Dickie Bird Cricketer
Harold Dennis Bird, OBE, commonly known as "Dickie" Bird, is a retired English international cricket umpire. The son of a miner, he gained the nickname 'Dickie' at school. He resides in the South Yorkshire village of Staincross. In 1944 Bird failed his Eleven-plus exam and went to Raley Secondary Modern, leaving in 1948 at the age of 15. For a while, he worked at a coal mine on the surface, but gave it up, deciding it was not for him. Instead, he set out for a career in sport.
