Umpire Duncan given fantastic farewell

Aug 08, 2011 Sports

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Remembered as a principled individual

 

By Sean Devers
The New Road Wesleyan Church in Vreed-in-Hoop, West Demerara overflowed with family, friends and colleagues of the late Guyanese International Cricket Umpire Clyde Duncan in a moving funeral service which lasted almost five hours yesterday.
Tears flowed freely as a succession of emotional tributes were given by members of the congreg

ation which included some of the top names in the cricket and teaching fraternity as Duncan, who died in Trinidad on July 27 at age 57, was given a fantastic farewell to the great beyond.
The body of Duncan, who stood in two Tests and 21 ODIs including his last one as recent as May last year when West Indies played South Africa in Antigua, was viewed at the GCC ground Bourda from 09:00hrs to 10:00hrs before a service at his home in Vreed-in-Hoop was conducted.
The Funeral Service commenced at 13:30hrs and the packed Church included Guyana’s Director of Sports Neil Kumar, high-ranking Guyana Cricket Board officials including President Chetram Singh, PRO Terry Holder and Secretary Anand Sanasie along with Barbadian Roland Holder and Trinidadian Dr Allen Sammy who represented the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).
West Indies Players Association (WIPA) executive Wavel Hinds, Suriname Cricket Board member Cyril Bonar and several of the region’s leading Umpires were also among those in the packed Church.
West Indies Cricket Umpires Association’s (WICUA), Jamaican Cecil Fletcher along with International Umpires Billy Doctrove, Clancy Mack, Norman Malcolm and Golden Greaves were among the overseas Umpires present.
Guyana Cricket Umpires Council President, Umpire Samwaroo along with Regional First-Class Umpires Eddy Nichols, Nigel Duguid and Colin Alfred were among the large Guyanese Umpiring contingent.
Pastors Rickford Huntley and Steve Sobers were the officiating Ministers while the Guyana under-19 cricket team formed a bat-arch through which Duncan’s Casket was taken by the local Umpires after the service.
The family carried Duncan’s body from his residence to the hearse while the overseas International Umpires took the Casket from the Hearse to the Church.
President of the Demerara and Guyana Cricket Umpires and Scorers Associations Grantley Culbard told the gathering that if ever there was a man who devoted his life to Guyana’s cricket it was Duncan.

“Duncan was a principled person and when he gave you his word he stood by it. Would you believe that he had his notes with him on his sick bed in the Hospital in Trinidad since he was planning to return to Guyana to complete his work in helping to produce more good local Umpires,” Culbard said.
Duncan, who held degrees in Management and Accounting, was a key member of the Training and Exams committee of Umpires Association and leaves to morn his wife Fay and four children, three of whom are involved in the medical profession.
Samwaroo said he met Duncan in 1972 when they enrolled in the Government Training College (now the CPCE) and described Duncan, who stood in 70 First-Class matches and the 2008 under-19 World Cup in Malaysia, as a very quiet, humble and honorable individual.
Duncan was the fourth President and fourth secretary of the GCUC and was remembered by Fletcher as an excellent Ambassador for his country whose passing leaves a void in West Indies Cricket fraternity.
Terry Holder said that at a time when Guyana’s cricket is troubled by so many negatives, Duncan was a true professional who was intolerant of mediocrity and low standards.
“Duncan never took sides and was irritated by people who spoke loosely about cricket and had little interest in the game’s development but sounded as if they knew everything. A few years ago the GCB established a Hall of fame which included outstanding cricketers and an official as inductees. It is at times like this that we are reminded of the value of Umpires to the sport,” Holder continued.
Doctrove, representing the ICC international Umpires panel of which Duncan was until last year, said Duncan was a ‘genuine’ person who taught him how to understand and work out the Duckworth/Lewis System.
“He great with figures and possessed superb patience and he was one of our most intelligent regional Umpires because of his sound academic background. Clyde was a great friend and super human being,” Doctrove added.
Lance Baptist of the Guyana Teacher’s Union (GTU) said Duncan’s willingness to umpire school matches during his days as a school teacher paved the way from him to become an International Umpire.
A family friend said Duncan was not aware that he had cancer until three weeks ago when, after experiencing serve abdominal pains, he went to a local hospital for a scan and was advised to travel to Trinidad for a follow-up.
The Church was told that Duncan, a former Alter Boy, was a wonderful family man who brought up his children in a strict but loving manner.
His wife since June 27, 1981, wept inconsolably for most of the day even as Duncan’s eldest daughter Tracy Duncan-Clarke displayed tremendous courage and eloquence in delivering the Eulogy along with her uncle Ivan Duncan and youngest sister Susanna, who broke down in tears mid-way through her speech.
The congregation participated in passionate singing with Rev. Jose Francis and the Worship team, while Royston Selman gave powerful renditions as he told the Church not to be sad at Duncan’s passing but to celebrate his life.
Duncan, a former deputy principal of the Government Technical Institute (GTI) made his ODI debut as an Umpire in 1988 stood in Test matches at Bourda in 1991 and 1994. He was described by those who knew him as someone who never compromised his integrity and always stood up for high standards and what was right.

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