Fond farewell to Mr Yorkshire... a cricket legend

RAIN failed to stop play for crowds lining the streets of Barnsley to honour cricket legend “Mr Yorkshire” Dickie Bird as his funeral procession passed through his hometown.

- By Allister Hagger

Tributes...Long-time friend Sir Geoff Boycott, left; ball on behalf of a local cricket club, centre; Michael Vaughan, right

His former Yorkshire teammate Sir Geoffrey Boycott and ex-England captain Michael Vaughan were among the mourners at a packed service in St Mary’s Church.

The son of a miner, Bird was 92 when he died “peacefully at home” on September 22, according to Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

In a eulogy, Sir Geoffrey, 84, described his friend of 70 years as “comic and lovable” and “daft as a brush”, revealing: “I first met Dickie Bird when I was 15. He called me Gerald for years.”

He added: “Surprisingly with all the nerves he had as a batsman, he became a great umpire because he could channel all that nervous energy into good decisions.