Former first class cricketer and Test umpire John Holder will be the guest speaker of the Worcestershire Cricket Society at their next winter cricket evening on Tuesday, December 10 in the Graeme Hick Pavilion (7.30pm start).
Holder played for Hampshire between 1968 and 1972 and had a season’s best haul of 55 wickets at 23.27 in 1970.
He returned 6-49 and 7-79 against Gloucestershire in 1972 – the year he took a hat-trick against Kent.
Barbados born Holder ended his career with 139 first class wickets at 24.56 and for most of the next decade played in the Lancashire and Yorkshire leagues.
He became a first class umpire in 1983 and officiated in his first Test five years later when England took on Sri Lanka at Lord’s.
Holder took charge of nine more Tests during the next three years but then had to wait until 2001 for his final one – also at Lord’s and an Ashes Test.
He is credited along with Don Oslear for the innovation of a bowl out adapted by the ECB after opting to use such a strategy for a washed out game in the Tilcon Trophy.
Holder was employed as a consultant for the 2000 film ‘The Laws Of Cricket, 2000 Code’ shot in Barbados.
He retired from umpiring after 27 years at the end of the 2009 season.
Non Society members are welcome to attend next Tuesday for an admission fee of £5.
