Former Barbados umpire Nigel Harrison dies aged 77

Nigel Harrison, the former Barbados first-class umpire, has died aged 77 after a brief illness. He stood in Shell Shield and Red Stripe Cup matches through the 1980s. His last first-class game was a tour match during England's tour of the West Indies in 1990.

He also served as the president and treasurer of the Barbados Cricket Umpires Association (BCUA). He was also a former managing director of Corbin Compton, a leading local advertising company.

"He was a good umpire. I don't think he ever had a bad report," Lloyd Barker, a former international umpire, told the Barbados Cricket Association website. "He knew the game and was always very involved in the training of new umpires."

Joel Garner, the former West Indies bowler and current president of the Barbados Cricket Association, said in a West Indies Cricket Board release that Harrison had enjoyed the confidence of the players he worked with. "As a player I came into contact with Mr Harrison on many occasions while playing at the club level and in regional cricket and he was always a strong, firm umpire.

"He was a good communicator and won the confidence of all the players. He made a huge contribution to the game at the club level in Barbados and also helped with the development of regional cricket as well."

WICB president, Julian Hunte, praised Harrison's contribution to umpiring in the Caribbean. "It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to Nigel Harrison, who was one of the leading umpires in Barbados and West Indies cricket. He carried himself with dignity and made a significant contribution to the game he loved. He helped to lift the standard of umpiring across the region and was a standard-bearer."

Harrison also played club cricket for the Spartan Cricket Club, where he played alongside former West Indies players Wes Hall, David Holford, Cammie Smith, Tony Howard and Peter Lashley.