A voice that will be much missed.

Contents:

Chairman’s Notes 4

Editorial 5

Dates for your Diary 8

AGM 10

David Callaghan 13

News from Headingley 15

Good on paper… Report on Yorkshire’s AGM 17

Three Graces 21

Book Review 24

Letters 25

Fixtures 26

NEIL LLOYD

YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2017

Please note the inclusion of a voting form for this award. Our apologies that this was not included as usual with the annual membership form. We do hope that members will take the time to participate in awarding this annual prize, either by post or email as indicated on the form.

Thoughts of Chairman Chris:

It seems that and controversy are bedfellows at present.

The ICC have reduced the 2019 Cricket World Cup to 10 teams. The past two World Cups each comprised 14 teams. Many voices have been strident in condemnation, commercial/financial interests are at heart here, and have called on the ICC to reverse its decision. The result is that fringe countries like Scotland, Afghanistan and Ireland are obviously highly unlikely to be amongst the 10 countries. If we are to develop the game world-wide then we need to expand the participation and not restrict it to the elite countries.

The ECB is also at the centre of another furore. Director Andy Nash has resigned over the issue of compensation payments of £500,000 to the major cricket grounds in the summers when they do not host tests. It seems the board were kept in the dark over this issue and there is a fear that this will further widen the gap between the large and small counties. The Chairman, Colin Graves (Yorkshire’s financial saviour), is under much pressure to resolve the conflict. Money is again “talking”.

I feel that we are rapidly moving to separate coaches for the three formats of international cricket. The demands, with the intensive nature of the scheduling of matches, place undue pressure on one coach and are too onerous. Likewise, as we are seeing players opting for specific formats, we are also moving to a situation where we have three specialised teams.

England’s Test struggles continue with the only ray of sunshine, from a Yorkshire perspective, being the century by Kane Williamson, our overseas signing for the coming season.

‘It’s not cricket!’ is a common cry and it certainly isn’t when played by the present Australian team! You could say “what goes around, comes around” and there will be no sympathy for such ball tampering amongst cricket lovers the world over. I feel the “win at all costs” mentality which has been prevalent in recent Australian teams has now been their undoing. It is all the more sad that their head coach, Darren Lehmann, gave such sterling service to Yorkshire cricket over a number of years. It is a matter of conjecture as to whether such behaviour was operating in the last Ashes tests, but certainly it appears that Bancroft likes not only sugar in his tea but also in his pockets! The Southern Group will again be arranging a number of match day events involving Yorkshire CCC around the country and these will be listed with application forms in the newsletters. These are opportunities for members and guests to enjoy cricket, camaraderie and conviviality. Please make every effort to participate and I look forward to meeting many of you throughout the season.

These will be my last “thoughts” as my two year tenure as Chairman finishes at the AGM in May. It has been a pleasure and privilege to have held the office and my sincere thanks are due to all the members of the committee who have so stoutly supported me during this time and who by their efforts have contributed to the work and success of the Southern Group. And my thanks to all the members who have supported the Group at matches, events, lunches etc.. It just remains for me to wish both the new Chairman and Yorkshire CCC every success for the future.

May I draw your attention to the Southern group AGM -

notes on which are posted in this Newsletter. Can I urge you to attend the meeting and make the plea that we need new blood on the committee, especially some younger members. Paraphrasing Kitchener, “your Southern Group needs you”! Please make every effort to attend.

Chris Marshall, March 2018.

Editorial:

By the time you receive this issue, the 2018 season will be upon us, and we can then begin to see whether Yorkshire’s undeniable down-turn of 2017 is to be reversed. Certainly some players, particularly batsmen, will know that another year of similar performances will place them in some jeopardy. The Champions of 2014 and 2015 still have more than a few years of cricket to offer, and the opportunity to place themselves beyond challenge amongst the great Yorkshire sides. Let us hope that they will do so.

I have received a number of comments in relation to the Newsletter. Most have been very positive, but those with constructive comments/criticisms are equally welcome. To address two of them: I am aware that the ‘house style’ of the Newsletter could be more up to date. While being instinctively hostile to ‘trendiness’ for its own sake, I accept that view. The problem lies not in innate editorial conservatism, but in the editor’s limited technical skills! I am acquiring some remedial tuition and hope to be able to demonstrate a few modest advances over the forthcoming issues. A little tentative progress may even be evident in these pages. The second comment was that a Readers’ Forum, unafraid of having one or two more controversial debates, would be a good idea. All I can say to this is that nothing would please me more, and I welcome any increase in correspondence to my email or home address (see page 2) over the coming months.

