Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Encyclopedia
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county
of Yorkshire
as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket
structure.
Yorkshire is the most successful team in English cricketing history with 31 County Championship
titles, including 1 shared. The team's most recent Championship title was in 2001, their first such victory since 1968. Yorkshire currently plays in the County Championship Division Two. The club's limited overs team is called the Yorkshire Carnegie (formerly Yorkshire Phoenix), whose current (2010 onwards) kit colours are dark blue, light blue and gold with JCT600
as the main sponsor.
Yorkshire plays most of its home games at the Headingley Stadium, Leeds
. The club has another significant venue at North Marine Road
, Scarborough, which houses the annual Scarborough Festival
. Yorkshire has also played games around the county at various locations, most notably at Bramall Lane
, Sheffield
, which was the club's original home. Other main venues have been Horton Park Avenue
, Bradford
; St George's Road Cricket Ground, Harrogate; The Circle, Kingston upon Hull; and Acklam Park
, Middlesbrough
.
The earliest certain reference to cricket in Yorkshire dates from 1751 when local matches were held in Sheffield
and a game took place on or soon after Monday, 5 August at Stanwick, near Richmond
, between the Duke of Cleveland
’s XI and Earl of Northumberland
’s XI; the same teams having earlier played a game at Durham
.
Sheffield Cricket Club was probably formed about this time and there are references to Sheffield matches in Derbyshire
in 1757 and at Leeds
in 1761. A club was formed in York
in 1784. Bedale
in North Yorkshire
was a noted centre in the early 19th century. But cricket in most rural areas was slow to develop. Yorkshire cricket became centred around Sheffield, where it was more organised than in the rest of the county.
From 1771, Sheffield played semi-regular matches against Nottingham Cricket Club. Nottingham was generally the better side and Sheffield sometimes played with more players to give them a greater chance of victory. Nevertheless, the Sheffield player Tom Marsden
was regarded as one of the leading players in the country in the 1820s.
Cricket increased in popularity after a trial match was played at the purpose-built Darnall ground
in Sheffield to evaluate the new style of roundarm bowling
. After this match, many new cricket clubs were formed in the county.
In 1833, a team called "Yorkshire", albeit containing 11 Sheffield players, appeared for the first time, in a game against Norfolk
at the Hyde Park Ground
in Sheffield. The name may have arisen from a need to match the status of Norfolk, a county rather than a city. There were some differences to the organisation of the Sheffield team as the side contained three amateurs
while Sheffield teams were entirely professional
. This Yorkshire team played an increasing number of fixtures over the following years, including matches against Sussex
, Manchester Cricket Club, Kent
and, for the first time in 1849, Lancashire. At this time, Lancashire was an informal name used by the Manchester club. A Yorkshire side continued to play until 1862 but was not organised in any formal way. By 1855, the team was playing at Bramall Lane
.
1 to the fund. But the committee was unable to persuade other clubs that it was not seeking to promote Sheffield cricket and a lack of funds prevented some matches being played in 1862.
By this time, there were several cricketers with good reputations and the county team was one of the strongest in England. Consequently, on 8 January 1863, Yorkshire County Cricket Club was formed. Membership was unlimited and cost a minimum of 10s and 6d
. Like most first-class cricket clubs of the time, Yorkshire relied on private patronage with administrators "paying to serve" and "moneyed enthusiasts" acting as ready match sponsors. The majority of players were freelance professionals who were paid a usual match fee of £5, from which all travel and accommodation had to be paid. Travel could be arduous, living away from home could be "rough" and sometimes the match fee was not enough to cover expenses, especially if, as was often a problem with early Yorkshire cricketers, "the ale-house was a temptation".
The first club president was T. R. Barker, the mayor of Sheffield, although he probably never attended any meetings. Michael Ellison was the first treasurer and at some point early in Yorkshire's history, he assumed the presidency. However, most official accounts record Ellison as Yorkshire's first president. Joseph B. Wostinholm became the first of four long-serving secretaries in 1864. The first captain was Roger Iddison
, a professional cricketer.
The objective of the club was to play matches "either in Sheffield or in any other towns of the county according as arrangements may be made." However, other locations in Yorkshire were unable or unwilling to host fixtures in the first years of the club, and Bradford and York continued to attempt to organise games in competition with Yorkshire, sometimes causing confusion among other counties. Attempts to form an alternative Yorkshire team continued intermittently until 1884, although by 1873, most clubs accepted the authority of the Sheffield-based county club.
at The Oval
on 4, 5 and 6 June 1863. Surrey scored 315 runs, to which Yorkshire replied with 257. Surrey were bowled out for 60 before the match was drawn. The team recorded their first win in the following match against the strong Nottinghamshire
team and although they lost the return match, won two and lost only one of the four matches played in their first season. In 1864, the team won two and lost four of seven matches.
In 1865, the club and players became involved in a dispute. Five players — Roger Iddison, George Anderson
, George Atkinson
, Joseph Rowbotham
and Ned Stephenson — refused to play against Surrey. This concerned a controversy that arose in 1862 when Iddison and Anderson played for an All-England team against Surrey at The Oval and the Kent bowler Edgar Willsher
was repeatedly no-balled for using an overarm action by an umpire whom, they claimed, had been appointed by Surrey specifically for that purpose. Anderson stated in 1865 that he "would not play against those who have combined to sweep us from the cricket field altogether if they could".
The dispute was about a point of principle and centred on the right of bowlers to use an overarm action, which had been legalised ahead of the 1864 season. Consequently, with several important players missing, Yorkshire did not win a game in 1865 and were forced to cancel some matches for the 1866 season. The Yorkshire committee and the players came to an understanding in early 1867 after the players apologised, but Anderson never represented the county again.
