A cricketer who lost his arm, and the first man to score a Test run, both turned umpires

By K.R. Nayar

A lot is written about cricketers but very little on umpires. As a result, many interesting tales of umpires remain unknown, especially their devotion to the game. Read about an umpire who officiated despite losing his arm in a war, and that the first man to score the first run in Test cricket also went on to become an umpire. 

Frank Chester officiates with an artificial arm 

To be an umpire requires great dedication.  Hence only people who really enjoy the game take up this profession. At no point in the match can the umpire relax unlike players who get some break between innings. 

Soon after I wrote about K.N. Anandapadmanabhan, who has been picked to become one of  the Emirates ICC International Panel Umpire, someone asked me as to why not many stories were written about umpires even though they are also devoted to the game. When cricketers perform brilliantly, they are hailed as heroes; but umpires, even if they have officiated a tense match without any errors, are rarely appreciated.  No wonder umpiring has often been referred to as a thankless job.

A lot has been written about cricketers regularly, and their stories are well known. But umpires too have their tales and here are few of them that I've read over the years. 
While a lot is talked about umpires like Dickie Bird, David Shepherd, Aleem Dar, and Simon Taufel, there are many whose tales are not so popular.

England’s Frank Chester, who umpired in 48 Test matches between 1924 and 1955, had lost his right arm from below the elbow in July 1917 after a shrapnel wound in the first World War became gangrenous. Though it ended his cricketing career, he umpired matches using an artificial arm to show signals and went on to become one of the finest umpires of that period.

Many take up umpiring because they would like to remain on the field even after their playing days are over. Bill Alley, who was born in Australia but played for Somerset, appeared in 400 first-class matches and then went on to umpire in 10 Test matches. In his first game as an umpire between Middlesex and Essex, he once revealed that he almost put out his hand to take a catch but quickly remembered that his role has changed! Alley was also a middleweight boxer but what forced him to stop playing cricket was a hit on the side of his jaw, not from a boxer but from a cricket ball during practice. A batsman's hook from an adjacent net hit Alley that knocked him unconscious for 16 hours.

Charles Bannerman 

It is interesting to know that the cricketer who faced the first ball ever bowled in Test cricket and scored the first run and hit the first Test century eventually became an umpire.  Charles Bannerman, an England born Australian cricketer, achieved those feats and then officiated in 12 Test matches between 1887 and 1902.

There is another little known instance of Thomas Bartley, an England Minor Counties Cricket Championship player who officiated in six Test matches between 1954 and 1956. He was one of the finest fast bowlers in Liverpool League cricket and had bagged 10 wickets once and taken nine wickets in an innings nine times! He also has six hat-tricks to his credit.

There are many other interesting characters who took on umpiring, and one such person was Australia’s George Hele. He umpired in 16 Test matches between 1928 and 1933, including the infamous Bodyline series in the 1928-29 tour of Australia. He too was a cricketer before an injury forced him to stop play, but his admiration for the game was enormous. He was a collector of cricket memorabilia and got souvenirs from players he had umpired. It is said he had one of the best cricket libraries in Australia. He also wrote an eye witness account of the Bodyline series together with R.S. Whitington in his book 'Bodyline Umpire'.  Among his collections were a platinum wristwatch from Indian captain Nawab Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, and caps from England players Jack Hobbs and Maurice Tate.

George Hele's book

There is also an English Test cricketer, whose debut wicket was that of Sunil Gavaskar, and who went on to become an umpire.  England's Jack Birkenshaw played only five Test matches but went on to officiate in two Test matches and six one-dayers between 1983 and 1988.

I strongly believe that umpires deserve more accolades. While it is true that we go to watch cricketers in action and not an umpire, but if an umpire does not watch the action with commitment and enthusiasm, and award correct decisions, our visit to the match could become worthless.