RIP David Shepherd

"To recognize most sports people, it is necessary to catch at least a glimpse of face or number. With umpire David Shepherd, who died of cancer at 68, the England and Wales Cricket Board said Wednesday, all you needed was the silhouette. Nobody else in cricket had quite that bulk or rotundity, topped with a silvery shock of hair." - New York Times

As a youngster David Shepherd and Dickie Bird always seemed to be umpiring the best games, whatever they were. Shepherd officiated in 92 Test matches and 172 one-day internationals, including three World Cup finals. He was superstitious and caused a huge amount of amusement by jumping on to one leg whenever a team or a batsman's score reached 111 - the number known as Nelson in cricket - or 222, 333 and so on.

Shepherd played as a hard-hitting batsman for Gloucestershire between 1965 and 1979 and became a first-class umpire in 1981. He married Jenny last year, after the couple had been engaged for more than 25 years. Shep joked: "We didn't want to rush things!"

New York Times Obituary
Angus Fraser remembers in the Independent.