With the player dispute resolved, Yorkshire won all seven of their matches in 1867, defeating Surrey, Lancashire
and Cambridgeshire
. As a result, the sporting press proclaimed Yorkshire to be the "Champion County" for the first time. The following year, John Thewlis
scored the first century for Yorkshire in first-class cricket, against Surrey
at The Oval
; in 1869, Joseph Rowbotham became the first man to score two centuries in a season for Yorkshire. Yorkshire won four games in both 1868 and 1869; one sports publication regarded Yorkshire as equal champions in the latter year. The team won six out of seven in 1870 to be acclaimed as Champion County again. Much of Yorkshire's success in these years came from the bowling combination of George Freeman
and Tom Emmett.
Following Freeman's retirement from regular cricket after 1870, Yorkshire declined, winning fewer games in 1871 and 1872 as Gloucestershire
rose to a position of dominance in county cricket, driven by the success of W. G. Grace
and his brothers. Conscious of the need to strengthen the club, Yorkshire instituted a Colts team of young players, but replaced Iddison as captain at the end of the 1872 season. Rowbotham, another professional, assumed the position. For the 1873 season, county cricket moved a step closer towards an organised competition when the counties agreed qualification rules for players to be eligible for a team; for many years, this was considered to be start of the County Championship
. However, the counties did not organise a formal competition and the "Champion County" was still decided by the press; some publications disagreed.
Despite containing a side with effective players, Yorkshire did not perform as well as expected over the next seasons. The bowling attack was strong, the team contained some experienced players and critics believed Ephraim Lockwood
to be the best professional batsman in the country. In 1873, Yorkshire won seven games and lost five and for the following season, Luke Greenwood
replaced Rowbotham as captain. The team had an improved record, but although second only to Gloucestershire, Yorkshire lost heavily in both encounters between the teams. Greenwood retired, Rowbotham resumed the captaincy for 1875, and Lockwood took over in 1876. The team did not perform particularly well in either season, but their worst performance came in 1877, winning two games — but none of the last ten — and losing seven. This placed them eighth out of nine counties.
Tom Emmett then took over as captain, but the following two seasons brought mixed results as the team displayed inconsistency, often losing to teams they should comfortably have beaten. Derek Hodgson, in his official county history, suggests a lack of discipline in the team throughout these years was to blame; contemporary reports suggested the team drank too much alcohol to be effective. The players also suffered from public attention, receiving generous hospitality at times which impacted on their performances. In these seasons, the team often began well only to lose form later in the season and the Yorkshire committee was reluctant to replace the experienced cricketers with younger players. However, off the field, Yorkshire became increasingly successful, and the profits made by the club paid for improvements to be made to the Bramall Lane ground and increased player wages through the introduction of travelling expenses and talent money where good performances were financially rewarded. An influx of what proved to be effective new players saw Yorkshire finish second to Lancashire in the unofficial Championship for 1881, but more significant was the debut for the county of Lord Hawke
, then aged 21.
The team faded again in 1882 and Hawke, who had refused the captaincy earlier, was appointed club captain at the end of the season, the first amateur to hold the position. Previous captains had all been professionals: Roger Iddison (1863–72), Joseph Rowbotham (1873 and 1875), Luke Greenwood (1874), Ephraim Lockwood (1876–77) and Tom Emmett (1878–82). Hawke remained in charge for 28 seasons until 1910, during which time the team won eight County Championships.
said that Lord Hawke's "strength of character was tested" when, as a young man on leaving Cambridge, he undertook the responsibility of captaining the Yorkshire side, composed at that time of "elements that were not entirely harmonious". Owing to Hawke's "tact, judgment and integrity", he moulded the Eleven into "the best and probably the most united county cricket team in England".
Yorkshire to 1883 was widely seen as an idiosyncratic team and, though Hawke's primary task as captain was to lead the team to fulfilment of its potential, his biggest challenge was to unite the club's geographical and social factions. At the end of the 1882 season, in addition to appointing Hawke as captain, the committee agreed to reorganise itself for the first time since the club's foundation and began a process which eventually made the club representative of the whole county and not just Sheffield.
Hawke succeeded Emmett in 1883 and remained as official captain for 27 years, but at first he was careful to take his time and did not make too many changes. Yorkshire improved in 1883 and finished second behind Nottinghamshire in the unofficial County Championship. However, the remainder of the 1880s was disappointing for the team and its supporters. Kilburn said that Yorkshire "continued to be an unreliable side, mingling brilliant achievement with miserable performance". The basic problem was that the older players were past their peak while younger replacements did not make the progress expected. A poor season on the field in 1889 was reflected by reduced income and changes were made with several good new players being introduced. These included Jack Brown, David Hunter
and Stanley Jackson
, while Bobby Peel
was becoming increasingly effective as a bowling all-rounder. They were followed by John Tunnicliffe
, David Denton
, Ted Wainwright
and George Hirst. Hawke worked on fielding practice and the players became specialised and efficient as fielders.
In 1893, the club's initial reorganisation was completed and was finalised after Ellison died in 1898 and Hawke assumed the club presidency as well as captaincy. When Wostinholm died in 1902 after being club secretary for 38 years, the county offices were moved from Sheffield to the more central location of Leeds.
It was in 1893 that the team finally came good and Yorkshire won their first official County Championship. Hodgson wrote that it was "perhaps ... the first confirmation of Hawke's striving for teamwork and discipline". Yorkshire achieved second and third places in 1894 and 1895. The team continued to develop as Brown and Tunnicliffe established an effective opening partnership backed up by Denton and Jackson while Peel, Wainwright and Hirst carried the bowling attack.
Yorkshire historian R.S. Holmes described Yorkshire as "prodigious" in 1896, when they won their second title with some outstanding batting performances including a championship record total of 887 against Warwickshire
. Hawke began the practice of paying the professionals over the winter, initially £2 per week; the scheme was later modified to include bonuses. Peel was sacked in 1897 after appearing drunk on the field and was replaced in 1898 by Wilfred Rhodes
, who took 141 wickets in his debut season. In the same season, Brown and Tunnicliffe established a record partnership for the first wicket when they scored 554 against Derbyshire
at Chesterfield. Yorkshire won their third Championship in 1898 and narrowly failed in 1899 when only a defeat late in the season by Kent
prevented the retention of the title.
