
MOHAMED N. BAKSH
INDUCTEE 2008
Made his mark as a Cricket Umpire
Mohamed Nabbie Baksh was born in Guyana, February, 1943. He is married to Amirule. This union is blessed with three sons and one daughter. Baksh attended McGillivray Canadian Mission School, The Government Training College for Teachers and the University of Guyana from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Education Degree. In the U.S., he completed post graduate studies at Columbia University Teacher Institute.
He followed his chosen vocation all his working life culminating as Principal of St. John’s Community High School on the west coast of Demarara. Upon migrating to the U.S. in 1989, Baksh continued teaching, working with Catholic Charities and New York City’s Board of Education. At present he is a Clinical Resources Professional/qualified Mental Retardation Practitioner coordinating the clinical support staff with the population at his present posting. Along with his teaching career Baksh was always involved in the field of sports serving on a number of community organizations and regional boards. He was secretary of the Guyana Teachers’ Union National Sports Committee, which organized and executed some of the largest intra and inter-regional sporting activities - cricket, football, track and field, swimming, etc.
However, he had an abiding interest in cricket umpiring and this is where he made his mark. He started cricket umpiring at the age of 24 and has continued to do so to date. Commencing in the early seventies, Baksh officiate in First Division and First Class matches. He has under his belt more than a quarter of a century of participation in the Shell Shield, Red Stripe and other West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) competitions. He also officiate in matches between the West Indies and touring teams from India, Pakistan and Australia.
In 1972 he became one of the youngest members in the West Indies to be granted full membership to the prestigious Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers of England, having passed their final written examination and satisfying the other requirements. Baksh has been a member of the West Indies Cricket Umpires’ Training and Examination Committee for a number of years and the officer of the Guyana Cricket Umpires’ Council responsible for the training and certification of umpires in Guyana. Baksh inevitably continued his interest in the sport on his arrival in the U.S. becoming the training officer for umpires in the country. He was the initial training officer of the United States of America Cricket Umpires’ Association (USACUA) and tin this capacity was instrumental in getting USACUA umpires trained and presented at the WICUA final written, oral and practical examinations for the first time in North America, U.S. umpires were first and on several instances ended within the top three percentile passes at the examinations. There are in excess of 30 full qualified and certified umpires within the ranks of the USACUA.
Under his tutelage and guidance training sessions, examination and certification were conducted each and every year commencing in 1992 in New York, Connecticut, Atlanta, Florida and Washington. Upon elevation of the USACUA to full membership of the WICUA at the last conven- tion in Guyana (2007) Baksh has been elected to serve as a member of the training and examination committee of WICUA. He represented Guyana at WICUA conventions as a delegate from the U.S.A.