Howard – Huddie to many people – passed away in November after a short illness. This was a genuine shock to his family, friends and the cricket community as a whole because he appeared to be recovering from an operation and was looking forward to leaving hospital. He was a major figure in Bristol cricket for six decades initially as a very useful batsman for St George, Bristol United Banks, Bristol University Staff and Failand & Portbury for whom he was also Treasurer for several years before joining his local club Clevedon. After he had finished playing he began his umpiring career and soon became one of the outstanding umpires of his generation.
Howard umpired from the late 1990s until 2024 and was looking forward to officiating in the 2025 season. He was highly respected by both players and colleagues; indeed, it was noticeable how it was the better players who especially appreciated his excellence because he was never intimidated by reputations and treated all players equally. As a former player, he understood the game, never attempted to be the centre of attention, knew the rules in finite detail and managed any difficult situation with certainty and common sense. Like all the best umpires, he applied the laws intelligently and was suitably adept in his use of Law 43. Once he had qualified through the old fashioned and verbose training system, he rose quickly through the ranks to umpire for many years in Premier 1 and 2 as well as in County 2nd XI and other MCC and ECB matches. At these levels he was universally welcomed because players knew that any match he umpired would be well managed and scrupulously fair. More recently, he was increasingly happy to stand in more games at lower tiers and became a regular figure in the B&D Senior Division post-Covid – much to the benefit of the teams and less experienced umpires.
He was a regular on the Seniors’ circuit and frequently travelled to matches simply to watch if his services were not required. Edwin Morris, President of Bristol United Banks CC and Chair of Somerset Seniors recalls, “being umpired by him on several occasions, the last being when I played for Somerset Seniors. His sympathy for the game shone through as he managed the players with an enviable mixture of authority and good humour. It was easy to see that, despite the skills and capabilities of the players, he loved the game”. Howard was the obvious choice for the first of the new round of B&D representative matches against the GCCL in 2023 and in 2024 umpired the T20 Final at Cleeve after helping to re-write the rules of the competition. However, he was more than a leading umpire because he worked for several years organising umpire appointments in the Bristol area – a thankless task – as well as playing a leading role in the transition to GACO. In this regard, Howard served as the Chair of BACUS at a crucial time when positive and decisive leadership was needed to break the unnecessary impasse which had developed before holding the same position in GACO to ensure that the Bristol area started to play its full part in the ECB ACO.
It is perhaps difficult for new umpires to appreciate the significance of Howard’s role in this but he was crucial in providing a strong foundation on which the current GACO is able to flourish. Howard was a quiet man but never afraid to share his views or to provide support for others. He was an empathetic mentor for new – and experienced – umpires and had a clear understanding of how club cricket should be run. In the last two years he enjoyed the company of other cricket people at Walkers & Talkers at the County Ground each Wednesday morning and many of us got to know him better as a person as a consequence – which makes his sudden passing so difficult to process.
In conclusion, Howard was a cricket man to his core who made significant contributions especially to umpiring and has left us too soon. Rest in peace Howard – cricket has lost an important figure and many of us have lost a good friend. Our thoughts are with Debbie and Paul and the rest of the Hudd family. Additionally please note that there will be a celebration of his life on January 12th 12-4pm at Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.