Billy Bowden catches the batsmen on camera

August 14, 2003. Billy Bowden was not limited to just elaborate eccentric signals while standing as umpire in the Second XI fixture between Surrey and Derbyshire. He also made the batsmen pose in front of the scoreboard as he clicked their pictures. Arunabha Sengupta remembers the day of strange feats with the bat and the camera.

Billy Bowden, with his crooked finger of doom, appended by several other peculiarities. The stage by stage elevation of the arms, with the fingers as crooked as ever, to signal six. The flashy flamboyant bow and sweep of arm to emphasise a boundary. And then the enormous rectangle swept by his arms to ask for the third umpire to step into the fray, making one commentator go, “Bowden wants a flat screen.”  The day Jack Ryder snubbed Prime Minister Robert Menzies

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Not everyone knows that the crooked finger is a necessity. The rheumatoid arthritis that limited his days as a cricketer makes it too painful to raise a straight digit to declare a batsman out. Hence, he compensates by developing a style and idiosyncrasies all his own. Sachin Tendulkar launches into Abdul Qadir: 6,0,4,6,6,6

His umpiring gestures during a Test are decidedly more sombre, with just the crooked finger of doom and a theatrical six accentuating his Bowden signature. In One-Day Internationals (ODIs), however, he lets himself go with his full creative expanse. People do come to watch the cricketers, and umpires are supposed to be doing their job the best if they remain unnoticed. However, hardly anyone minds Billy. He brings his own brand of entertainment along as he stands officiating in all seriousness. West Indies pip Pakistan in the third Test at Kensington Oval to square a most fascinating series

But, if he takes ODIs in a lighter vein, what about lesser matches? Well, as can be expected, he can be up to some quaint antics in such settings.

It was August 14, 2003, and Bowden was easing himself into the England light and conditions, gearing up for the fourth Test between England and South Africa scheduled to start a week later at Headingley. He was thus standing in a Second XI match between Surrey and Derbyshire at The Oval, alongside Robert McLeod. West Indies and Pakistan play a tantalising stalemate at Port-of-Spain

The pitch was placid as can be, and the Derbyshire Second XI romped to 580 for 7 before calling quits and allowing Surrey to have a hit. Richard Clinton had hammered nine sixes in his 213, and Ian Flanagan had stroked his way to 152.

However, the leather-hunt had not really managed to break the Surrey spirit. Openers Scott Newman and captain Nadeem Shahid got into the act, pulverising the bowling, blitzkreiging their way to 100, then 200, then 300 … and so on, and there remained quite some time before the close of the second day’s play when they brought up 500 in just 74 overs. Imran Khan comes back from retirement and ends West Indian home rule

The scoreboard read a mammoth 501 for no loss. And Bowden, his arms full with plenty of fours and sixes through the two days, now asked the batsmen to wait. Suddenly a camera appeared in his hands, and soon the two batsmen, wide grins etching their faces, were standing in front of the scoreboard as the eccentric umpire clicked their picture. HM Martineau’s private band of English cricketers: the first serious cricket team to fly

After this curious hiatus, play resumed. By end of day, Surrey Second XI was on 547 for no loss, in just over two sessions. Bowden was aware that history had been made, and his camera clicked more photos as the players made their way back to the pavilion.

What followed?

The following day, Shahid was out to the second new ball for 266 from 271 balls, made with five sixes and 41 fours. The score read 552 — the partnership a record in the history of Second XI Championships. Chris Murtagh, having waited almost a full day in his pads, was dismissed for one. Newman did not last much longer, falling for 284, made off 292 balls, with three sixes and 49 fours. Surrey actually collapsed to lose all their wickets for 130, ending their innings at 682. Richie Benaud — the tour that established him as one of the greats

The match ended in a draw. Bowden and Simon Taufel proceeded to officiate in the Headingley Test which South Africa won by 191 runs.

Brief Scores

Derbyshire Second XI 580 for 7 decl. (Ian Flanagan 152, Richard Clinton 213) and 107 for 4 drew with Surrey Second XI 682 (Scott Newman 284, Nadeem Shahid 266; Paul Havell 6 for 97)

(Arunabha Sengupta is a cricket historian and Chief Cricket Writer at CricketCountry. He writes about the history and the romance of the game, punctuated often by opinions about modern day cricket, while his post-graduate degree in statistics peeps through in occasional analytical pieces. The author of three novels, he can be followed on Twitter at https://twitter.com/senantix)