Craig Spearman was, and will always continue to be, one of the true
and genuine Œgood buggers¹ that ever came out to the middle and asked
me for Œtwo legs¹. No matter what had gone on around him earlier in
the day or previous matches, Craig always turned up unruffled, ready
for the future and not dwelling in the past. Now that¹s a good start
for any umpire especially if the batsman had become an LWB victim in recent times.
After taking guard, he didn¹t take long to get off the mark and he
quickly arrived at the non-strikers end with a cheerful greeting for
the umpire. Not only was there plenty of action while Craig set about
the bowlers, but there were always times to learn something about the
game as he often relaxed with an occasional comment or question. The
ideal way to enjoy cricket really just a natural, calm and timely
exchange between two professionals going about their business with respect for each other¹s role.
And at the end of a long day, what better way to become a normal human
being again than to share a drop of one the better vintages with a
generous and appreciative cricketer. Craig knows his wines and wisely
chose a sport that took him regularly to some of the memorable regions
for grape ripening. That he didn¹t waste time or opportunity to test
the local produce sums up much of his attitude toward bowlers who had
a taste of his willow. There is no doubt that maturity adds to quality
to batsmen, and like fine wines, always presents an interesting quality whenever they are uncorked.
What a misfortune that New Zealand cricket didn¹t see a regular
opening partnership of Spearman and Astle. What a success those two
could have been as they messed up many a captain¹s carefully laid
plans to control the opening overs of One Day Internationals. In New
Zealand we didn¹t see enough of the vintage Spearman but his time is
not up yet and like any interesting cellar, there is always another
bottle tucked away to share with those you know will really appreciate it.
Best wishes for the benefit I¹m sure we will find a fitting vintage
to recall all those good times.
Doug Cowie
ICC Umpires Manager
International Cricket Council
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