A decision I often face with the editorial is how far to comment on current cricket matches, issues or controversies. One problem is that by the time the Newsletter arrives on your doormat, let alone by the time you read any of it, a lot can have happened and comments can be hopelessly out of date. For instance the reactions to the ‘ball-tampering’ crisis in South Africa have quickly gone through a number of changes. As I write, exactly a week after the incident, there have already been significant changes in response. The first reactions from the Australian camp, which included Steve Smith’s statement that he would carry on as captain, were clearly extraordinarily naïve. Over the following days the stupid behaviour of three young(ish) games players was put through a pretty brutal mincer, inducing quite significant dramatic comment from, among others, the Australian Prime Minister, who should surely be too busy to hold press conferences about this sort of thing. By today (Saturday March 30th), one paper carried the unpleasant and unnecessary headline ‘Captain Crybaby’. However, the more sober school of genuine cricket writers (see Atherton and Syed in the Times), while they were rightly critical of both the behaviour and the brief attempt at a cover-up, were starting to suggest that the boot had been put in long and hard enough.

Sadly, the game will not get what it needs here. It is difficult to write about this without sounding old-fashioned or pompous or both, and I recognise that younger spectators want their sports to be rather more ‘red in tooth and claw’ than was true a generation or two ago. What is needed however is not a week or two’s feeding frenzy from the media, until they smell blood in the water elsewhere and move on to a doping cyclist or an adulterous footballer. What is required is a recalibration, significant but not dramatic, of the culture of international cricket. Much of current on-field and off-field practice is not worthy of the game. I think, to give one example, it might be a good idea if the management of all national sides stopped trying to play immature mind games and agreed to curtail the amount of antagonistic pre-series hype they are prepared to encourage or allow.

On the field, I suspect that players know deep down what is acceptable and what is not. No-one with sense would want to see the verbal side of the game, as practised for instance by one Frederick Sewards Trueman, in some way prohibited, but much of what is now described as ‘sledging’ is simply crude, childish, and utterly unamusing. There was much talk after the death of Phillip Hughes about it changing things, but it hasn’t. If a death can’t make a difference, it’s hard to imagine what can. And incidentally, if, during his habitual visits to opposition dressing rooms, Fred ever made threats to life and limb, e.g by marking an imaginary cross on an opponent’s forehead, everyone knew it was a joke. It was if he just said ‘Ah’ll sithee later’ that you were in trouble. He’d have despised a comment like ‘I’m going to kill you,’ or ‘get ready for a broken arm’.

So that’s my half pennorth, as of 5.30 p.m. on March 30th. Do write and tell me where I’m wrong, if events haven’t already done so.

Ned Holt

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 2018 June Hirst The following match events have been organised for the next few months and we hope you will be able to join us. Unfortunately the on-ground catering is too expensive at Chelmsford and the Oval and there isn’t a suitable pub nearby to book a hot lunch. We have therefore organised a couple of pub meet-ups for a lunchtime drink and a natter instead.

SATURDAY, 28 APRIL – TAUNTON We have booked a table in the Southern Group’s name for members and guests at the nearby Princess Royal pub, 24 Canon Street, Taunton TA1 1SW at 1.00pm. Service there is quick and efficient and there is no need to order food beforehand. Lunch and drinks are payable individually. Menus are available on their website – www.princessroyaltaunton.co.uk Please email June, details below, by Saturday, 21 April if possible, if you wish to be included for lunch, so that we can give the pub an idea of numbers. Please meet at the table.

SATURDAY, 5 MAY – CHELMSFORD Lunchtime meet up at the Queen’s Head pub, 30 Lower Anchor Street, CM2 0AS. No tickets are being issued for this, just turn up if you would like a drink and a chat. Limited food available. To find the pub leave the ground from the Hays Close end, taking either of the two entrances that lead to the drive south of the pavilion. At the end of the drive turn right and then left. The Queen’s Head is on your right.

FRIDAY, 11 MAY - THE KIA OVAL Lunchtime meet-up for drinks, etc. at the Beehive pub, 51 Durham Street, Vauxhall, SE11 5JA - at the junction of Harleyford Road and Durham Street. Menus are available on their website – www.thebeehivepub.co.uk Leave the ground by the Alec Stewart Gate at the side of the OCS Stand.

