Fellow officials have paid tribute after the death of International Umpire Arthur Morgan.

Arthur, who was from Derbyshire, first qualified as a County Umpire in November 1968 and was well travelled on the international circuit.

He also nurtured the careers of fellow English umpires, including Brian Watkins and Mike Payne, the latter providing much of the background detail below.

When he was two, Arthur moved with his family from Wales to Derby where his father worked on the railway. On leaving school, he followed his father into the Carriage and Wagon railway workshops. He played table tennis for the works team when the sport was booming in Derby, with 10 divisions of 12 teams. 

He was involved with the management of both the town and the County management groups and played in the county and Midland leagues and was a Life Member of both associations.   

He recalled going with other Derby players to the County Championships at Matlock which ran late and there was no transport home so they set off walking carrying their trophies with them. Halfway back they were stopped by the police and had to explain why they were carrying a load of silverware.

He was friends with Tony Chatwin and embarked on the umpire path, getting his County badge in 1968 followed by those at National and International level. He travelled all over Europe by train where feasible. 

He vividly described staying in the Europa Hotel in Belfast during the Troubles and was always impressed by how German umpires always knew who he was and called him by name when they met! 

He was an old-style County Umpire Secretary and led various umpires down that road, including Mike Payne and Brian Watkins. 

Brian said: “Arthur was one of the International Umpires in Derbyshire at the time I started my umpiring life and was a well-respected umpire.

“He saw something in me and always put me on the right way forward and I will always be grateful for the time he gave me when I started my umpiring life. He was always honest with me, which I appreciated.
“I will remember the good times and trips up the North East in the early 1980s, all the time spent with Arthur put me on the right road in a proper way and helping me on my umpiring journey in no small way. He was good to be around.

“Arthur, I miss you and the times we had. You made me a better umpire and a better person. Thank you and God bless you.”

Mike also remembers: “He was about 40 when I met him when I returned to Derby in 1974 and then primarily when he took Brian and me under his wing and turned us into IUs.

“You passed the county paper and then spent a good few hours at events of all levels before being assessed capable of working on your own and given your badge. In those days, matches were sudden death and tournaments sometimes went on till 11pm, including juniors and on the Sunday evenings as well. On top of home events many foreign teams visited from the Pacific Rim, European clubs and juniors from as far away as Sweden and Canada. These provided experience for umpires on their way up.  

“Arthur was a lead figure in starting the national tournaments in Derby with the first 2* in a local school leading to the long run of Derby 4*s. 

“He also played golf and in 1990 he took a year out to be his club captain. After some discussions with the ETTA about how he would come back into the game, he finally left table tennis altogether the following year. 

“Although he spent most of his life in Derby he was always a keen supporter of the Welsh rugby side. His wife Joyce died in January 2019 and he managed on his own until earlier this year when he moved into a care home.”

Funeral details will be advised on this page, when known.