Gould represented Middlesex, Sussex and Auckland in 1979/80 as a left-handed batsman and a wicketkeeper. He captained Sussex in 1987. He returned to Middlesex as a county coach between 1991 and 2000. Gould toured the West Indies with the England Young Cricketers in 1976. He played 18 One Day Internationals for England in 1983 including that year's World Cup as a wicket-keeper. Wicket-keeper Bob Taylor represented England in Test matches during 1983. Gould also played cricket in Devon, where he represented Budleigh Salterton and Exmouth but struggled to find form on the slower wickets in the South West. Elsewhere, his son Michael Gould has played cricket for Sussex Second XI.
Umpiring career
As an umpire, Gould was appointed to stand in 3 matches of the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean. He umpired his first Test match – South Africa v Bangladesh at Bloemfontein, 19–22 November 2008. Gould was promoted to the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires in 2009. He stood in the high voltage India vs Pakistan semi-final at Mohali in the 2011 Cricket World Cup. He was selected as one of the twenty umpires to stand in matches during the 2015 Cricket World Cup. He stood in his 100th ODI match during the World Cup, for the Australia v Sri Lanka game in Pool A. He stood in his 50th Test when he umpired the match between West Indies and India at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua from 21–25 July 2016. In April 2019, he was named as one of the sixteen umpires to stand in matches during the 2019 Cricket World Cup. On 6 July 2019, he retired as an umpire, after standing in his 140th ODI match. However, in January 2020, he was named as one of the sixteen umpires for the 2020 Under-19 Cricket World Cup tournament in South Africa.
Football
Gould played football as a goalkeeper representing Slough Town and Arsenal, thus earning himself the nickname "Gunner". Gould's passion for football was reaffirmed in July 2009 when he took over as chairman of Southern Football League club Burnham. In a press briefing, Gould confirmed to reporters that he was in it for the long haul, with the objective of pushing the Club towards Conference League football. More importantly, Gould is intent on developing the corporate side of the Burnham brand and conference centre facilities.