TUESDAY, 26 JUNE – SCARBOROUGH Last year’s lunch at Scarborough was a popular event and we are therefore repeating it this year for the second day of the match against Surrey. A table has been booked at 1.00pm in the Pavilion Restaurant in the name of the Yorkshire Southern Group. The cost of a 3 course meal with choices will be around £27.00 incl. VAT (exact price unknown at the time of going to press). This is payable individually at the table after the meal, together with any drinks. We are issuing Southern Group email tickets for this event, so if you would like to be included in the lunch please email June or drop her a line (details below) with names by Friday, 15 June at the latest, so that places can be reserved. Non-Yorkshire/non-Surrey members attending the lunch will be able to gain access to the Pavilion at lunchtime by saying they are part of the Yorkshire CCC Southern Group lunch party.

SUNDAY, 15 JULY – NEW ROAD, WORCESTER Yorkshire Vikings are playing Worcestershire Rapids in the t20 match beginning at 2.30pm. We have booked a table for lunch at 12.30pm in the Southern Group’s name at The Old Rectifying House pub, North Parade, Worcester WR1 3NN, which is on the river bank on the opposite side to the cricket ground, by the bridge. There is plentiful parking off North Parade. Please pay individually at the table for your meal and drinks. Please email Ned Holt – [email protected] – by Sunday, 8 July - if you would like to be included for lunch, and meet him at the table. Please purchase your own match ticket(s) on line through the Worcester web site, price £20 for adults and £5 for under 17’s. There’s no reserved seating and county club membership benefits do not apply. The Worcester web site is www.wccc.co.uk At the bottom of the home page under “Tickets”, click on “Match Tickets”. Select the Yorkshire match from the list and click on “Buy Tickets”. In case of problems and to book tickets by phone, their Ticket Hotline is 01905 337921. June Hirst’s contact details: Email: [email protected] Address: 5 Stanhope House, 38-40 Shepherds Hill, London N6 5RR. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING - TUESDAY, 8 MAY 2018 Notice is hereby given that the thirty-seventh Annual General Meeting of the Yorkshire CCC Southern Group will be held in the Dining Room (at the back of the ground floor bar) at The Counting House, 50 Cornhill, London EC3V 3PD, on Tuesday, 8 May 2018 at 7.00 pm to conduct the following business:

1. Apologies for absence

2. Minutes of the 2017 Annual General Meeting (printed elsewhere in this Newsletter)

3. Chairman’s Report

4. Treasurer’s Report

5. Election of Committee

6. Neil Lloyd Young Cricketer of the Year Award 2017

7. Any Other Business

Members are invited to attend the AGM and stay on for the subsequent committee meeting. We will be providing a finger buffet and drinks during the evening. Please email June Hirst – [email protected] – if you are intending to be there so that we can estimate numbers. In the last 12 months the committee has lost five members. We are therefore very keen to encourage new committee members, as existing ones are having to take on extra roles. Nominations for the Committee may be made in writing to the Hon Secretary or verbally at the meeting. If you are interested please contact the Chairman, Chris Marshall (email: [email protected]) or the Hon Secretary, June Hirst (email: [email protected]) June Hirst, Hon Secretary, April 2018.

Minutes of the thirty sixth Annual General Meeting of the Yorkshire CCC Southern Group held on 2 May 2017 at 7pm at The Counting House, 50 Cornhill, London EC3V 3PD

Present: Chris Marshall (Chair), Mike Brown, David Hirst, June Hirst, Martin Howe, Peter Nutting, Brian Smith and Gary Waller.

Apologies: Andrew Bosi, Tony and Rosalie Bradbury, David Bunker, Helen McCarvill, Bill Morrell, Ned Holt, Andrew West and David Wood.

Minutes of the 2016 AGM: These had been circulated (with the April 2017 Newsletter) and were approved as a true record.

Matters arising None not covered elsewhere in the agenda.

Chairman’s report Chris began by referring to the Yorkshire matches attended by the YSG, with particular mention of the Headingley game against Warwickshire and the deciding match at Lord’s. All the events had been organised with her usual efficiency by June Hirst. Chris referred to his pleasure in hosting John Hampshire and his wife Alison at our lunch at Headingley. Sadly he had had to send our condolences to Alison on John’s subsequent death and he said he had received a gracious reply from her. He had also sent our congratulations to Richard Hutton on his election as President of Yorkshire CCC and again had received a warm reply. Chris referred to the perennial problem of attracting more members and members’ participation in events. He ended his report by thanking all committee members for their support during the year and by wishing and the team every success in the new season.

