David Shepherd (umpire)

David Shepherd

Personal information
Full name	David Robert Shepherd
Born	(1940-12-27)27 December 1940 Bideford, Devon, England
Died	27 October 2009(2009-10-27) (aged 68) Instow, Devon, England
Nickname	Shep
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Batting style	Right-handed
Bowling style	Right-arm medium
Role	Umpire
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1965–1979	Gloucestershire
Umpiring information
Tests umpired	92 (1985–2005)
ODIs umpired	172 (1983–2005)
Career statistics
Competition FC LA Matches 282 183 Runs scored 10672 3330 Batting average 24.47 21.34 100s/50s 12/55 1/13 Top score 153 100 Balls bowled 196 12 Wickets 2 0 Bowling average 53.00 – 5 wickets in innings 0 – 10 wickets in match 0 n/a Best bowling 1/1 – Catches/stumpings 95/– 34/–
Source: Cricinfo, 8 September 2007

David Robert Shepherd MBE (27 December 1940 – 27 October 2009) was a first-class cricketer who played county cricket for Gloucestershire, and later became one of the cricket world's best-known umpires. He stood in 92 Test matches, the last of them in June 2005, the most for any English umpire. He also umpired 172 ODIs, including three consecutive World Cup finals in 1996, 1999 and 2003

Shepherd was born in Bideford in Devon. His father Herbert was a sub-postmaster, having earlier worked in the Merchant Navy. His father had played cricket and rugby in his youth, and became an umpire for North Devon Cricket Club after losing the sight in one eye in the First World War. Shepherd's brother Bill was also a cricketer who captained MCC Young Professionals, but became postmaster at his parents' post office in Instow in the 1960s, playing club and the Minor Counties cricket.

He was educated at Barnstaple Grammar School, where he played for the school first XI from the second form and became head boy. He then studied at St Luke's College, Exeter. He also played cricket for Devon Colts and England Schools, including one match against his brother captaining MCC Young Professionals at Lord's. He became a teacher in Bideford and Ilfracombe, also playing Minor Counties cricket for Devon from 1959 to 1964, mainly as a batsman.

After scoring 100 not out for Gloucestershire's Second XI in 1964, Shepherd had a reasonably successful, though late-starting, first class playing career for Gloucestershire, stretching from 1965 to 1979, and though he never came close to international selection he was popular both with his team-mates and the Gloucestershire supporters. He started with a bang, scoring 108 on debut against Oxford University in April 1965, and made eleven more hundreds over the years, though only twice (in 1969 and 1975) did he average over 30. Mainly a middle-order batsman, and never the slimmest of men even in his younger days, he relied more on his fine shot placement than speed across the ground, and his bowling was almost non-existent: he took only two wickets in his entire first-class career. One famous incident at the Gloucestershire Cricket Club saw Shepherd hitting the ball so hard into the crowd that it knocked out a spectator reading a newspaper. The spectator was taken to hospital and recovered with only minor injuries.

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