Roy Palmer (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Roy Palmer, born at Devizes
, Wiltshire
, on 12 July 1942, was a cricket
er who had a relatively short first-class
career as a player with Somerset
from 1965 to 1970 and a much longer career as a first-class umpire
, standing in two Test
matches in 1992 and 1993.
all-rounder Ken Palmer
and, like him, a right-handed batsman and a fast-medium right-arm bowler. Unlike Ken, Roy Palmer's batting was normally no better than lower-order, and though he made 84 batting at No 9 against Leicestershire
in 1967, he never again passed 50. His bowling, too, was inclined to be expensive. His best season was 1969, when Somerset finished bottom of the County Championship
: handed the new ball for much of the season, he took 60 wickets, but at a cost of almost 32 runs per wicket. When, in 1970, that average moved upwards to beyond 37 runs per wicket, he was not re-engaged.
His first international appearances came during the 1983 World Cup, when he umpired four games. In 1992, he was appointed to his first Test match, the third match in the series between England and Pakistan at Old Trafford
. At the end of the fourth day, he warned the Pakistan fast bowler Aaqib Javed
for intimidatory bowling against the England tail-ender, Devon Malcolm
. Palmer then returned Aaqib's sweater to the bowler at the end of the over with what Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
termed "more emphasis than usual, probably because it was caught in his belt". Aaqib and Pakistan captain Javed Miandad
protested, and a supporter ran on to the pitch with a rolled-up newspaper, and was restrained by security staff. Match referee Conrad Hunte
ruled in favour of Palmer, fined Aaqib half his match fee and censured Pakistan tour manager Intikhab Alam
, who had told the press that Palmer had insulted his team. The International Cricket Council
also censured Intikhab for repeating his remarks and refusing to apologise to Palmer.
Palmer's second Test as an umpire was only a little less controversial. Appointed to stand in the third match of the 1993 series against Australia, he and fellow umpire Barrie Meyer
both complained to the match referee, Clive Lloyd
, at the end of the third day about the ferocity of the appeals. The Australians were severely censured by Lloyd and the match ended in a draw, ending a long sequence of defeats for England.
Palmer officiated in One Day International matches in the following two seasons, but did not stand in another Test, though he was the third umpire
for the Lord's Test against New Zealand
in 1994. He also umpired the women's Test match against India
in 2006.
Devizes
Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The town is about southeast of Chippenham and about east of Trowbridge.Devizes serves as a centre for banks, solicitors and shops, with a large open market place where a market is held once a week...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, on 12 July 1942, was a 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...
er who had a relatively short first-class
First-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...
career as a player with Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
from 1965 to 1970 and a much longer career as a first-class 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...
, standing in two Test
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...
matches in 1992 and 1993.
Cricket player
Palmer was the younger brother of the Somerset and EnglandEnglish cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
all-rounder Ken Palmer
Ken Palmer
Ken Palmer is an English former cricketer and umpire, who played in one Test in 1965, and umpired twenty two Tests and twenty three ODIs from 1977 to 2001.-Life and career:...
and, like him, a right-handed batsman and a fast-medium right-arm bowler. Unlike Ken, Roy Palmer's batting was normally no better than lower-order, and though he made 84 batting at No 9 against Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire 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 Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
in 1967, he never again passed 50. His bowling, too, was inclined to be expensive. His best season was 1969, when Somerset finished bottom of the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
: handed the new ball for much of the season, he took 60 wickets, but at a cost of almost 32 runs per wicket. When, in 1970, that average moved upwards to beyond 37 runs per wicket, he was not re-engaged.
Cricket umpire
Palmer followed his brother on to the first-class umpires list with a few matches in 1979, and was appointed to the regular first-class umpires' list for the 1980 season. He stayed there for 28 seasons, retiring at the end of the 2007 season having reached the age of 65 and having officiated in 445 first-class games as well as 469 List A matches.His first international appearances came during the 1983 World Cup, when he umpired four games. In 1992, he was appointed to his first Test match, the third match in the series between England and Pakistan at Old Trafford
Old Trafford (cricket)
Old Trafford is a cricket ground situated on Talbot Road in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester. It has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since its foundation in 1864, having been the ground of Manchester Cricket Club from 1857...
. At the end of the fourth day, he warned the Pakistan fast bowler Aaqib Javed
Aaqib Javed
Aaqib Javed is a Pakistani cricketer and coach. He was a right-handed medium-fast pace bowler with the ability to swing the ball both ways. He played 22 Tests and 163 One Day Internationals for Pakistan between 1988 and 1998.He was educated at Islamia College Lahore.Aaqib's best performances in...
for intimidatory bowling against the England tail-ender, Devon Malcolm
Devon Malcolm
Devon Malcolm is a former English cricketer.Malcolm was one of England's few genuinely fast bowlers of the 1990s. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, he settled in England, making his first-class debut for Derbyshire in 1984, and qualifying to play for England in 1987...
. Palmer then returned Aaqib's sweater to the bowler at the end of the over with what Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
termed "more emphasis than usual, probably because it was caught in his belt". Aaqib and Pakistan captain Javed Miandad
Javed Miandad
Mohammad Javed Miandad Khan , popularly known as Javed Miandad , is a former Pakistani cricketer who played between 1975 and 1996. He is Pakistan's leading run scorer in Test cricket. He has served as a captain of the Pakistan national cricket team...
protested, and a supporter ran on to the pitch with a rolled-up newspaper, and was restrained by security staff. Match referee Conrad Hunte
Conrad Hunte
Sir Conrad Cleophas Hunte, KA was a Barbadian cricketer. Hunte played 44 Test matches as an opening batsman for the West Indies.-Early life and career:...
ruled in favour of Palmer, fined Aaqib half his match fee and censured Pakistan tour manager Intikhab Alam
Intikhab Alam
Intikhab Alam Khan is a retired Pakistani cricketer who played in 47 Tests and 4 ODIs from 1959 to 1977. He also played in English county cricket for Surrey between 1969 and 1981....
, who had told the press that Palmer had insulted his team. The International Cricket Council
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...
also censured Intikhab for repeating his remarks and refusing to apologise to Palmer.
Palmer's second Test as an umpire was only a little less controversial. Appointed to stand in the third match of the 1993 series against Australia, he and fellow umpire Barrie Meyer
Barrie Meyer
Barrie John Meyer in Bournemouth is a former English footballer and cricketer, and later a cricket umpire.Meyer played football for Bristol Rovers in 139 league matches, scoring 60 goals. He also played for Plymouth, Newport County, Bristol City and Hereford United. In the summer, he worked as a...
both complained to the match referee, Clive Lloyd
Clive Lloyd
Clive Hubert Lloyd CBE AO is a former West Indies cricketer. He captained the West Indies between 1974 and 1985 and oversaw their rise to become the dominant Test-playing nation, a position that was only relinquished in the latter half of the 1990s...
, at the end of the third day about the ferocity of the appeals. The Australians were severely censured by Lloyd and the match ended in a draw, ending a long sequence of defeats for England.
Palmer officiated in One Day International matches in the following two seasons, but did not stand in another Test, though he was the third umpire
Third umpire
In international cricket matches the third umpire is an off-field umpire who makes the final decision in questions referred to him by the two on-field umpires. Television replays are available to the third umpire to assist him in coming to a decision...
for the Lord's Test against 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...
in 1994. He also umpired the women's Test match against India
Indian women's cricket team
The Indian women's cricket team played their first Test match in 1976/1977, when they drew with the West Indies in a six-match series. They performed better than expected in the last Women's Cricket World Cup, reaching the finals but then losing to Australia. In 2005 they won their second Women's...
in 2006.