PHIL Radcliffe, who has had a list of jobs as long as your arm, has won the Bradford Premier League’s most prestigious award - the Sir Leonard Hutton Trophy.

Currently, the league’s cricket operations officer, Radcliffe has served senior and junior cricket for over 50 years.

For starters, he has officiated at club, league, county and national level, and was for 37 years one of the league’s best-known umpires.

League chief executive Alan Birkinshaw, who revealed Radcliffe as this year’s winner at the league’s annual dinner at Headingley, said: “Phillip has an outstanding CV which illustrates just what a valued contribution he has made to the Bradford Premier League, junior cricket, umpiring and the wider game.

“He is a very deserving winner, and we are very fortunate to have him giving up many hours of his time on behalf of our league.”

Radcliffe was first introduced to the Bradford League when his father George took him along to watch his local side Lightcliffe, and it was there that he launched his playing career.

He also took over the club’s junior section, moving their sides from the Halifax Red Triangle to the Bradford Junior League - a competition he was to serve for 35 years as chairman, and of which is still vice-chairman and treasurer.

His involvement with junior cricket saw him appointed as president of the Joe Lumb Competition and the Yorkshire Junior Cricket Festival.

In 1986, Radcliffe qualified as an umpire and took charge of the Priestley Cup finals of 2005 and 2013.

He became a member of ECB Association of Cricket Officials at its inception in 2008, then was named chairman of the Bradford League Umpires’ Association in 2015.

He was also a major part of the Yorkshire Cricket Association (forerunner to the Yorkshire Cricket Board) for many years and recently became only the second person to be made a patron there for his outstanding service.

A past president of the Heavy Woollen Cup, Radcliffe is currently in the 10th year of his second spell as a league official, where he is currently cricket operations officer.

He also still scores for Yeadon and serves on the executive of the Match Officials’ Association.

Phil Radcliffe presents the Crowther Cup to Woodlands' second team skipper in his role as Heavy Woollen Cup president back in 2012.Phil Radcliffe presents the Crowther Cup to Woodlands' second team skipper Steve Pearson in his role as Heavy Woollen Cup president back in 2012. (Image: Bradford League.)

Radcliffe said: “It is very difficult for me to find the right words, but it is a shock and I don’t do anything for honours. I don’t do it for myself. I do it for the 48 clubs in the Bradford League.

“Hopefully I got the award because of the way that the league think about me.

“I started playing and wasn’t good enough so then I went umpiring and now I am scoring, besides all the other things that I do.

“If I didn’t have the time to do it I wouldn’t do it, but I enjoy every minute of it and it is all for the Bradford Premier League.

“You can plan your work, but it has been a lot easier since I retired after being at Calderdale Council for 41 years.

“As for the next cricket season, I am not winding down.

“I am already looking forward to it - junior cricket and senior cricket - and scoring for Yeadon.”