Between 1900 and 1902, Yorkshire lost only twice in the County Championship, both times to Somerset, and won the County Championship in all three seasons largely thanks to their two outstanding all-rounders Hirst and Rhodes. When Joseph Wolstinholm retired as club secretary after the 1902 season, he was succeeded by Frederick Toone
who held the post until his death in June 1930 and formed a successful liaison with Hawke. Toone and Hawke worked together to improve the terms and conditions of professional players' contracts. To 1914, they were paid £5 for a home match and £6 for an away match with a £1 win bonus. Players who had received their county cap were obliged to join the Cricketers' Friendly Society and were paid a winter wage of £2 a week.
Yorkshire remained a strong championship contender through the 1903 to 1914 seasons and won a further three titles in this period, also finishing as runners-up three times. They won their seventh title in 1905 after being third and second in 1903 and 1904 respectively. In 1906, George Hirst achieved a unique "double-double" by scoring 2,385 runs and taking 208 wickets. The 1906 championship was decided on the last day of the season. Yorkshire lost to Gloucestershire by a single run and were overtaken by Kent, who won their last match against Hampshire by an innings. Having finished third in 1907, Yorkshire went through the 1908 season unbeaten and bowled Northamptonshire out for 27 and 15, the aggregate score of 42 being the lowest in English first-class cricket. Yorkshire finished third in 1909 but then dropped to eighth and seventh in the next two seasons before a recovery in 1912 brought their last title before the First World War. While Hirst, Rhodes and Denton continued to excel, Yorkshire gained much in the last four years before the war from two new all-rounders, Major Booth
and Alonzo Drake
, both of whom were an outstanding success. Another newcomer was Arthur Dolphin
, who replaced the retired David Hunter
as first-choice wicketkeeper. In 1913 and the unfinished 1914 season, Yorkshire finished second and fourth. Lord Hawke played only a few matches in 1909 and formally resigned as captain in 1910. He was succeeded by Everard Radcliffe
, who held the post until the end of the 1911 season; and then by Sir Archibald White
, who led the team until the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914.
and Emmott Robinson
, and remained a dominant force in the County Championship until the Second World War. They won every year from 1922 to 1925 and seven more times in the 1930s. The team won 25 games in 1923, for instance, with Rhodes and Roy Kilner
doing the double in these matches alone, while four other batsmen scored 1,000 runs and three other bowlers, including George Macaulay
, took 100 wickets.
Wilfred Rhodes retired in 1930, taking 73 wickets and scoring 478 runs in his final season at the age of 53. J.M. Kilburn wrote in the Yorkshire Post: "He had bowled at W.G. Grace, and he bowled at Don Bradman. At 20, at 30, at 40 and at 50 he had shown himself master of his world, and his kingdom was never usurped." Rhodes was replaced by Hedley Verity
, another skilful slow left armer. Percy Holmes
and Sutcliffe had a record opening stand of 555 against Essex at Leyton in 1932. Len Hutton
began his career in the 1930s.
, all-rounder Brian Close
and fast bowler Fred Trueman
. Another newcomer Bob Appleyard
became the first bowler to take 200 wickets in his first full season in 1951. The 1950s were dominated by Surrey, who won seven successive championships. Yorkshire had internal problems which were resolved before the 1959 season in which Yorkshire recovered the title under Ronnie Burnet
.
The 1960s saw a new Yorkshire team emerge that dominated English cricket. Brian Close was made captain in 1963 and won the Championship in his first season. The team included Fred Trueman, all-rounder Ray Illingworth
, wicket-keeper Jimmy Binks
and Test batsmen Geoffrey Boycott
, Doug Padgett
, Phil Sharpe and John Hampshire
. The team began to break up after winning a third successive title in 1968 and Close was controversially sacked in 1970.
Geoff Boycott captained Yorkshire for most of the 1970s, but success eluded the team even when Boycott left Test cricket for three years to concentrate on the county game. He was sacked as captain amid much furore after the 1978 season. Ray Illingworth returned from Leicestershire as team manager and, in 1982 at the age of 50, took over the captaincy. Yorkshire finished bottom of the 17-strong County Championship for the first time in 1983 but won the John Player (later National) League for the first time. There was further controversy when Boycott was not offered a new contract. The outcome of this was that the general committee resigned and Boycott, having already been elected to the new committee, was reinstalled as a player. Meanwhile, Brian Close became chairman of the cricket committee. Success continued to elude Yorkshire although Phil Carrick
led the team to a Benson and Hedges Cup triumph in 1987.
Yorkshire put themselves at a disadvantage from 1968 until 1992 by insisting that all its players must have been born within the historic county boundaries
of Yorkshire
while all the other county teams strengthened themselves by signing overseas Test players. In 1992, the birth qualification rule was first modified to include those educated within the county, a dispensation that allowed Michael Vaughan
to play; and was then abandoned altogether. Yorkshire's first overseas player that season was 19-year old Sachin Tendulkar
.
. Yorkshire have had mixed success in the first decade of the 21st century but finished a close third in the 2010 championship under Andrew Gale
and their young team appears to have good potential as the 2011 season begins.
There had for many years been a controversial issue about the apparent inability of players from Yorkshire's large ethnic minority population to make their way at the club. Tendulkar was the first Asian player to represent Yorkshire, but he was an overseas player. It was not until 2003 that Dewsbury's Ismail Dawood
became the first British-born Asian to play for Yorkshire. He was followed by Ajmal Shahzad
and Adil Rashid
who have both represented England. In 2007, Azeem Rafiq
as a member of Yorkshire's academy team became the first Yorkshire player of an Asian background to captain England at any level when he was appointed U15s captain.
