History-maker Martin Bodenham has announced his retirement after nearly 50 years as a sports official.
Bodenham, from Ferring, remains the only person to have officiated in both domestic professional football and cricket.
The 65-year-old first took up refereeing in Brighton parks football in 1966 and went on to join the Football League list of referees in 1978. Brighton-born Bodenham was promoted to the Premier League list in 1992 with his most prestigious appointment being the League Cup final in 1997.
He took up cricket umpiring in the Sussex League when he retired from football refereeing in 1998 – although he did take on the position of Head of Refereeing at the Sussex FA in 2001.
Bodenham switched sports completely in 2005 and joined the ECB reserve list in 2006 before being promoted to the first class list in 2009.
ECB Chief Operating Officer Gordon Hollins, said: “Martin can be very proud of the successful transition he made from one sporting code to another. He has been a highly respected figure within our First Class game and leaves with ECB’s sincere thanks for his contribution to cricket and our best wishes for his retirement."
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