3. Treasurer’s report. Peter circulated a comprehensive set of accounts for the year 2016. He noted that subscriptions income was slightly higher than in the previous year and expenses likewise slightly lower, though this was largely down to lower outgoings on the Young Player of the Year Award and player sponsorship and to Stephen Chalke foregoing overnight accommodation when our guest at the Annual Lunch. Match events and functions had incurred a loss of £371.86 in 2016 compared with a loss of £565.65 the previous year, the donation of £500 to ’s benefit fund turning what would have been a profit into a loss.

Our resources at the bank are therefore down this year and stand at £3401.68. Peter believed that this was on the margin of what we need to cover contingencies. The weak spot in finances was the Annual Lunch he suggested. Peter’s report and accounts were approved by acclaim and Peter thanked for his labours.

In discussion Gary Waller wondered if we could cut the cost of the Annual Lunch by being more sparing in the provision of overnight accommodation but this suggestion was not taken up by the meeting.

4. Elections:

Chairman. Mike Brown proposed Chris Marshall as Chairman for the coming year and this was seconded by Gary Waller and unanimously approved by the meeting. Chris returned to the chair, thanked the meeting for its confidence in him and promised to continue do his best to further the aims and interests of the YSG. Vice Chairman: Ned Holt had indicated that he would be willing to consider the Vice-Chairman position and to continue as Newsletter Editor. This information was warmly received and David Hirst proposed and Peter Nutting seconded the proposal of Ned Holt as Vice-Chairman. The proposal was unanimously carried. Treasurer. Peter Nutting was proposed by Martin Howe, seconded by Mike Brown and the proposal was carried unanimously. Hon Secretary and Events Coordinator: June Hirst was proposed by David Hirst, seconded by Gary Waller and the proposal carried unanimously. Newsletter Editor: Ned Holt was proposed by Mike Brown, seconded by June Hirst and the proposal was carried unanimously. Minutes Secretary: Martin Howe was proposed by Mike Brown, and seconded by Andrew Bosi. The proposal was carried unanimously. Other committee members Andrew Bosi, David Hirst, Brian Smith and Gary Waller were proposed en bloc as committee members by Peter Nutting and seconded by Martin Howe. The proposition was carried unanimously.

In view of David Wood’s serious illness, no decision could be taken at the meeting on the post of Membership Administrator.

It was agreed that Kevin Hornsby should be invited to continue as Honorary Auditor. Any Other Business There being no other business the Chairman closed the meeting at 7.27pm.

David Callaghan

Members, players and officials were genuinely shocked by the sudden death of Dave Callaghan, who suffered a heart attack on March 9th and died three days later.

Unrelated to John Callaghan, who reported on Yorkshire throughout the 80s and 90s, DC had a long career with Radio Leeds but came to greater prominence with the decision of the BBC to extend broadcast commentary to the national station, Radio 5 Extra. Coupled with the rise of the internet, it meant DC was within reach of the thousands of cricket followers whose work or location far from cricket grounds keep them from attendance in person.

DC interviewing one of the many people who paid tribute to him.

DC may have lacked the eloquence of John Arlott, and drunk less, but he was the most convivial of companions, with a genuine love of Yorkshire cricket while maintaining a suitable professionalism behind the microphone. And whereas Arlott was able to help players like Basil d’Oliveira making their way, DC was a great support to players in the Yorkshire team. Several beneficiaries made the most of this opportunity by having DC as their organiser. Those who found speaking in public more demanding than facing Marshall and Holding came to rely on his skill as a compere to see them through.

The provision of commentary on every match meant he often travelled with the players. He became one of the family, so much so that when his own daughter died tragically, the players insisted on giving a tribute normally reserved for deceased former players.

He always spoke warmly of the Southern Group, and will be much missed. There were heartfelt tributes on social media.

Andrew Bosi

I hope we are all looking forward to the view on April 14th. Ed.

News from Headingley:

We are very grateful to coach Richard Pyrah for the following report from Yorkshire’s training camp in South Africa.

Pre season 2018 - Potchefstroom, South Africa.

After a productive but long winter indoors at Headingley, a pre-season trip abroad gives us a chance to put our winter work into practice on grass, but most importantly under the pressure situation of game time.

