The Club Cricket Conference Yearbook 2020

- 86 - DAVID LOUIS BURDEN 24th January 1946 – 26th June 2019 A senior Minor Counties and County 2nd XI umpire, David toured with the Club Cricket Conference to Australia in 1997. David was a very talented young batsman/wicketkeeper, good enough to be spotted by Surrey Coach and former England ‘keeper Arthur MacIntyre. Sadly any hopes of a professional career were ended by his having a proper day job to concentrate on. He moved to Camberley Cricket Club where he continued to perform to a high standard: in 1968 the club played Westcliffe-on –Sea CC in the cup. One of the Essex players that day was the redoubtable Trevor Bailey who was effusive about David’s performance and went so far as to suggest David won the match for the club. He played in the Kemps Cup (the fore-runner of the Bertie Joel Cup, latterly the CCC Cup for the Bertie Joel Trophy) Final at the Oval where, sadly, he only won silver. “Monster” (for that was his nickname) had a devilish streak in him as was evidenced in 1975 when, in partnership with a fellow teammate and in honour of the famous streaker at Lord’s of that season, he took part in a streak to the centre of the square – thank goodness he got all that out of his system before he donned the white coat! He went on to play for Finchampstead and was with them when they made the, then, momentous step up into the old Thames Valley Cricket League. With no disrespect to the current league, in 1979 the TVL was as strong as a modern ECB Premier League containing as it did most of the modern Home Counties Premier League plus Basingstoke & North Hants CC and the now-defunct Hounslow CC who were destined to be Champions that year. He went on to become Club Captain. When he finished playing, he took up the white coat and became an umpire, “ putting something back into the game ” as he put it. Promotion was rapid and he stood, first, in the Thames Valley League and then in the Home Counties Premier League when the ECB Premier Leagues were founded and the HCPL took over the TVL. Over the following decades Dave was accepted onto the Minor Counties Umpires Panel and then the Hampshire 2nd XI list (in those days each county provided its own ‘home’ umpires). Over some twenty years with the Minor Counties he was to umpire three Championship play-offs and two knockout finals at Lord’s: he also umpired Bermuda, Pakistan and Australia as his star rose ever higher. He was interviewed for, and invited to umpire on, the first class panel but the opportunity did not arise because he had a full- time job in senior management; he did however stand in 12 Nat West/Cheltenham & Gloucester matches. continued…