The making of an umpire - Steve Bucknor as player, teacher and coach

[Karl]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><SPAN class=TopStory>The making of an umpire</SPAN>
<SPAN class=Subheadline>. Steve Bucknor as player, teacher and coach</SPAN></TD></TR><TR><TD>By Garfield Myers Editor-at-Large, South Central Bureau
Sunday, March 11, 2007
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<P class=StoryText align=justify>This is Part One of a two-part feature on Jamaican umpire Steve Bucknor. Part Two will be published next Sunday.<P class=StoryText align=justify>That Steve Bucknor has excelled in a profession that requires him to stand all day in the broiling sun, in the middle of a sporting contest, is logical - once you listen to his story.<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=160 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD><SPAN class=Description>BUCKNOR ... I virtually lived on the playing field, as a matter of fact, even for examinations I used to study on the playing field </SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><P class=StoryText align=justify>For as he tells it, sport and his experiences on the playing field honed and conditioned him from an early age and all the way through high school into early manhood.
"As a child I did a lot of sports because I had a lot of time," explained Bucknor.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"I was brought up by a single mother, who had to work all day and I was the only person at home. I had a bigger sister and she was never there, she was working all the time. So with so much time on my hands, I just stayed at school all the time and I just played sport.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"And I virtually lived on the playing field, as a matter of fact, even for examinations I used to study on the playing field. I used to find some trees to sit underneath and I used to do all of my studies there. I felt the playing field was just the right place to do most things," said the 60-year-old, six-foot four-inch Bucknor, widely regarded as the top West Indian cricket umpire of all time and among the best the world has known.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Today, Bucknor will read the officials' oath on behalf of all umpires and match referees during the official opening ceremony of his fifth ICC Cricket World at the spanking new Trelawny Stadium - less than 45 minutes drive from where he was born. He will do so because he has earned the respect and admiration of the entire international cricket fraternity.<P class=StoryText align=justify>His evolution to the very pinnacle among cricket umpires - good enough to have stood in three straight finals of cricket's World Cup - took many turns.<P class=StoryText align=justify>As a schoolboy, he was a star at football, cricket and track and field. He later became a highly successful schoolboy football coach. And how much further he could have gone as an international football referee, had FIFA's age limitations not cut him short in 1992, is anybody's guess.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Born on May 31, 1946 in Montego Bay, western Jamaica, Bucknor's earliest and happiest memories are of playing games.
"I played every game that was around," he recalled. That meant running and jumping in the track and field season as well as playing cricket and football. It all started on the streets, on the beaches and open areas in Montego Bay. He remembers with fondness, Paradise Row, an inner-city community later to become home of Seba United Football Club.<P class=StoryText align=justify>But when he gained entry to nearby Cornwall College at age 12, having won a Common Entrance Scholarship, sport took on an entirely new dimension and Bucknor discovered that he not only liked to play, but had talent.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"I was a high jumper, I also did the triple jump, I played cricket both as batsman and medium pacer and I played football, specialising as a goalkeeper and I was captain

[Karl]

RE: The making of an umpire - Steve Bucknor as player, teacher and coach



Church honours Bucknor
published: Thursday | March 15, 2007 <DIV class=KonaBody BdUr0="true">


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Veteran international umpire and deacon of the Calvary Baptist Church, Steve Bucknor, and wife Leonora listen attentively during the ceremony to honour his service to the church held on Sunday. - Photo by Mark Titus

WESTERN BUREAU:

Of all the awards and accolades he has received over the yearsas an international umpire, to be honoured as a child of God is Steve Bucknor's greatest moment.

"To be honoured by those whom you have served in any capacity is special, but to be recognised for one's service to the Kingdom of God must be considered the greatest moment of one's life," Mr. Bucknor said.

He was speaking to The Gleaner following a special ceremony on Sunday at the Calvary Baptist Church in Montego Bay, St. James, where he has served for over 18 years as a member and a deacon for eight.

His 18-year stint as an ICC elite umpire has seen this Cornwall College old boy become one of the most respected officials in the game today.

Pastor of Calvary Baptist, Reverend Everton G. Jackson, commented that Deacon Bucknor has given quality service not only to the church, but also to the region and is now getting the fruit of his labour.

"God is expecting quality, consistent service from his people, Brother Bucknor is having balanced service ... and his faithfulness has resulted in him being honoured today," Rev. Jackson commented.

Remarkable achievement

While a fifth final would be a remarkable achievement, Mr. Bucknor says he would give that honour away for the West Indies to be in the finals.

Nicknamed the 'slow whispering death' because of his slow lengthy pause before making a decision, Bucknor is the only umpire to have officiated in over 100 Test matches, and also have the distinction of standing in four consecutive world cup finals - 1992, 1996, 1999 and 2003 as the highlight of his career.

However his busy international schedule has not prevented him from making contributions to his church and community.

He operates the Youth Sport Programme in which some 30 boys are nurtured in a number of disciplines. One of the stipulation for participants is compulsory church attendance.