This winter we split the players into skill set groups of young fast bowlers, , and spin group, with the senior bowlers joining in after the new year. The winter progressed from technical work and basics to skills and then bat v ball. Structuring the winter like this meant that each player had their own programme and worked with skilled coaches in their area. The players have worked as hard as ever this winter indoors, and are excited to get some warm weather on their backs. So are the coaches.

After a long 22 hours of travelling we finally got to Potchefstroom sports village. Potchefstroom High Performance Centre is one of the best facilities in the world, where Olympians and sports teams travel from all over to train. The first three days leading up to our two-day match against Nottingham CCC is all about building the boys up to match fitness, we did this by grading the bowlers overs up day by day and adding in double spells on the third day. For the batsmen it is all about getting back the timing of playing on grass rather than the quick indoor surfaces from the winter.

The first game against Nottinghamshire CCC was a two-day game where one team bats for a full day and swaps for the second day. This way we can make sure the bowlers get in their overs and miles in their legs. We batted first and made 305 for 6, young top scoring with 156 retired out. In reply Notts made 196 for 5 with the shared around. A good work out first up and puts us in a position to up the intensity leading into 2 one days.

Our first one day game was played against Leeds Bradford MCCU at the Test venue Senwes Park. We posted a mammoth 392 with scores of 150 from Alex Lees and a 100 from Jack Leaning. In reply Ben Coad was the pick of the bowlers, with four wickets, and we won by 111 runs.

As the tour goes on we are upping our intensity with bat and ball which was perfect timing to take on Nottinghamshire CCC in the second one day game. Notts posted 310 in the first innings with picking up 3 wickets. In reply we saw a remarkable chase, where we knocked off 310 with 18 overs to spare with 100’s from Alex Lees and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, and an unbeaten 50 from Harry Brook. It was an excellent two days, picking up from the improvements we made last year in white ball cricket.

To finish the tour we played a two day inter squad game. The plan for this is to get the bowlers 2/3 good spells in their legs with batters having the opportunity of time in the middle. Over the two days we saw runs for most of our batters, also some good work from our bowlers. A pleasing sight was well with a red ball after a frustrating winter with England.

All in all the pre season tour was a success and everything we hoped for, this obviously doesn’t guarantee success but does gives us every chance. Thank you for all the support you give us, it is much appreciated. See you all in the season.

Richard Pyrah

Good on paper, In Transition on Grass.

