• Cricket

Dickie Bird statue defaced with condoms

ESPN staff
November 1, 2013
Dickie Bird is glad the statue is not damaged © AP
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A statue of Dickie Bird is set to be raised to prevent people from placing condoms, pants and other obscene items on his finger.

The former Test cricket umpire has been seen removing such items himself according to the BBC, and the statue, which depicts him raising his finger to show a dismissal, will be raised to around five feet.

"I do not mind doing it at all. They can take as many photographs as they like but they're climbing on to it and they might fall off," Bird said.

"I think it's respect they have for you that the only thing they have not done is damage it."

The sculptor Graham Ibbeson said: "We are not going to stop it. What we are going to do is make it a little more difficult. We are raising him up where he belongs."

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