A veteran cricket umpire, John Williams, passed away on Thursday, weeks after being hit by a ball on the head during a match.
According to BBC, 80-year-old John Williams from Hundleton, Pembrokeshire, was flown to hospital after being struck with the ball during a match on 13 July. The match had been stopped immediately after the incident. He was taken to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, where he was placed in an induced coma. On 1 August, he was transferred to Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest, but died two weeks later.
The long-standing Pembrokeshire umpire, John Williams, who played as a cricketer, before becoming an official, and then, later on, serving as an administrator, was injured by a ball during a Division Two game between Pembroke and Narberth at Treleet.
Pembrokeshire Cricket announced the news of the umpire’s demise on Twitter: “Sad news this morning regarding umpire John Williams. John passed away this morning with his family at his bedside. Thoughts of all of Pembrokeshire Cricket are with Hilary and the boys at this difficult and sad time.”
Robert Simons from Narberth Cricket Club, who was the other umpire at the Pembroke-Narberth match, told BBC, "He was a grand gentleman, truly a gent from a cricketing point of view, and he gave up a tremendous amount of his time for the sport. I mean, he was willing to officiate even in his 80th year. It's very, very sad. The whole of Pembrokeshire cricket would say the same of him. There's not many of them around. A marvellous chap. I was officiating as the other umpire... It was traumatic."