Videos, music and humour. Was this really a Yorkshire AGM? Steve Denison is a charismatic Chairman who wants the club to be “open and inclusive”. This was clearly displayed as he expertly guided the meeting, ensuring it was both informative and entertaining. It had been Dave Callaghan’s funeral on the previous day and there was a fitting tribute when a video from “TBTV” was played showing Tim Bresnan’s impromptu interview with DC while he was in the middle of commentary. Watching Cally handle various off the wall questions while still commentating on every ball showed why he was considered one of the best in the business. He will be sadly missed and the first day of the season won’t be quite the same without him. There then followed a promotional video that is appearing on the Yorkshire website and social media showcasing Yorkshire cricket against a backdrop of Yorkshire locations. Steve Denison’s Chairman’s Report started with a comment that, while the club had been in transition on the field, it had been successful in terms of income growth and positive cashflow. He also announced that, as part of the new agreement with Leeds Rugby, catering and pouring rights will return to the County Club from November 2018, much earlier than previously expected. This will generate significant revenues next year. However, there was a note of caution about 2018 finances. The ground development means that capacity is reduced to 12,500 which makes for a challenging year even though the international games are selling out. It could be a loss-making year. Membership is growing and stands at 8,268. But half of these are membership types that do not carry voting rights. Although Steve spoke about the importance of membership numbers, a quick look at the accounts shows that membership income accounts for only 7.5% of revenue. Despite a debt level of £24M with more to come from the new stand development, there are “no worries” about debt or ability to repay. A repayment schedule for the next three years totals £8.7M. Although full repayment to the Graves Trust is due in this period, discussions are in progress for this to be re-scheduled. Leeds City Council were praised for being the key to the financing of the new stand. Looking ahead to the international schedule at Headingley, the club are pleased with their allocation. A Pakistan test is good for the area but the timing is not good for catering and hospitality as it will occur during Ramadan. The club have decided against “live streaming” of county games in 2018 because they have been unable to find a cost-effective solution that delivers a suitable quality. Video packages will continue on the website and on social media. The new T20 franchise competition will bring out-grounds such as Park Avenue and Abbeydale into the picture in order to meet fixture needs. County games will continue during these T20 games, although a county game in Yorkshire will not overlap with a franchise game in Yorkshire. Steve ended by emphasising that the club (via himself, Mark Arthur and ) are well represented within the ECB structure and have a “strong voice” at the heart of the game. During questions from the floor he said that the issue of compensation payments for lack of Tests needed further discussion to establish “the right amount”. Martyn’s assessment of the season was “mixed”. Younger players had been more consistent with the likes of Ben Coad and Matthew Fisher making major contributions. The Second XI and Academy team had had good seasons. He feels there is now genuine competition for first team places. In white ball cricket Martyn said they need to be better at chasing totals and winning away from home. The championship had been “hugely disappointing” with batting the main issue. There had been a lack of individuals getting them out of trouble. They are looking at the mentality of four-day batting and their sports psychologist will spend more time with all the players during the season. The pre-season tour had been a success, the players have re-grouped and are looking forward to the new season. Gale and Ballance learnt a lot in 2017 and their partnership is growing. This is a long-term project but they will work “bloody hard”, starting by settling some scores with Essex. Martyn is chairing an “all counties” meeting of Directors of Cricket, that will have taken place by the time you read this report. They will be discussing the need for common policies to meet the new challenges such as the “life changing” money available to players in white ball cricket. Yes, he mentioned Adil, but more of that anon. More questions from the floor then followed starting with “what chance of four- day cricket throughout the season”. Mark Arthur said four-day cricket is the club’s priority and, perhaps to many people’s surprise, said that an early sight of the 2019 fixture plans showed Championship games throughout the season. However, after that was a bit of an unknown. Then came the “Adil question”. It was Tony Vann who passionately opened up the topic by saying he felt Adil had been badly advised, particularly in his Benefit Year. He thought Adil’s situation was different from Hales (who was out of contract) and that the club should have held Adil to his contract. Martyn responded that he wanted players who were committed to Yorkshire. He was disappointed by Adil’s wishes but didn’t want to force him to play if his mind was not going to be on the game. This was despite Martyn’s view that Adil should be playing all forms of the game for England, let alone Yorkshire. However, it was not true that the club had simply acquiesced. Adil’s contract has been re-negotiated and he will be paid only for white ball cricket. If he wins matches for Yorkshire then “great”. But there will be a review in August and if it is felt Adil is not adding value then he may no longer be a Yorkshire player. Referring to his earlier comment about the “all counties” meeting, this is a key area that needs agreement among the counties. Each club cannot be left to handle these situations in isolation.

There were other questions about what it will take to bring Abbeydale and Park Avenue up to first class standards with the onus on the local grounds to find funding, the T20 franchise and the ECB being able to specify the county games where they want contracted players to be selected. To this last point Martyn was clear he did not want county games to be treated as “England practice” and the club must be able to ensure those players are properly prepared. Richard Hutton was re-elected Club President and he thanked everyone, “even the two people who voted against me”. He then presented President’s Medals to David Allan and David Hall for their work on the archives over many years. In “olden times” AOB in Yorkshire AGMs tended to bring out a question about toilets. This year’s contender was about the poor range of coffees in the Long Room. And so the AGM came to an end on a flat white. David Wood

THREE GRACES: Anthony Bradbury

When Roger Knight was Secretary of MCC between 1994 and 2000 he was often asked to give Grace at the onset of an MCC dinner. He developed the idea of a rhyming Grace with a cricketing theme, and without being disrespectful to the Lord. I enjoyed Roger Knight’s words, and when the chance came to say Grace at a Yorkshire Southern Group event, with a deep breath, and without prior warning to our Committee, I adopted the same style. I have continued to do so for the best part of twenty years though I do not know and cannot now find the year in which this practice started. In the early years, having read out my Graces, I threw them away. After all they are really no more than pieces of doggerel and certainly have no poetic worth. All I was trying to do was to put together a series of rhyming couplets about the past Yorkshire season.

But since about 2005 I have kept copies of my Graces. I have now decided that perhaps they have run their course, and given some respectable pleasure at the start of a dinner or lunch, but I have chosen to retire and will deliver no more of them. I have however selected three that I have given, and they are largely reproduced below. I may say that editing sometimes occurred in the midst of , if a new more appropriate phrase or word suddenly came to mind, so the written versions provided here may not quite reflect what was actually said.