Yorkshire's club colours are dark blue, light blue and gold. These are knitted in bands forming the v-neck of each player's sweater. The limited overs team, Yorkshire Carnegie, wears the colours in the players' overall uniforms.
As with all county cricket clubs, Yorkshire CCC represents the historic county and not any modern or current administrative unit. In Yorkshire's case, this means the three ridings and the City of York
, although the club played some home matches outside the historic borders at Sheffield's Abbeydale Park
, historically part of Derbyshire, from 1974 to 1996.
Yorkshire first played at North Marine Road, Scarborough in the 1878 season
. This remains the venue for the annual Scarborough Festival
matches.
The club was founded on 8 January 1863 in the Adelphi Hotel, Sheffield and was initially based at Bramall Lane. Headingley Stadium was first established in 1888 and Test cricket was first played there in 1899, eight years later than it hosted its inaugural first-class
match when Yorkshire played Kent
in 1891, the year in which the club's headquarters moved there. The "out grounds" in Hull, Sheffield, Bradford, Middlesbrough and Harrogate were used with great success until the 1970s.
On 31 December 2005, Yorkshire County Cricket Club purchased the Headingley cricket ground for £12 million from the Leeds Cricket, Football and Athletic Company, parent company of the Leeds rugby league club
, with the help of a £9 million loan from Leeds City Council
. This purchase ensures that Test cricket continues at the venue with a 15-year staging agreement. On 11 January 2006, the stadium was officially renamed the Headingley Carnegie Stadium as a result of sponsorship from Leeds Metropolitan University
and the club announced plans on 11 January 2006 to rebuild the stand next to the rugby ground with 3,000 extra seats, taking capacity to 20,000. The club also announced plans to redevelop the Winter shed (North) stand on 25 August 2006 providing a £12.5 million pavilion complex.
This following table gives details of every venue at which Yorkshire have hosted a first-class
or List A cricket match:
via the Roses Match
. The import of this match reached a peak during the inter-war period when, for many years, Yorkshire and Lancashire were the dominant teams in English cricket. The writings of Neville Cardus
at this time were instrumental in emphasising the sense of rivalry between the two teams.
The once-influential post of Club Secretary effectively ceased in 2002 although the club did have a company secretary for three years. That function has now disappeared under the broader structure and the present secretary as such is the personal assistant (PA) to the board members.
Like all county clubs, Yorkshire relies heavily on sponsorship and numerous companies have formed deals with the club over many years. Colin Graves is the chairman of Costcutter and this has been one of the main sponsors for several years. Costcutter is an "official partner", as are Leeds Metropolitan University, Aunt Bessie's, Dent Steel, Henderson Insurance Brokers, Gray-Nicolls and JCT600. Other levels of sponsorship are "secondary partner" and player sponsor, both of which have attracted numerous participants.
Three Yorkshire players Stanley Jackson, Len Hutton and Michael Vaughan have captained England
to success in The Ashes
yet none of them was club captain at Yorkshire. Ray Illingworth was playing for Leicestershire CCC when he was captain of England.
From 1883 to 1959 inclusive, Yorkshire always had an amateur club captain. The extent of leadership given by these gentlemen has long been a subject of discussion. Hawke and Sellers are generally held to have been autocratic and decisive, but in fact both relied heavily on sound professional advice. At the other extreme, Wilfred Rhodes is supposed to have been the de facto captain from 1920 to 1930, but it was Major Arthur Lupton
who restored discipline to the side when a row erupted between Yorkshire and Middlesex in 1924.
Lord Hawke famously said at the Yorkshire Annual General Meeting in 1925: "Pray God, no professional shall ever captain England. I love and admire them all, but we have always had an amateur skipper and when the day comes when we shall have no more amateurs captaining England it will be a thousand pities." In view of this, it is perhaps surprising that, when Arthur Lupton retired at the end of the 1927 season, Hawke was one of the sponsors of the suggestion that Herbert Sutcliffe should become Yorkshire captain. In the event, there was sufficient opposition to the idea amongst the Yorkshire committee and players (some of the latter felt that Wilfred Rhodes, as senior professional, had a prior claim), that the proposal was dropped.
In 1960, Vic Wilson
became Yorkshire's first professional captain since Tom Emmett when he succeeded Ronnie Burnet. Brian Close, who took over in 1963, has been Yorkshire's most successful professional captain with four County Championships.
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
of Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
structure.
Yorkshire is the most successful team in English cricketing history with 31 County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
titles, including 1 shared. The team's most recent Championship title was in 2001, their first such victory since 1968. Yorkshire currently plays in the County Championship Division Two. The club's limited overs team is called the Yorkshire Carnegie (formerly Yorkshire Phoenix), whose current (2010 onwards) kit colours are dark blue, light blue and gold with JCT600
JCT600
JCT600 is a car dealership founded in Bradford, England in 1946 by Edward Tordoff - the company is now run by his grandson, John Tordoff. It has 22 franchises operating from 48 retail outlets across the North of England with an annual turnover in excess of £450 million.JCT600 takes its name from...
as the main sponsor.
Yorkshire plays most of its home games at the Headingley Stadium, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
. The club has another significant venue at North Marine Road
North Marine Road
North Marine Road Ground, formerly known as Queen's, is a cricket ground in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Scarborough Cricket Club which hosts the Scarborough Cricket Festival and the Yorkshire County Cricket Club plays a series of fixtures in the second half of the...
, Scarborough, which houses the annual Scarborough Festival
Scarborough Festival
The Scarborough Festival is an end of season series of cricket matches featuring Yorkshire County Cricket Club which has been held in Scarborough, on the east coast of Yorkshire, since 1876. The ground, at North Marine Road, sees large crowds of holiday makers watching a mixture of first class...
. Yorkshire has also played games around the county at various locations, most notably at Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane
-Cricket at the Lane:Bramall Lane opened as a cricket ground in 1855, having been leased by Michael Ellison from the Duke of Norfolk at an annual rent of £70. The site was then away from the town's industrial area, and relatively free from smoke. It was built to host the matches of local cricket...
, Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, which was the club's original home. Other main venues have been Horton Park Avenue
Park Avenue (stadium)
Park Avenue is a sports ground on Horton Park Avenue in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It was used for both cricket and football. It held 306 first class and 48 list A cricket matches between 1881 and 1996, and was home to former Football League club Bradford Park Avenue, to which it lent its...
, Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
; St George's Road Cricket Ground, Harrogate; The Circle, Kingston upon Hull; and Acklam Park
Acklam Park
Acklam Park on Green Lane in Acklam, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire held 45 first class and 24 list A limited overs matches between 1956 and 1996....
, Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
.
Earliest cricket in Yorkshire
- For information about Yorkshire cricket before the county club was founded, see: Sheffield Cricket Club
The earliest certain reference to cricket in Yorkshire dates from 1751 when local matches were held in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
and a game took place on or soon after Monday, 5 August at Stanwick, near Richmond
Richmond, North Yorkshire
Richmond is a market town and civil parish on the River Swale in North Yorkshire, England and is the administrative centre of the district of Richmondshire. It is situated on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and serves as the Park's main tourist centre...
, between the Duke of Cleveland
Duke of Cleveland
Duke of Cleveland is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The dukedoms were named after Cleveland in northern England....
’s XI and Earl of Northumberland
Earl of Northumberland
The title of Earl of Northumberland was created several times in the Peerages of England and Great Britain, succeeding the title Earl of Northumbria. Its most famous holders were the House of Percy , who were the most powerful noble family in Northern England for much of the Middle Ages...
’s XI; the same teams having earlier played a game at Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
.
Sheffield Cricket Club was probably formed about this time and there are references to Sheffield matches in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
in 1757 and at Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
in 1761. A club was formed in York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
in 1784. Bedale
Bedale
Bedale is a market town and civil parish in the district of Hambleton, North Yorkshire, England. It lies north of Leeds, southwest of Middlesbrough, and south west of the county town of Northallerton...
in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
was a noted centre in the early 19th century. But cricket in most rural areas was slow to develop. Yorkshire cricket became centred around Sheffield, where it was more organised than in the rest of the county.
From 1771, Sheffield played semi-regular matches against Nottingham Cricket Club. Nottingham was generally the better side and Sheffield sometimes played with more players to give them a greater chance of victory. Nevertheless, the Sheffield player Tom Marsden
Tom Marsden
Thomas Marsden was a famous English cricketer whose career spanned the 1826 to 1841 seasons....
was regarded as one of the leading players in the country in the 1820s.
Cricket increased in popularity after a trial match was played at the purpose-built Darnall ground
Darnall New Ground
Darnall New Ground at Darnall, Sheffield was a first-class cricket venue in the 1820s. It was the home ground of Sheffield Cricket Club which played six first-class matches there....
in Sheffield to evaluate the new style of roundarm bowling
Roundarm bowling
In cricket, roundarm bowling is a style that was introduced in the first quarter of the 19th century and had largely superseded underarm bowling by the 1830s. Using a roundarm action, the bowler has his arm extended at about 90 degrees from his body at the point where he releases the ball...
. After this match, many new cricket clubs were formed in the county.
In 1833, a team called "Yorkshire", albeit containing 11 Sheffield players, appeared for the first time, in a game against Norfolk
Norfolk County Cricket Club
Norfolk County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Norfolk and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
at the Hyde Park Ground
Hyde Park Ground
Hyde Park Ground was a cricket ground in Sheffield, Yorkshire. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1830, when Sheffield Cricket Club played Nottingham Cricket Club in the ground's inaugural first-class match. Sheffield used the ground a number of times in first-class cricket, from 1830...
in Sheffield. The name may have arisen from a need to match the status of Norfolk, a county rather than a city. There were some differences to the organisation of the Sheffield team as the side contained three amateurs
Amateur status in first-class cricket
Amateur status in first-class cricket had a special meaning, especially in England, in that the amateur in this context was not merely someone who played cricket in his spare time but a particular type of first-class cricketer who existed officially until 1962, when the distinction between amateurs...
while Sheffield teams were entirely professional
Professional sports
Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...
. This Yorkshire team played an increasing number of fixtures over the following years, including matches against Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
, Manchester Cricket Club, Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
and, for the first time in 1849, Lancashire. At this time, Lancashire was an informal name used by the Manchester club. A Yorkshire side continued to play until 1862 but was not organised in any formal way. By 1855, the team was playing at Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane
-Cricket at the Lane:Bramall Lane opened as a cricket ground in 1855, having been leased by Michael Ellison from the Duke of Norfolk at an annual rent of £70. The site was then away from the town's industrial area, and relatively free from smoke. It was built to host the matches of local cricket...
.
Origin of club
On 7 March 1861, during a meeting at the Adelphi hotel in Sheffield, a Match Fund Committee was established to run Yorkshire county matches. The committee was made up from the management committee of the Bramall Lane ground and representatives from clubs willing to pay £Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
1 to the fund. But the committee was unable to persuade other clubs that it was not seeking to promote Sheffield cricket and a lack of funds prevented some matches being played in 1862.
By this time, there were several cricketers with good reputations and the county team was one of the strongest in England. Consequently, on 8 January 1863, Yorkshire County Cricket Club was formed. Membership was unlimited and cost a minimum of 10s and 6d
Penny (British pre-decimal coin)
The penny of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, was in circulation from the early 18th century until February 1971, Decimal Day....
. Like most first-class cricket clubs of the time, Yorkshire relied on private patronage with administrators "paying to serve" and "moneyed enthusiasts" acting as ready match sponsors. The majority of players were freelance professionals who were paid a usual match fee of £5, from which all travel and accommodation had to be paid. Travel could be arduous, living away from home could be "rough" and sometimes the match fee was not enough to cover expenses, especially if, as was often a problem with early Yorkshire cricketers, "the ale-house was a temptation".
