A well-known Cumbrian cricket umpire Doug Beebe has been honoured for his work by Blind Cricket England and Wales.
At its annual development festival in Leicester Doug was presented with The Charles Ronayne Award for Outstanding Contribution to visually impaired cricket.
Doug has umpired in visually impaired cricket since around 2010 and has covered dozens of matches in Durham, Lancashire, Leicester, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire.
He has also organised development events in Cumbria, helped with fundraising and even travelled to Barbados to umpire in an international blind cricket series between the UK Women’s Visually Impaired Team and the West Indies VI Women’s Team.
Blind Cricket England and Wales Development Director John Garbett said: “Doug is a very deserving winner of this award. His commitment and enthusiasm have been of massive benefit to the visually impaired game.
“He has been a consistently good umpire willing to travel large distances to ensure games can be played and he’s one of those people willing to try their hand at anything to help a cause he feels is important. BCEW have been lucky to have Doug as a part of our sport and I’ll always be grateful for his support.”
Doug, who lives in Cockermouth, said: “It was a complete surprise and I feel very honoured to have been presented with it.
“I was in the pavilion putting away some equipment when my fellow umpire said that I was wanted outside for a presentation. I went out by the back door and ended up behind John who was making the presentation.
“I have been involved for a number of years now and have always enjoyed standing in these matches.”