2005 was the year that English cricket reached heights since unattainable when under Michael Vaughan, and with heroics from so many players, England won back . It was also the year of our own 25th Southern Group Anniversary so I made only passing reference to the Ashes miracle! Yorkshire that year were in the Second Division but by coming third gained promotion. It was still hardly an event about which to be too triumphant. By way of background Yorkshire had last won the Championship in 2001 and had been relegated in 2002. Craig White was our Captain and David Byas our Director of Cricket. Darren Lehmann was to return for his last Yorkshire season in 2006 and Jason Gillespie was to arrive as overseas player in the same year.

Lord, We thank you for 25 years of our Southern Group, Watching Yorkshire in and out of the cricketing soup.

We thank you for our inspirational founding pair, Ernie Taylor and Burt Rhodes who gave us so much care.

In our time we have only one Championship won, But have had many sunny seasons of cricketing fun.

Next year with Lehmann back and lots of runs, We hope to offer the opposition only crumbs.

If once again our bowlers can strike the stumps, Our team will surely come up trumps.

And as we look forward to next year’s matches, We do thank you, Lord, for this year’s Ashes.

2009 was a season when Yorkshire were deep in trouble in mid-September and facing the prospect of relegation, when, in a remarkable winning match at Hove, David Wainwright took nine Sussex wickets in the game, and in two innings scored 99 runs without dismissal. What hopes we then had of him. Whisper it quietly, but finished top of the Yorkshire championship batting averages with 77.40. In that year he became the only player in Yorkshire’s history to score a century and to take five wickets in each of two consecutive championship matches. Martyn Moxon as Director of Cricket came to our lunch, and a month later he revealed that Andrew Gale was to take over as captain of the side in place of Anthony McGrath who had had a difficult year. Here is part of my 2009 Grace:

Lord, In the year of your Grace two thousand and nine, We were grateful for your late intervention divine To help keep our place in the upper flight, With also the greatest of thanks to young Wainwright.

Now we start again in April and May, Whatever the weather we ask for some play.

We want our batsmen their wickets to shield, As early on we do visit the Kentish weald.

As we welcome today our Yorkshire coach, Please help him some wins to poach.

And give him some runs from Sayers and Gale, As again we set forth on the Championship trail.

We want our captain to hold up a trophy, And to share that joy with Rashid and Brophy.

As we yearn to put all others to the sword, We lay these prayers before you, O Lord.

Joe Sayers, who I mentioned in that Yorkshire Grace, could easily have been appointed Yorkshire captain rather than the bold choice of Andrew Gale. We all, too, had high hopes of Joe as a batsman, but in the end he made the choice to fulfil a career in the financial world in London and he became lost to us. Gerard Brophy was a stalwart wicketkeeper who gave good service to Yorkshire over seven seasons.

2014 was the great year that we had waited for ever since Andrew Gale had become captain, and happily he was with us with the Championship trophy that autumn. My Grace included the following couplets-

Lord, We thank you so much for Yorkshire’s Championship crown, And our chance upon other teams to look gracefully down.

Thank you for our openers Lyth and Lees, Whose batting this year was so destined to please.

As bowlers Sidebottom and Brooks came in for the kill, We could all admire their talent and skill.

How lucky we are to have Johnny Bairstow, So often giving us a very good show.

For the last we must thank and hail, Our wonderful Captain Andrew Gale.

So thank you, Lord, for these hours of leisure, That end a season of very great pleasure.

In 2014 we did not anticipate the extent to which the English Cricket Board would remove from Yorkshire supporters the opportunity to watch the skills of Johnny Bairstow, and nor would we have expected Andrew Gale to be First Team Coach in 2017. Last year was difficult for the team but I hope we never forget Andrew’s contribution to the outstanding success of 2014 and 2015 and very nearly 2016. It is difficult for him to be compared with Jason Gillespie (rhymes with “immensely”). In 2017 I also mentioned Gary Ballance, Stephen Patterson and Ben Coad. Let us hope that all will continue to receive our gratitude in 2018.

Many thanks to Tony for the opportunity to revisit these contributions. Ed.

Review: Who’s Who of The Yorkshire County Cricket Club, compiled by Paul Dyson.

This undertaking has been carried out before, most recently by Tony Woodhouse in 1992. An update is therefore most welcome, and Paul Dyson is to be congratulated on completing the herculean task so well.