The first club president was T. R. Barker, the mayor of Sheffield, although he probably never attended any meetings. Michael Ellison was the first treasurer and at some point early in Yorkshire's history, he assumed the presidency. However, most official accounts record Ellison as Yorkshire's first president. Joseph B. Wostinholm became the first of four long-serving secretaries in 1864. The first captain was Roger Iddison
Roger Iddison
Roger Iddison was an English cricketer, and the original captain of Yorkshire County Cricket Club. He made seventy two first-class appearances for Yorkshire between 1855 and 1876, scoring 1,916 runs at an average of 20.60, and taking 102 wickets at 15.09.Born in Bedale, Yorkshire to Roger and Jane...
, a professional cricketer.
The objective of the club was to play matches "either in Sheffield or in any other towns of the county according as arrangements may be made." However, other locations in Yorkshire were unable or unwilling to host fixtures in the first years of the club, and Bradford and York continued to attempt to organise games in competition with Yorkshire, sometimes causing confusion among other counties. Attempts to form an alternative Yorkshire team continued intermittently until 1884, although by 1873, most clubs accepted the authority of the Sheffield-based county club.
1863–1882
Yorkshire played its initial first-class match against SurreySurrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
on 4, 5 and 6 June 1863. Surrey scored 315 runs, to which Yorkshire replied with 257. Surrey were bowled out for 60 before the match was drawn. The team recorded their first win in the following match against the strong Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
team and although they lost the return match, won two and lost only one of the four matches played in their first season. In 1864, the team won two and lost four of seven matches.
In 1865, the club and players became involved in a dispute. Five players — Roger Iddison, George Anderson
George Anderson (cricketer)
George Anderson was an English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Sheffield Cricket Club ; and then for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from its inception in 1863 until 1869....
, George Atkinson
George Atkinson (cricketer)
George Robert Atkinson was an English cricketer, best known for playing in 62 matches of first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1863 and 1870.-Career:...
, Joseph Rowbotham
Joseph Rowbotham
Joseph Rowbotham was an English first-class cricketer, who played six matches for Yorkshire County Cricket Club, in their pre-county incarnation from 1861 and 1862, and 94 for them as a full county club from 1863 to 1876...
and Ned Stephenson — refused to play against Surrey. This concerned a controversy that arose in 1862 when Iddison and Anderson played for an All-England team against Surrey at The Oval and the Kent bowler Edgar Willsher
Edgar Willsher
Edgar "Ned" Willsher was an English cricketer who is famous for being the catalyst in the shift from roundarm to overarm bowling....
was repeatedly no-balled for using an overarm action by an umpire whom, they claimed, had been appointed by Surrey specifically for that purpose. Anderson stated in 1865 that he "would not play against those who have combined to sweep us from the cricket field altogether if they could".
The dispute was about a point of principle and centred on the right of bowlers to use an overarm action, which had been legalised ahead of the 1864 season. Consequently, with several important players missing, Yorkshire did not win a game in 1865 and were forced to cancel some matches for the 1866 season. The Yorkshire committee and the players came to an understanding in early 1867 after the players apologised, but Anderson never represented the county again.
With the player dispute resolved, Yorkshire won all seven of their matches in 1867, defeating Surrey, Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
and Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire County Cricket Club
Cambridgeshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Cambridgeshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy.The club is based at The Avenue...
. As a result, the sporting press proclaimed Yorkshire to be the "Champion County" for the first time. The following year, John Thewlis
John Thewlis Senior
John Thewlis senior was an English first-class cricketer, who played in forty four matches for Yorkshire County Cricket Club, and fifty six first-class matches in all between 1862 and 1875...
scored the first century for Yorkshire in first-class cricket, against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
; in 1869, Joseph Rowbotham became the first man to score two centuries in a season for Yorkshire. Yorkshire won four games in both 1868 and 1869; one sports publication regarded Yorkshire as equal champions in the latter year. The team won six out of seven in 1870 to be acclaimed as Champion County again. Much of Yorkshire's success in these years came from the bowling combination of George Freeman
George Freeman (cricketer)
George Freeman was an English first-class cricketer. He made thirty two appearance for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1865 to 1880...
and Tom Emmett.
Following Freeman's retirement from regular cricket after 1870, Yorkshire declined, winning fewer games in 1871 and 1872 as Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
rose to a position of dominance in county cricket, driven by the success of W. G. Grace
W. G. Grace
William Gilbert Grace, MRCS, LRCP was an English amateur cricketer who is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest players of all time, having a special significance in terms of his importance to the development of the sport...
and his brothers. Conscious of the need to strengthen the club, Yorkshire instituted a Colts team of young players, but replaced Iddison as captain at the end of the 1872 season. Rowbotham, another professional, assumed the position. For the 1873 season, county cricket moved a step closer towards an organised competition when the counties agreed qualification rules for players to be eligible for a team; for many years, this was considered to be start of the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
. However, the counties did not organise a formal competition and the "Champion County" was still decided by the press; some publications disagreed.
Ephraim Lockwood
Ephraim Lockwood was an English first-class cricketer, and captain of Yorkshire County Cricket Club in the 1876 and 1877 seasons.-Life and career:...
to be the best professional batsman in the country. In 1873, Yorkshire won seven games and lost five and for the following season, Luke Greenwood
Luke Greenwood
Luke Greenwood was an English first-class cricketer, who played 48 matches for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1861 to 1874...
replaced Rowbotham as captain. The team had an improved record, but although second only to Gloucestershire, Yorkshire lost heavily in both encounters between the teams. Greenwood retired, Rowbotham resumed the captaincy for 1875, and Lockwood took over in 1876. The team did not perform particularly well in either season, but their worst performance came in 1877, winning two games — but none of the last ten — and losing seven. This placed them eighth out of nine counties.
