was made an MBE in 1986 and an OBE 26 years later, in recognition of his contribution to the sport.

Known for his good humour in his individual officiating style, Bird was deservedly referred to as a ‘national treasure’ in a statement shared by Yorkshire in the wake of his death. 

‘Dickie Bird became a national treasure, known not only for his umpiring excellence but also for his eccentricities and warmth,’ the statement read.