PETER Wheelhouse has reached a landmark that few others will match or surpass. 

Wheelhouse, who is 78 later this month, has been umpiring in the Bradford Premier League for 50 years.

To mark the achievement, he received an inscribed silver salver and certificate, including a picture of him umpiring, from the league.

The presentation was made by Sir Leonard Hutton Trophy winner Philip Radcliffe during the Bradford Premier League Match Officials’ Association’s annual meeting at Cleckheaton Sports Club.

Wheelhouse said: “It is a beautiful silver salver and I am very proud to have received that, and the certificate as well.

“Fifty years is a long time, but it isn’t if you are doing something that you really enjoy.

“Alan Carter has done 54 years too, but they haven’t all been in the Bradford League.”

Peter Wheelhouse (right) receiving his half-century award from Philip Radcliffe.Peter Wheelhouse (right) receiving his half-century award from Philip Radcliffe. (Image: UGC.)

Explaining why he took up umpiring so early, Wheelhouse said: “I played at Undercliffe in the Under-17s and for their second team.

“I used to be in the first team, but aged 24 my knees went, mainly through playing amateur football, and I found that I couldn’t keep chasing a ball.

“But I wasn’t going to give up cricket one way or the other, and Jackie Lee, who was treasurer at Undercliffe and played for them in the Bradford League for a long time, rang me one day and asked if I’d go to a meeting in town at the Mechanics Institute that night.

“I went down not really knowing what I was going there for and I got pulled on one side by the league president Gordon Bowers and Eric Sharpe, who was the league secretary, and we had a 10-minute chat about my thoughts on what the lbw law was about.

“And after those 10 minutes they looked at each other and told me the job was mine. There were no examinations, and my first game was at Lightcliffe second XI.

“Their opening batsman was Ronnie Jackson, and funnily enough the last game of this season that I did, his son Pete Jackson was playing for Spen and his grandson Louis was playing.

“I have also done the same with the Burtons - John, Rob and Tom.”

As for how the league has changed since 1974, Wheelhouse admitted: “I am positive that the quality is not what it was, with less ex-county players featuring now.

“I have been privileged to umpire some fantastic players such as India’s VVS Laxman, as well as New Zealand’s Martin Crowe and Mark Greatbatch.

“Now that standard has fallen off and there is only a certain amount of Premier League top talent.”

Wheelhouse added: “Not that far back, players used to accept umpires’ decisions, which were given as a true and honest interpretation of what they had seen.

“Unfortunately, nowadays there is so much one-day cricket on TV where all players have to do is review a decision and somebody else does it for the umpires.

“To my mind that is diminishing the quality of umpiring in that standard of cricket because they don’t need to get it right because they know that someone else will do that for them.

“If they think there might have been a run out, they will refer it to someone upstairs who will basically get them out of the cart.

“It saves them from making a wrong decision, but I don’t have that privilege, and the bulk of the players don’t understand that.”

As for the future, Wheelhouse, who umpired in Division One, Two and Three last season, said: “My knees are knackered and I have arthritis and a few aches and pains.

“Last summer I had a few health issues in the cold weather, such as chest infections and things like that, but I feel fitter now that I did then.

“I also did Yorkshire Women’s and Girls’ top flight and I finished up my season last year at Headingley in a Hundred Festival for women’s and girls.

“I have done women’s and girls’ matches for about 10 years, which I really enjoy.

“The girls accept what you are doing, they accept each other and, even in needle games with county representatives at various age groups, they will help a novice out with a few tips, even if they are on the other side.

“They play it for fun and they enjoy it, and anyone else who umpires them will tell you the same.”

Laughing, he finished by saying: “God willing I will be back next season. At my age, you wake up in a morning, look around and if you are still there you get up.”