Tom Emmett then took over as captain, but the following two seasons brought mixed results as the team displayed inconsistency, often losing to teams they should comfortably have beaten. Derek Hodgson, in his official county history, suggests a lack of discipline in the team throughout these years was to blame; contemporary reports suggested the team drank too much alcohol to be effective. The players also suffered from public attention, receiving generous hospitality at times which impacted on their performances. In these seasons, the team often began well only to lose form later in the season and the Yorkshire committee was reluctant to replace the experienced cricketers with younger players. However, off the field, Yorkshire became increasingly successful, and the profits made by the club paid for improvements to be made to the Bramall Lane ground and increased player wages through the introduction of travelling expenses and talent money where good performances were financially rewarded. An influx of what proved to be effective new players saw Yorkshire finish second to Lancashire in the unofficial Championship for 1881, but more significant was the debut for the county of Lord Hawke
Martin Hawke, 7th Baron Hawke
Martin Bladen Hawke, 7th Baron Hawke of Towton , generally known as Lord Hawke, was an English amateur cricketer who played major roles in the sport's administration....
, then aged 21.
The team faded again in 1882 and Hawke, who had refused the captaincy earlier, was appointed club captain at the end of the season, the first amateur to hold the position. Previous captains had all been professionals: Roger Iddison (1863–72), Joseph Rowbotham (1873 and 1875), Luke Greenwood (1874), Ephraim Lockwood (1876–77) and Tom Emmett (1878–82). Hawke remained in charge for 28 seasons until 1910, during which time the team won eight County Championships.
1883–1918
In an obituary tribute, the editor of Wisden Cricketers' AlmanackWisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
said that Lord Hawke's "strength of character was tested" when, as a young man on leaving Cambridge, he undertook the responsibility of captaining the Yorkshire side, composed at that time of "elements that were not entirely harmonious". Owing to Hawke's "tact, judgment and integrity", he moulded the Eleven into "the best and probably the most united county cricket team in England".
Yorkshire to 1883 was widely seen as an idiosyncratic team and, though Hawke's primary task as captain was to lead the team to fulfilment of its potential, his biggest challenge was to unite the club's geographical and social factions. At the end of the 1882 season, in addition to appointing Hawke as captain, the committee agreed to reorganise itself for the first time since the club's foundation and began a process which eventually made the club representative of the whole county and not just Sheffield.
Hawke succeeded Emmett in 1883 and remained as official captain for 27 years, but at first he was careful to take his time and did not make too many changes. Yorkshire improved in 1883 and finished second behind Nottinghamshire in the unofficial County Championship. However, the remainder of the 1880s was disappointing for the team and its supporters. Kilburn said that Yorkshire "continued to be an unreliable side, mingling brilliant achievement with miserable performance". The basic problem was that the older players were past their peak while younger replacements did not make the progress expected. A poor season on the field in 1889 was reflected by reduced income and changes were made with several good new players being introduced. These included Jack Brown, David Hunter
David Hunter (cricketer)
David Hunter was part of a lineage of Yorkshire County Cricket Club wicket-keepers, stretching on through Arthur Dolphin to Arthur Wood, Jimmy Binks and David Bairstow...
and Stanley Jackson
Stanley Jackson
Sir Francis Stanley Jackson, GCSI, GCIE, PC, KStJ , known as the Honourable Stanley Jackson during his playing career, was an English cricketer, soldier and Conservative Party politician.-Early life:...
, while Bobby Peel
Bobby Peel
Robert "Bobby" Peel was a Yorkshire and England cricketer: a left-arm spinner who ranks as one of the finest bowlers of the 1890s. He was also a capable batsman, who once hit 210 not out...
was becoming increasingly effective as a bowling all-rounder. They were followed by John Tunnicliffe
John Tunnicliffe
John Tunnicliffe was an English, first-class cricketer, who played in 472 first-class matches for Yorkshire County Cricket Club.-County career:...
, David Denton
David Denton
David Denton was an English first-class cricketer. An attacking batsman, he had a long career with Yorkshire and played eleven Tests for England. His nickname of 'Lucky' came from his habit of surviving the numerous chances, that his attacking batting style naturally created for the opposition...
, Ted Wainwright
Ted Wainwright
Ted Wainwright was an English first-class cricketer, who played in 352 first-class matches for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1888 and 1902. An all-rounder, Wainwright helped to establish the county at the top under Lord Hawke's captaincy, during the early years of County Championship cricket...
and George Hirst. Hawke worked on fielding practice and the players became specialised and efficient as fielders.
In 1893, the club's initial reorganisation was completed and was finalised after Ellison died in 1898 and Hawke assumed the club presidency as well as captaincy. When Wostinholm died in 1902 after being club secretary for 38 years, the county offices were moved from Sheffield to the more central location of Leeds.
It was in 1893 that the team finally came good and Yorkshire won their first official County Championship. Hodgson wrote that it was "perhaps ... the first confirmation of Hawke's striving for teamwork and discipline". Yorkshire achieved second and third places in 1894 and 1895. The team continued to develop as Brown and Tunnicliffe established an effective opening partnership backed up by Denton and Jackson while Peel, Wainwright and Hirst carried the bowling attack.
Yorkshire historian R.S. Holmes described Yorkshire as "prodigious" in 1896, when they won their second title with some outstanding batting performances including a championship record total of 887 against Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
. Hawke began the practice of paying the professionals over the winter, initially £2 per week; the scheme was later modified to include bonuses. Peel was sacked in 1897 after appearing drunk on the field and was replaced in 1898 by Wilfred Rhodes
Wilfred Rhodes
Wilfred Rhodes was an English professional cricketer who played 58 Test matches for England between 1899 and 1930. In Tests, Rhodes took 127 wickets in and scored 2,325 runs, becoming the first Englishman to complete the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in Test matches...
, who took 141 wickets in his debut season. In the same season, Brown and Tunnicliffe established a record partnership for the first wicket when they scored 554 against Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
at Chesterfield. Yorkshire won their third Championship in 1898 and narrowly failed in 1899 when only a defeat late in the season by Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
prevented the retention of the title.
