David Shepherd (umpire)
Encyclopedia
David Robert Shepherd MBE
(27 December 1940 – 27 October 2009) was one of the cricket
world's best-known umpire
s. He stood in 92 Test match
es, the last of them in June 2005, and officiated in three World Cup
finals.
playing career for Gloucestershire
, stretching from 1965 to 1979, and though he never came close to international selection he was popular both with his team-mates and the Gloucestershire supporters. He started with a bang, scoring 108 on debut against Oxford University
, and made eleven more hundreds over the years, though only twice (in 1969 and 1975) did he average
over 30. Never the slimmest of men even in his younger days, he relied more on his fine shot placement than speed across the ground, and his bowling was almost non-existent: he took only two wickets in his entire career. One famous incident at the Gloucestershire Cricket Club saw Shepherd hitting the ball so hard into the crowd that it knocked out a spectator reading a newspaper. The spectator was taken to hospital and recovered with only minor injuries.
, and within four he was standing in his first Test: the fourth Test of the 1985 Ashes
series at Old Trafford. Standing with him in this test was Dickie Bird.
From then on, Shepherd became a fixture on the international scene, his round figure instantly recognisable by players and spectators alike. He was a very jolly character, universally liked on and off the field. Perhaps his most famous quirk was his habit of lifting one foot off the ground whenever the score reached 111, or multiples thereof, they being regarded as unlucky by Shepherd in a ritual dating back to his childhood cricket team days. The number 111 is known as the "Nelson
", and is considered unlucky for the batsman. Also famous was his tendency to shake his hand while signalling fours; to this day, many fans in cricket crowds mimic his action while celebrating fours.
He was part of the ICC
's first panel of neutral umpires when this policy was adopted for international cricket in the 1990s, and retained his place unbroken until his retirement from umpiring in 2005.
As his retirement loomed, Shepherd was lauded wherever he went. He was given a guard of honour by the New Zealand
and Australian
teams during the series between the two countries in March 2005. After his last Test, that between West Indies
and Pakistan
at Kingston, Jamaica
in early June, Shepherd was presented with a bat by West Indian captain Brian Lara
. He was in fact given special dispensation by the ICC to umpire in an England Test at Lords as his final Test, but turned down the opportunity to maintain the ICC's neutral umpiring policy for Test matches.
His fellow umpire Simon Taufel
said of him, as quoted in his Wisden
obituary: "What doesn't get highlighted is man-management skills, creating a happy environment for players to play in. And Shep was magnificent at that. The players had this enormous respect for him as a person. He put them at their ease and forged relationships that crossed all cultural and political divides." In that obituary, the obituarist himself wrote: "The authorities struggle for a definition of the Spirit of Cricket. Perhaps the best answer is David Shepherd.
Shepherd was awarded the MBE
for services to cricket in 1987, and he became the President of his home county club Devon
in 2006.
, Devon
. His father was Herbert, an umpire for North Devon Cricket Club; Shepherd had a brother, Billy. Shepherd latterly lived in the nearby seaside village of Instow
. He was married to his longtime partner, Jenny, from 2008 until his death.
He died of lung cancer
on 27 October 2009 in Devon.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(27 December 1940 – 27 October 2009) was one of the cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
world's best-known umpire
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
s. He stood in 92 Test match
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
es, the last of them in June 2005, and officiated in three World Cup
Cricket World Cup
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
finals.
Playing career
Shepherd had a reasonably successful, though late-starting, first classFirst-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
playing career for Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
, stretching from 1965 to 1979, and though he never came close to international selection he was popular both with his team-mates and the Gloucestershire supporters. He started with a bang, scoring 108 on debut against Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
, and made eleven more hundreds over the years, though only twice (in 1969 and 1975) did he average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
over 30. Never the slimmest of men even in his younger days, he relied more on his fine shot placement than speed across the ground, and his bowling was almost non-existent: he took only two wickets in his entire career. One famous incident at the Gloucestershire Cricket Club saw Shepherd hitting the ball so hard into the crowd that it knocked out a spectator reading a newspaper. The spectator was taken to hospital and recovered with only minor injuries.
Umpiring
In 1981, David Shepherd began his second career in cricket, and the one which was to make him world-famous, when he was appointed as a first-class umpire. Quickly recognised as being one of the fairest-minded and most able officials in the game, within two years he was part of the umpiring panel for the 1983 World CupCricket World Cup
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
, and within four he was standing in his first Test: the fourth Test of the 1985 Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
series at Old Trafford. Standing with him in this test was Dickie Bird.
From then on, Shepherd became a fixture on the international scene, his round figure instantly recognisable by players and spectators alike. He was a very jolly character, universally liked on and off the field. Perhaps his most famous quirk was his habit of lifting one foot off the ground whenever the score reached 111, or multiples thereof, they being regarded as unlucky by Shepherd in a ritual dating back to his childhood cricket team days. The number 111 is known as the "Nelson
Nelson (cricket)
Nelson is a piece of cricket slang terminology and superstition.The name, applied to team or individual scores of 111 or multiples thereof is thought to refer to Lord Nelson's lost eye, arm and leg...
", and is considered unlucky for the batsman. Also famous was his tendency to shake his hand while signalling fours; to this day, many fans in cricket crowds mimic his action while celebrating fours.
He was part of the ICC
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
's first panel of neutral umpires when this policy was adopted for international cricket in the 1990s, and retained his place unbroken until his retirement from umpiring in 2005.
As his retirement loomed, Shepherd was lauded wherever he went. He was given a guard of honour by the New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
and Australian
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
teams during the series between the two countries in March 2005. After his last Test, that between West Indies
West Indian cricket team
The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,...
and Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
at Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
in early June, Shepherd was presented with a bat by West Indian captain Brian Lara
Brian Lara
Brian Charles Lara, TC, OCC, AM is a former West Indian international cricket player. Lara is generally regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time...
. He was in fact given special dispensation by the ICC to umpire in an England Test at Lords as his final Test, but turned down the opportunity to maintain the ICC's neutral umpiring policy for Test matches.
His fellow umpire Simon Taufel
Simon Taufel
Simon James Arthur Taufel, , is an Australian cricket umpire who is a member of the ICC Elite umpire panel...
said of him, as quoted in his Wisden
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
obituary: "What doesn't get highlighted is man-management skills, creating a happy environment for players to play in. And Shep was magnificent at that. The players had this enormous respect for him as a person. He put them at their ease and forged relationships that crossed all cultural and political divides." In that obituary, the obituarist himself wrote: "The authorities struggle for a definition of the Spirit of Cricket. Perhaps the best answer is David Shepherd.
Shepherd was awarded the MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for services to cricket in 1987, and he became the President of his home county club Devon
Devon County Cricket Club
Devon County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Devon and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy....
in 2006.
Family and personal life
Shepherd was born in BidefordBideford
Bideford is a small port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is also the main town of the Torridge local government district.-History:...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
. His father was Herbert, an umpire for North Devon Cricket Club; Shepherd had a brother, Billy. Shepherd latterly lived in the nearby seaside village of Instow
Instow
Instow is a village in north Devon, England. It is on the estuary where the rivers Taw and Torridge meet, between the villages of Westleigh and Yelland and on the opposite bank of Appledore....
. He was married to his longtime partner, Jenny, from 2008 until his death.
He died of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
on 27 October 2009 in Devon.
External links
- David Shepherd - Daily Telegraph obituary