Bermuda Cricket Umpires Association (BCUA) secretary Richard Austin paid tribute to the outstanding service and dedication of the late Doreen Woolridge who was laid to rest yesterday.Woolridge, 79, played a large role in the BCUA in its early years of existence and was the first female official to step through the gates of the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad where she umpired a match there in the 1980s alongside legendary West Indian Test umpire Johnny Gayle.It was the highlight of a notable cricket career in which she played as an all-rounder for Flatts, before becoming a senior umpire, taking charge of many key games on the Island.Her grandson, former national team star Dwayne Leverock, followed in her footsteps when he travelled to Trinidad with Bermuda to compete in the 2007 World Cup, an experience made all the more special for the spin bowler as she was in attendance.Mrs. Woolridge was widely known as Bermuda’s first lady of cricket.“From the BCUA history she was a huge asset to not only local cricket but international as well, she was the first female to be qualified as an umpire locally and she was going to be a part of the 50th anniversary in which we are going to salute past umpires,” said Austin.“Randy Butler is setting that up and it is a shame that she has passed away and she will be missed, not only by her family but also her cricketing family and the community of Flatts.“One thing that is for sure is that her family, the Woolridge/Leverock family, has played a vital part to the game and she really made a good impression on Bermuda cricket.“From the umpires’ standpoint we definitely understand her contribution in the early stages and it is great to see her grandchildren and those younger coming and playing on the cricket field also. On behalf of the BCUA I would like to extend our condolences to her family as well as the entire Flatts cricketing family.”