Reverend Bob Burd
1918 - 2007



The Law Society Cricket Club owes an immense debt to the Reverend Bob Burd, who died in his 90th year on 20 December 2007.



Some 20 years previously he had become the honorary umpire for the club, and he stood in all our matches, including on overseas tours to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Buenos Aires, Philadelphia and Geneva. He was also the club's archivist and would produce, at the end of the season, impeccably presented averages, rather to the embarrassment of some of the players.



Much more than that, Bob was an inspiration to the club and a true friend to many of its players. He took an acute interest in our cricketing exploits and much else besides. He was a retired minister of the Moravian Church, and in many ways he continued that pastoral ministry both on and off the field, the members of the club being an extended congregation.



Bob was a tremendous character, entertaining us with any number of funny stories. It would be idle to repeat any here, because the great thing about them was the way he told them - and, in any event, not all would be suitable for this respected publication.



Such was his dedication to the club that, on being booked in for a quadruple heart bypass that clashed with a weekend of cricket in Geneva, he cancelled the operation and took his chances with the NHS queue.



Bob followed us pretty much all round the world, at his own expense. On one occasion, in Philadelphia, he was felled by a straight drive hit like a bullet and, semi-conscious, was driven off the pitch in a golf buggy and rushed to hospital. We all feared he had stood for the last time. But he bounced back and returned to his place behind the stumps the following day.



Another time, he took himself off on a waterbus up and down the river in Bangkok, fell fast asleep and woke up in the bus station, which was immediately adjacent to an alligator farm. One of the alligator minders rescued him.



Bob was forced to give up umpiring some three years ago when his eyesight failed him. We have greatly missed him since. There was a good turnout from the club at his funeral at Hornsey Moravian Church on 7 January 2008, at which his daughter, Susan, and a bishop gave moving tributes. May he rest in peace.



Anthony Fincham, president, Law Society Cricket Club