Legendary cricket umpire, Harold “Dickie” Bird, passed away at his home in Yorkshire on 22 September 2025. One of the most respected umpires in cricket history, he was also known for his sense of humour and eccentric character. He was recognised with an MBE in 1986 and an OBE in 2012 for his contribution to cricket and charity.
A little-known fact about Bird was that he coached at St John’s College between 1973 and 1976.
Although he started his career as a batsman, playing for Yorkshire and Leicester in the 1950s and early 1960s, Bird was forced to retire from the game at the age of 31 due to a persistent knee injury. This did not deter him, however, and he went on to become one of the most celebrated and popular umpires in the game. He officiated in 66 Test matches and 69 One-Day Internationals, including three World Cup Finals, during his career.
Bird was hired and brought to South Africa by Cricket Transvaal. It was then that Master-in-Charge of Cricket, David Wilkinson, met Bird and suggested he coach at St John’s. He was soon happily living in one of the bachelor flats in Clayton House. Wilkinson recalls his love of life, and of living in South Africa, and how he would jog around Mitchell Field to 'warm up for umpiring'.
Bird’s arrival to coach the First XI at St John’s during Michaelmas Term in 1973 was celebrated, and he was described at the time as ‘an ex-county player and presently a test umpire in England, he has great experience in the game.’ This experience was clearly also seen as a way to upskill the sports staff, with ‘one of Mr Bird’s first undertakings… to give the cricket staff a coaching course. Those of the staff who have now completed the course can rightly feel more confident in their coaching.’
According to the late Matthew Lester (Clarke 1979), the boys couldn’t understand a word he said with his broad Yorkshire accent: ‘Aye Lads, them wickets are so fine ya could hit fours with stickarubarb. Now butt un pad together.’ He used to call them names like ‘Idle Jack and Weary Willo.’ It was his warmth of character, humour and fine sense of the game that guided the First XI during his time at the College.
Although his coaching had a seemingly slow start, with some lukewarm initial results noted in The Johannian, Bird’s impact was evident by 1976, his final season at St John’s, when he coached a team that ended up with one of the best records of recent Ist XIs.
The late Alan Wilcock remembered Bird as a character who would upset the older members of staff when he took his meals in the Common Room – ‘not done’ for the cricket coach at the time – and always armed with a small cushion for his painful back. He considered the main cricket pitch at St John’s one of the finest in South Africa. He wrote fondly of his time at the College and in South Africa in his autobiography, Not Out, recalling, too, his cricket coaching in Soweto and the wealth of cricket talent in South Africa.
Not only is “Dickie” Bird remembered for his fine umpiring, world-class career and the many accolades he achieved, but also for his endearing, colourful personality, which is proudly part of the St John’s story.
