FIFTY-SEVEN-year-old former Test cricket umpire Clyde Duncan is no more. Duncan passed away on the morning of July 27, 2011 in Trinidad and Tobago following a brief illness. Duncan and his wife journeyed to Port of Spain recently where he had surgery.
Speaking on behalf of the Demerara Cricket Umpires & Scorers Association (DCU&SA) and the Georgetown Cricket Umpires & Scorers Association (GCU&SA), the President of both Associations, Grantley Culbard in a brief tribute said: “Clyde Duncan was a well known stalwart of the Guyana cricket umpiring fraternity.
He became a member of the Guyana Cricket Umpires Council (GCUC) in the 1970s and went on to become its secretary and served in that capacity on two occasions until 2010 when he did not seek re-election.
He continued to serve the GCUC as a member of its Training and Examinations Committee. He was known to be a very humble person and one who did not worry over disappointments.
Whenever faced with personal disappointments, he would say “the Good Lord so designed it, when the time comes what is for me I will get”.
“When the Demerara Cricket Umpires & Scorers Association (DCU&SA) and the Georgetown Cricket Umpires & Scorers Association (GCU&SA) were formed in recent years, Duncan played an active role in both, serving as a member of the respective executive committee.
“Duncan started his cricket umpiring career at a relatively young age and had the distinction of doing two Test matches at the famous Bourda Ground of the Georgetown Cricket Club.
His first was in 1991, West Indies versus Australia. He did his second Test in 1994, West Indies versus England.  He also did 21 One-Day Internationals, the first being in 1988, West Indies versus Pakistan. Duncan served as a member of the West Indies Cricket Umpires Association (WICUA) Training and Examinations Committee for a long time, up to July of this year.
“Apart from umpiring concerns, Clyde Duncan an experienced management person, was contracted as Cricket Operations Manager for World Cup 2007 and World T20 Championship 2010 here in Guyana and he did an outstanding job on both occasions.
The DCU&SA, the GCU&SA and the parent body GCUC will be the poorer for his passing and will miss him greatly. The President and Members of the DCU&SA and the GCU&SA send condolences to Clyde Duncan’s widow and his family at this very sad time. May his soul rest in peace!”