It was always a wondrous sight for Freddie Trueman. Whenever the umpire’s finger was raised to signify a wicket the cricket legend knew he had done his job.

So Dickie Bird, the retired doyen of Test cricket umpires, couldn’t resist the gesture when he attended the unveiling of a larger-than-life bronze statue of his great friend.

The statue was unveiled in Skipton, Fred’s adopted home town, by his widow, Veronica.

About 200 people – including Dickie – gathered in Skipton’s Leeds and Liverpool Canal basin for the ceremony.

Mrs Trueman, married to Fred for 36 years, was assisted by the sculptor, Graham Ibbeson. She said: “It’s overwhelming. It’s the first time I’ve seen it in bronze – last time it was in clay. It’s caught Fred so well – the fluency of his action especially.

“You can feel him releasing the ball and there’s that slight grin on his face as he knows he got a wicket.”

The £90,000, larger-than-life-size bronze, which has been more than three years in the making, was sponsored by Northern Rail with a contribution from Craven District Council.

“It’s wonderful to think it will act as a focal point for tourists, cricket fans and people living in Skipton and the Yorkshire Dales,” said Mrs Trueman.

Barnsley-based sculptor Mr Ibbeson, who has also created a statue of Dickie Bird in Barnsley, said he was pleased at the decision to locate the Trueman statue in the canal basin and not Skipton High Street.

“This is the perfect place for Fred – it’s almost a Fred Trueman piazza,” he said. “People can stand back and see him against an open sky. High Street is far too busy.”

Mr Bird, who played against Fred in his early days in the Yorkshire League, said: “Graham has captured Fred so well – his action and especially that characteristic flapping shirt sleeve. If Fred had been here now, he would have felt very proud.”

The unveiling was also a chance to buy bottles of Fred Trueman Yorkshire Ale, created to mark the ceremony by Skipton brewery Copper Dragon.

Fred, who lived at Flasby, made his Yorkshire first-class debut in 1949 and went on to play 459 games for the county, notching up 1,745 wickets.

In 67 Test matches for England, he took 307 wickets and retired in 1972 for a career in the media. He died in 2007 aged 75.

An exhibition of Graham Ibbeson’s work, including items used in making the Trueman bronze, has opened in Craven Council’s Museum and Gallery in Skipton Town Hall. It runs until the beginning of May.

  • There are more pictures in this week's Craven Herald