YORKSHIRE’S FINE RECORD

Northern Advocate, 29 October 1932, Page 12

YORKSHIRE’S FINE RECORD

COUNTY'S CRICKET CHAMPION SHIP.

SIXTEEN SUCCESSES,

Yorkshire, which has won the firstclass county cricket championship for the secontl consecutive year, and for the 10th time in all, has had a particularly fine record since the Groat War. In the 14 seasons since the war it has won the championship seven times, and has never been farther away than fourth place at the finish, and only twice has it been as low oven as fourth. In that period it has averaged Id wins and two losses a season. Four hundred championship competition games have been played by the county in the 14 seasons. It has won 212, drawn Kill, and lost 2S. In eight of the 14 seasons it has won more than half of the matches played, and in only one season has it failed to win as many as 10 matches. In three seasons it was undefeated, and in two others it lost only one game. In 1f)23 it won 2") of the 32 matches played, and two vears later it won 21 out of

32 games. Considering how often rain interferes with cricket, especially in the North of England, ami thus brings about drawn matches, and how often at Home it places at a disadvantage the team which loses the toss, that is a wonderful record. A writer in “The Cricketer,” who points out that to win over 200 matches and Jose under 30 in 14 seasons is a record of skill and consistency never equalled in the history of the county championship. The post-war years in which Yorkshire lias won the championship are 1010, 1022, 1023, 1024, 102.1, 1031 and

19M2. The seasons before the war in which Yorkshire was the champion county were ISO.’!, 1890, 1898, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1900, 1908, and 1912. It will be noticed that in one period Yorkshire held the championship for three consecutive seasons, and in another—and post-war—period it held the title for four consecutive seasons. Commenting on the 19.12 season, another writer in “The Cricketer’’ says that although many people had been hoping that the South of England, as represented by Sussex, would win the championship there were very few who .did not agree that the best side had -won. This writer notes that during the last two months of the season, Yorkshire’s ability to finish matches was most marked, and that, though thf;

team did not rank as high as some of the county’s teams captained by Lord Hawke about MO years ago, it was a side which was always fighting to

win. In May, when M. Leyland was Quito out of form, the batting of the team was poor. To a very great extent Yorkshire then relied on H. Sutcliffe and P. Holmes, who did not often fail. But there was always someone to come to the rescue when things were not going well. It was seldom that the whole side failed in 'Halting. j This writer notes, too, that first- ( rate fielding had backed up the team’s | good bowling. The new captain, A, B. j tellers, set an excellent example in j lidding, but all were good. Sellers is j congratulated on his good work. “It , was a severe task to set a. youth who had never before played for Yorkshire to captain the side," says this writer, “but evidently there is an old head on young shoulders in this case, for things have gone well for the county under his leadership." That last remark reminds one of a note Hint Lord Hawke made in an article, “Fifty Years of Yorkshire County," which he contributed to this year’s issue of “Wisde'n’s Cricketers’ Almanack." Lord Hawke pointed out that since he retired from the captaincy of the county team, in 1910, orkshire had had eight captains, all but two of whom had been captain of the winning side in the championship in their first year. When Lord Hawke wrote that P. E. Greenwood was still the county’s captain. So Sellers is the ninth captain Yorkshire has had since .19.10 and the seventh of them to lead the team to the championship in his first- year as captain. The Yorkshire County Cricket Club was formed in 1801, but the origin of it lay in the series of matches between Sheffield and Nottingham which began 1 in 1771, although these were not play-1 ed annually. The county championship was, instituted in IS7M. Only twice since the (treat War has the county championship not gone to a. northern county, Middlesex winning in 1920 and 1921. Lancashire Avon for three consecutive seasons, from 1920 to 1928, and again in 19M0. Nottinghamshire won in 1929. With Yorkshire, these counties tally avoll in the pre-Avar list of -winners. In the Avhole history of the championship, Nottinghamshire lias won the championship clearly on eight oecasions, and thrice it has been bracketed Avith other counties in first place. Lancashire has aa’ou : seven times and also has three brackets. Of the southern counties, the best record is 'Surrey’s, Avith nine •dear wins and one bracket. But Surrey’s record was all made in pre-Avar : days; its last. championship season 1 Avas 191-1. * '