Dickie Bird obituary: Without playing for England, son of Barnsley became one of cricket's most famous figures

Dickie Bird umpired in three World Cup finals

Dickie Bird, who has died at the age of 92, did not play cricket for England, yet his status as a legend of the game is in no doubt.

This was the son of a miner, a boy from Barnsley and proud Yorkshireman, whose exploits as an umpire transcended cricket and made him a national treasure.

Harold Bird was born on 19 April, 1933. A good enough footballer to play for Barnsley's youth team, it was cricket where his real passion could be found.

Famously, his contemporaries at Barnsley Cricket Club were Sir Michael Parkinson and Sir Geoffrey Boycott, long before fame and knighthoods came their way. Bird and Parkinson were opening batting partners, some years older than Boycott. The three lifelong friends would rise to global celebrity in their respective fields.