John Hampshire was an attractive middle-order batsman, courageous and primarily front-footed, as well as being an excellent close fielder. When he made a hundred on debut against West Indies in 1969 - and became the first batsman to score a Test hundred on debut at Lord's in the process - it seemed to signal the start of something good. But he was dropped after the next match, and thereafter his appearances were as spasmodic as his county form. He captained Yorkshire for two seasons (1979-80) during one of their most turbulent times, and staged an infamous go-slow at Northampton - which cost Yorkshire a bonus point - as a protest against what he perceived to be selfish batting by one Geoff Boycott. He ended his career with three seasons of relative peace at Derbyshire.

In winters he was a popular member of the Tasmanian side for more than ten seasons. After retiring, Hampshire became a first-class umpire in 1985 and was appointed to the Test list in 1989. In 1999 he was added to the ICC panel of umpires and remained a high quality umpire on the county circuit until 2005.
Martin Williamson