LEGENDARY cricket umpire Dickie Bird turned back the clock 50 years to mark the day when snow incredibly stopped a Derbyshire county cricket match - in June.
On the first day of play, on May 31 of 1975, under ‘fierce sunshine’, Lancashire raced to 477-5 with Clive Lloyd - the legendary West Indies captain - scoring 167 not out.
Derbyshire scored 25-2 by the close of play.
However on the second day of play, Monday, June 2, shortly after the teams and umpires arrived, it started to rain and was quickly followed by hail and snow.
The game was called off immediately.
At the time, Barnsley’s own Dickie said: “When I went out to inspect the wicket, the snow was level with the top of my boots.
“I’d never seen anything like it.”
And 50 years on Dickie is still as bemused.
He told the Chronicle: “On the Saturday it was red hot.
“We didn’t play on the Sunday in those days.
“We came back on the Monday and there was around six inches of snow.
“It was unbelievable.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before.
“I remember waking up at my hotel in Buxton and opening the curtains and I couldn’t believe it.
“I thought ‘there’s no way we’re going to play today’.
“I went to the ground and that’s when the snow was reaching the top of my boots.”
Play resumed on the Tuesday, on a ‘vicious’ batting wicket and Derbyshire were bowled out for 42 in a little over an hour.
Following on, they fared little better, making just 87.
Losing by an innings and 348 runs, it was Derbyshire’s heaviest defeat of the century.
A few days later the country experienced the start of a heatwave which would last all summer.
The stoppage made national news at the time - and Dickie remembers the day well.
“It was red hot on the Saturday, snowing on the Monday, and then red hot again on the Tuesday,” he added.
“I can’t remember anything ever happening like that before and it’s never happened again.
“It really was a moment in history.
“Lancashire had already got 500 but the pitch was so bad on the Tuesday.
“They were all out for two little scores.”
And on Sunday, almost 50 years to the day since the remarkable event, a special anniversary celebration took place at Buxton Cricket Club.
Dickie was one of the special guests along with Geoff Miller OBE who played in the game and Bob Taylor.
“It was a really nice day,” he said.
“It was good to meet up with the players who are still alive that played in that game.
“Obviously a lot of them aren’t with us anymore.
“We had a very enjoyable day.”
