William Brough Smith (1932-2011)
With the death of Bill Smith, in his eightieth year, Scottish cricket has lost the doyen of its umpiring fraternity during the latter half of the twentieth century and the first few years of the current one.
On leaving school, Bill joined the Paisley Trustee Savings Bank, for whom he played what was normally his annual game of cricket against Kelburne's Whitehaugh Eleven, and spent his entire working life there and with its successor banks.
Although football, at which he reached Junior level playing in the old Western League, was really the only sport in which he actively participated, his lifetime love was for cricket about which he would readily acknowledge his playing and umpiring talents were at opposite ends of the spectrum.
As a member of Kelburne, Bill was approached by the club/then Western Union Secretary, the legendary Tom Bennie, that rather than watch the club First Eleven match it would be greatly appreciated if he would go to umpire a Second Eleven game as there was no one else available - and so began an umpiring career spanning over forty years which will be difficult for anyone to emulate.
Rising through the ranks of the Western Union, Bill made a name for himself as a fair and competent umpire never swayed in his judgement on loud aggressive LBW appeals made, particularly by ex English County players plying their trade as professionals and former or budding Test players, solely on the basis that the ball had struck the pad.
His performances in due course merited appointments to Inter-District matches and in turn elevation to the then International Panel which resulted in him standing in a host of Scotland matches which included India, Pakistan , Australia and several against Ireland when these were classed as First Class fixtures and English Counties when they came north to play three-day friendlies.
In 1999 ECB appointed Bill to the Scotland v Surrey Nat West cup-tie followed by one in Holland and was nominated by Scotland for the World Cup where he stood in three warm-up matches and carried out Fourth Umpire duties when the competition started in earnest.
Other involvement of note included the 1997 ICC Trophy in Kuala Lumpur, a return visit to Kuala Lumpur in 1998 for the Commonwealth Games and two spells of duty during the early years of the European Championships which included being appointed to the 1998 Final.
Whilst Bill's career was based in the Western Union and latterly the Scottish National Cricket League he was as happy standing in Junior, Second Eleven and other minor games as he was in the extensive list of prestige matches he was appointed to.
Most fittingly as his career was drawing to a close he was appointed to The National Village Cup Final at Lord's in 2002.
A committee member of Kelburne for many years, he also had a spell on the Scottish Cricket Union committee and being an avid St Mirren supporter was a regular attender at the sadly no more Love Street ground.
Bill is survived by wife Lorna and son David to whom we extend our deepest sympathy in their loss.
