Badge Menzies only ever stood in one first-class match, and probably wished he had not even done that. The umpiring throughout an ill-tempered 1953-54 tour of the Caribbean by England had caused controversy, and by the time the sides reached Guyana for the third Test, so bad was the situation that Len Hutton, England's captain, objected to two local officials while the West Indies board refused to bring in any from other islands. An ill-fated compromise led to two locals being appointed, one - M enzies, the groundsman at The Bourda - who had never umpired a senior game. The flashpoint came when Cliff McWatt was run-out going for the single that would have brought his stand with John Holt to 100. No-one questioned Menzies' decision, but the crowd, fuelled by alcohol and allegedly having wagered heavily on McWatt reaching his century, erupted. "Sections of the crowd hurled bottles and wooden packing-cases on to the field," noted Wisden, "and some of the players were fortunate to escape injury." Menzies' wife and daughter, who were watching, were abused and he had to have a police guard for the remainder of the match.
Martin Williamson