There are just over 220 pages allotted to 670 cricketers. Clearly therefore selection of relevant material is one of the most demanding tasks. Wilfred Rhodes has just about a page. He is followed by four lines on William Rhodes who played one game in 1911 (and good luck to W Rhodes no. 3, incidentally. I hope he has a successful career at Warwickshire and an impressive entry in the next of these enterprises). This is obviously a reference book with a great deal to cover and limited space to do so. As a reference book it performs its function admirably, and it will be plucked from my shelves regularly over the coming years.

Any grumbles would reflect only the limitations inevitable in a volume of this sort. Yorkshire’s history is of course littered with controversies, but there simply – and perhaps thankfully - cannot be space to address them here. Where they occur, there is usually a reference to them, but neither the space nor the inclination to go into detail or pass judgment. Brian Close for instance, was sacked ‘in highly controversial circumstances.’ – and no more. For those issues there are many other volumes available. This one has a distinct task and we should be thankful for it.

Great Northern Books, ISBN no. 978-1-912101-53-5.

Reviewed by Ned Holt

Letters:

Dear Editor,

The monologue 'Yorkshire Born n' Bred', quoted by Geoff Binks, reminded me of an incident that happened to my son back in 1996 in the Nat West semi-final at Headingley against Northampton. We were living in south east London and had been to the qtr.-final match against Lancashire. Unfortunately, due to work commitments I could not make the journey to Headingly for the semi- final, but son was keen to go so I got him a ticket on the Western Terrace. He stayed with his grandma in Huddersfield for a couple of days either side of the match, travelling to Headingley on the day. Son was a big Charlton Athletic supporter and wore his CAFC shirt for the match.

All went well and he became engaged in conversation with a guy further along the row who was wearing a Sheffield Wednesday shirt. The conversation got round to soccer and the question was raised as to why my son was wearing a Charlton shirt. His response was that his father was born and brought up in Huddersfield and son thought he was half Yorkshire despite being born in Kent and living in London. A bit further along the row a somewhat aged spectator leaned forward and said - "Eh lad, there's no such bloody thing as being half Yorkshire". Needless to say it caused great merriment to the surrounding spectators.

I think the comment sits very well with the last 2 lines of Gordon Dean's monologue

"There's lots of Famous Yorkshire folk that meks us feel reet proud - But you'll find a dozen unknown gems in any Yorkshire crowd"

How true.

Best regards

Tony Carter

Ed: I have received no offering for ‘My First Yorkshire Match’ for this issue. Are there any more members willing to submit something for this series?

Fixtures:

In the last Newsletter, it was not possible to provide up to date 2nd XI fixtures as venues were still to be decided. These now seem to be in place, so the promised fixtures follow. As ever, please do not rely on the accuracy of this list, particularly as the season progresses. It is always worth checking the Yorkshire or opposing county websites for up to date information.

Date Opponents Competition Venue April 10-13th Gloucestershire (A) Friendly Bristol 17-19th Lancashire (A) Friendly Old Trafford 23-25th Notts (H) Friendly Scarborough 26th Notts(H) 50 over Scarborough May 4th Leicestershire (H) Trophy Stamford Bridge 8th Durham Trophy Headingley 9-11th Durham (H) Championship Headingley 15th Lancashire (A) Trophy Liverpool 16th Derbyshire (A) Trophy Repton School 21st Warwickshire (A) Trophy Edgbaston 22-24th Warwickshire (A) Championship Edgbaston Foundation * June 5th MCC (H) Trophy York 6-8th MCC (H) Championship York 12-14th Lancashire (A) Championship Southport 19th Durham (A) T20 Brandon 26-28th Leicestershire (H) Championship York July 4th Lancashire (H) T20 Harrogate 9-11th Derbyshire (A) Championship Glossop 12th Derbyshire (H) T20 Barnsley 18th Notts (A) T20 Worksop 23rd Northants (A) T20 To be confirmed 24-26th Northants (A) Championship To be confirmed 30th Worcs (H) T20 Marske-by-Sea 31-2nd Worcs (H) Championship Harrogate August 13-15th Notts (A) Championship Lady Bay Sports 28-30th Somerset (A) Friendly Taunton Sept 11-13th Surrey (A) Friendly Guildford 18-20th Durham (H) Friendly Scarborough

Don’t forget to have a look at our revamped website at https://yorkshireccc.com/societies/yorkshire-southern-group or through the link from the YCCC site.