Martin 'Dickie' Bird, Northwood Town's former President, Treasurer and Life Member was honoured at the club's 50th anniversary Celebration Day by Vice President Mike Peacock. Here's his tribute speech in full…

“I was very pleased to be asked to say a few words about Martin “Dickie” Bird because he was the epitome of a club man and, as we celebrate the club’s 50th anniversary, he was here from the start.

Dickie, by his own admission, wasn’t a great cricketer. Even in my early teens – playing with him for the 3rd or 4th XI – I fancied I would clobber his idiosyncratic off-spin, though that sort of over-confidence got me out countless times over the years.

But despite his limitations as a player, Dickie was hugely important to NTCC. He filled numerous roles for the club, many of them somewhat thankless, all of them vital. In short, he was someone who put in far more than he got back.

He spent more years than I can remember umpiring our first team games, taking the occasional bit of stick (which more often than not came from his own side) in good humour and saving the 1s from inevitable regulation, not by being a bent umpire – far from it – but because a team without a proper umpire was fined 10 points every game.

I often drove to away matches with him and he was an astute reader of the game, always worth listening to. As he got older, Dickie took to the scorebox which is named after him – again saving the first team from a fine every week.

But that was far from all. He was the club’s treasurer for many years. At a time when the finances were often dicey, he helped keep the club afloat.

He also played a key part in the ground work, often to be seen rolling the square, partly because he was the only one clever enough to consistently coax our aging and temperamental roller into life. Without him, we would often have been playing on

minefields.

So Dickie was very much a giver, not a taker. Every club needs Dickies, not least ours.

Those of us who no longer play and don’t visit often are still hugely interested in the club’s fortunes. I was thrilled that the current first team nearly pulled off back-to-back promotions this year and last, and I’m always looking out for the results.

In turn, the current players and members should spare a thought for the club’s history. If it wasn’t for the likes of Dickie it might not be here today.

So let’s raise a glass, celebrate your success and hope for more to come. But let’s also toast Dickie and the others being remembered today. By supporting the club he loved, he also paid it forward, making sure it would be there for those who were yet to come.

Remember that you will one day be part of the club’s history too. I’m thrilled to see there are several people here today who put huge time and effort into the club. Keep putting in as well as taking out and the club will be thriving in another 50 years.”