Boycott’s eulogypublished at 14:51 BST
14:51 BST
Former England and Yorkshire cricketer Sir Geoffrey Boycott is reading out his eulogy for his friend of almost 70 years.
“I first met Dickie Bird when I was 15, at the time I was playing cricket for Hemsworth Grammar School,” Sir Geoffrey says.
“He called me Gerald for years.”
Laughter echoes through the church as people are reminded of the character Dickie Bird was.
“He was invited to my daughter’s 16th birthday party. He said to my daughter Emma, if I had a daughter I would want her to be like you, and quick as, she said ‘you can adopt me if you like’.”
After some more chuckles, Sir Geoffrey turns to his friend’s career in cricket.
“Surprisingly with all the nerves he had as a batsman, he became a great umpire because he could channel all that nervous energy into good decisions,” he says.
“Dickie was refreshingly different. Eccentric but fair. It would be hard to find anyone who didn’t like him.”
Image source, Nick Potts/PA Wire