Association of Cricket Officials Issue 28 | Page 26

Leaving the Crease John Hampshire 1941–2017 On 1 March, former England cricketer, international umpire and Yorkshire President John Hampshire lost a valiant battle with cancer. His First Class playing career spanned 24 years, with two decades spent at Yorkshire before brief stints with Derbyshire and Tasmania. Hampshire amassed over 28,000 runs in 577 games, with a top score of 183* against Sussex. A surprise call-up to the England team for the Second Test against the West Indies in 1969, Hampshire became the first person to score a hundred on debut at Lord’s. Surprisingly he was then dropped, but made seven further Test appearances for England. After hanging up his playing boots, Hampshire became a county umpire in 1985, and only four years later stood in his first Test match. By the time he officiated in his final Test match in 2002, his tally included 21 Tests and 20 ODIs. He was one of the first neutral umpires to officiate between India and Pakistan in the 1989–90 series, in which an 18-year-old Waqar Younis bowled to a 16-year-old Sachin Tendulkar! Interestingly, he played in the first ever Benson & Hedges Cup final in 1972 against Leicestershire, which included opening batsman Barry Duddleston. Some 30 years later, Hampshire and Duddleston were to walk out together to officiate the last ever B&H Cup final at Lord’s, with Warwickshire defeating Essex. After a much-celebrated playing and umpiring career he was made President of Yorkshire. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends; a true stalwart of the game who will be sorely missed. 26 email us at [email protected] contact us on 0121 446 2710