LEGENDARY umpire Dickie Bird got the finger from an artist this week... and he was thoroughly chuffed by it!
The 75-year-old Barnsley cricket guru – whose raised index finger has sent many a Test batsman skulking from the square – has been immortalised in bronze – by sculptor Graham Ibbeson.
His £60,000, 6ft 6ins tall statue was commissioned by a group of
anonymous businessmen who decided Dickie should be honoured in his home town.
And the work was officially unveiled in a ceremony last Tuesday (June 30).
Of course, the statue portrays Dickie (real name Harold) in his most familiar pose – finger raised, giving his decision on a dismissal.
The bronze has been sited opposite Barnsley College, on the exact former location of 11, Church View – the terraced house where Dickie was born and raised.
And it points toward Shaw Lane Cricket Cricket Club, where a young Dickie played as a schoolboy with Michael Parkinson and Geoffrey Boycott.
Dickie has told how he loves the finished article – saying that the sculptor has "got everything right".
He said: "He's captured my smile, my stance, my trade mark flat cap, my finger of fate – everything.
"He's a very clever chap is Graham, and I'm thrilled – because he's got me to a T.
A modest Mr Ibbeson said: "Dickie is unique, a complete one-off – an instantly recognised icon all over the world, and I'm relieved he's so pleased with it".
