Gerry Gomez and my father played a lot of cricket and football together and were good friends, so Gerry came into my life at a very early age. Throughout my adult life, Gerry was a valuable adviser on sport and life in general, especially on the importance of being courteous to negative individuals, and I was privileged to be asked to pay public tribute to him at his funeral. Gerry never failed to sing his praises to the outstanding character of my father, even though when umpiring the 1948 Test at the Oval, Dad gave Gerry out LBW to Jim Laker off the last ball of the day which precipitated a mini-riot. I know that the Media Centre at the Oval is named after Gerry Gomez in recognition of his overall contribution to cricket. However valid that is, I always remember Gerry the man more than Gerry the cricketer.
Why? Please read on for a possible explanation.
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