Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. So when rheumatoid arthritis made it too painful for cricket umpire Billy Bowden to use the conventional hand signals during a match, he simply made up alternative versions of his own.
Rather than a straight index finger held aloft to signal a batsman out, Bowden pioneered a move his fans call “the crooked finger of doom”. There’s also a “hop-on-one-leg-and-reach-for-Jesus” signal for six, and a “clearing the table” arm-sweep for four.
Over his long and distinguished national and international cricket career, Bowden has become famous for accurate decision-making and eccentric showmanship, both of which will come in handy when he umpires the upcoming T20 Black Clash game between top class cricketers and rugby players in Christchurch.
Now 59, Bowden has four children aged 7 to 33 and lives in Auckland’s Greenhithe with his nutritionist wife Jennifer. He tells Grant Smithies how the disease changed the course of his life, the importance of ignoring the critics, and his thoughts on retirement.
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I’m a Westie! I grew up in Henderson, Auckland. I was the baby of my family because my parents left the best till last. Me and my older brother played backyard cricket starting when I was a little grasshopper. It’s in my blood. You can take Billy out of the cricket but you can’t take the cricket out of Billy.
I kept on playing at Westlake Boys, then Takapuna Cricket Club. I wanted to wear the black cap and play for my country, but unfortunately, arthritis came into my life when I was 19. It’s a disease that affects one in six New Zealanders; 700,000 of us have got some version of it. With me, it mainly affects my wrists, elbows, fingers and feet. There’s no cure. It can feel like walking on broken glass, but I’ve had that pain now for 40 years and keep it at bay with careful diet and exercise and medication.
I have good days and bad days, but arthritis has been good to me, in a way. I was already a stubborn bugger but I’m determined it’s not going to beat me, and that’s led to me developing distinctive ways of moving that have made people notice me more. I’ve risen up to appear on the first-class international cricket scene partly from finding creative ways of dealing with this disease.
When I started umpiring around 1989, it was often very difficult to straighten my hands when my fingers swelled up, so I just gave players out with a crooked finger. Why not? The batsmen still walk, even though they only think they’re half out!
I come from a Christian background – my father was a minister for 65 years – and that has helped me deal with adversity, too, I think. I like to have fun, and the moves I do help display my love for the game. Not everybody approves. I’ve had my critics, but I’ve always respected the game and the players and I have always been professional, regardless of my unusual moves on the field.
Oh, I love the Black Clash. It’s a fantastic concept that started about four years ago. Partly it works so well because a lot of our most talented rugby players could have played first class cricket if they hadn’t chosen rugby – people such as Jordie Barrett, Israel Dagg, Will Jordan, Richie McCaw and Kieran Read.
So even though the idea of a match where retired cricket stars take on rugby legends is a giggle on one level, it’s also a seriously competitive game with both sides desperate to win. Also, a lot of the profits go to charity, including a fund for New Zealand cricket players who have fallen on hard times.
Well, we’re scapegoats, aren’t we? We’re the ones who make decisions that can either help or hinder a team’s success, and people care deeply about that. You don’t get noticed for all the right decisions you make; people only focus on the controversial moments and give the umpire or ref a hard time.
Of course, sometimes the digital playback reveals that the umpire really has made the wrong call, and that hurts, but you have to just hold your focus and move on with the game. Our mistakes are shown to millions of people during televised test matches, but other people’s mistakes in life or business are only seen by a few.
For me, it’s always about the next ball. You’ll always get criticised, but the sun will still rise and your family still love you!
The toughest thing for me in the future will be deciding when to call time on this role. I’ve got a few more years left in me, but after that I want to go out early on my own terms, while I’m still on top of my game.
And there’s life after cricket, of course. I have a young family and also grandkids, and it will be good to spend more time with them. I like playing bowls and listening to music. I love pottering around in the garden and talking to the plants.
I love to see people express their talent, so perhaps I might become some sort of mentor to younger umpires. There’s a lot of options ahead, and only time will tell which ones come to fruition.
Billy Bowden and former New Zealand international player Chris Harris will be the on-field umpires at T20 Black Clash 2023 on Friday, January 20, at Hagley Oval, Christchurch. Watch on TVNZ 1 or get tickets at blackclash.co.nz
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