Between 1900 and 1902, Yorkshire lost only twice in the County Championship, both times to Somerset, and won the County Championship in all three seasons largely thanks to their two outstanding all-rounders Hirst and Rhodes. When Joseph Wolstinholm retired as club secretary after the 1902 season, he was succeeded by Frederick Toone
Frederick Toone
Sir Frederick Charles 'Fred' Toone was a cricket administrator, who in 1929 became the second man ever to be knighted for cricket-related activities. Unusually for a man who achieved such eminence in the game, he never played cricket at first-class level.He was Secretary of Leicestershire from...
who held the post until his death in June 1930 and formed a successful liaison with Hawke. Toone and Hawke worked together to improve the terms and conditions of professional players' contracts. To 1914, they were paid £5 for a home match and £6 for an away match with a £1 win bonus. Players who had received their county cap were obliged to join the Cricketers' Friendly Society and were paid a winter wage of £2 a week.
Yorkshire remained a strong championship contender through the 1903 to 1914 seasons and won a further three titles in this period, also finishing as runners-up three times. They won their seventh title in 1905 after being third and second in 1903 and 1904 respectively. In 1906, George Hirst achieved a unique "double-double" by scoring 2,385 runs and taking 208 wickets. The 1906 championship was decided on the last day of the season. Yorkshire lost to Gloucestershire by a single run and were overtaken by Kent, who won their last match against Hampshire by an innings. Having finished third in 1907, Yorkshire went through the 1908 season unbeaten and bowled Northamptonshire out for 27 and 15, the aggregate score of 42 being the lowest in English first-class cricket. Yorkshire finished third in 1909 but then dropped to eighth and seventh in the next two seasons before a recovery in 1912 brought their last title before the First World War. While Hirst, Rhodes and Denton continued to excel, Yorkshire gained much in the last four years before the war from two new all-rounders, Major Booth
Major Booth
This page is about an English Cricketer. For other persons named William Booth, see William Booth .Major William Booth was a cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1908 and 1914, a season in which he was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the...
and Alonzo Drake
Alonzo Drake
Alonzo Drake was an English first-class cricketer who played 157 matches for Yorkshire between 1909 and 1914...
, both of whom were an outstanding success. Another newcomer was Arthur Dolphin
Arthur Dolphin
Arthur Dolphin was an English first-class cricketer, who kept wicket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1905 and 1927...
, who replaced the retired David Hunter
David Hunter
David Hunter was a Union general in the American Civil War. He achieved fame by his unauthorized 1862 order emancipating slaves in three Southern states and as the president of the military commission trying the conspirators involved with the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.-Early...
as first-choice wicketkeeper. In 1913 and the unfinished 1914 season, Yorkshire finished second and fourth. Lord Hawke played only a few matches in 1909 and formally resigned as captain in 1910. He was succeeded by Everard Radcliffe
Everard Radcliffe
Everard Joseph Reginald Henry Radcliffe was an English amateur first-class cricketer.He was born at Hensleigh House, Tiverton, Devon, England, and played in sixty four first-class matches for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1909 and 1911. He succeeded Lord Hawke as captain in 1910...
, who held the post until the end of the 1911 season; and then by Sir Archibald White
Archibald White
Sir Archibald Woollaston White, 4th Bart was an English amateur first-class cricketer, who captained Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1911 to 1914. He led the team to the County Championship title in 1912...
, who led the team until the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914.
1919–1945
Yorkshire won the first post-war Championship in 1919, a year which saw the debuts of Herbert SutcliffeHerbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe was an English professional cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England as an opening batsman. Apart from one match in 1945, his first-class career spanned the period between the two World Wars...
and Emmott Robinson
Emmott Robinson
Emmott Robinson was an English first-class cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1919 to 1931. He was awarded his county cap in 1920. Robinson was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm fast-medium pace.-Life and career:Robinson was born in Keighley, Yorkshire, England...
, and remained a dominant force in the County Championship until the Second World War. They won every year from 1922 to 1925 and seven more times in the 1930s. The team won 25 games in 1923, for instance, with Rhodes and Roy Kilner
Roy Kilner
Roy Kilner was an English professional cricketer who played nine Test matches for England between 1924 and 1926. An all-rounder, he played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1911 and 1927. In all first-class matches, he scored 14,707 runs at an average of 30.01 and took 1,003 wickets at an...
doing the double in these matches alone, while four other batsmen scored 1,000 runs and three other bowlers, including George Macaulay
George Macaulay
George Gibson Macaulay , was a professional English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1920 and 1935. He played in eight Test matches for England from 1923 to 1933, achieving the rare feat of taking a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket...
, took 100 wickets.
Wilfred Rhodes retired in 1930, taking 73 wickets and scoring 478 runs in his final season at the age of 53. J.M. Kilburn wrote in the Yorkshire Post: "He had bowled at W.G. Grace, and he bowled at Don Bradman. At 20, at 30, at 40 and at 50 he had shown himself master of his world, and his kingdom was never usurped." Rhodes was replaced by Hedley Verity
Hedley Verity
Hedley Verity was a professional cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire and England between 1930 and 1939. A slow left arm orthodox bowler, he took 1,956 wickets in first-class cricket at an average of 14.90 and in 40 Tests he took 144 wickets at an average of 24.37...
, another skilful slow left armer. Percy Holmes
Percy Holmes
Percy Holmes was an English first-class cricketer, who played for Yorkshire and England.Holmes was born in Oakes, Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England...
and Sutcliffe had a record opening stand of 555 against Essex at Leyton in 1932. Len Hutton
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...
began his career in the 1930s.
1946–1970
Large crowds flocked to the cricket after the Second World War with 47,000 people attending the 3 days of the Roses Match at Bramall Lane in 1946. Yorkshire won the first post-war Championship. New players after the war included spinner Johnny WardleJohnny Wardle
Johnny Wardle was an English spin bowler of post-war cricket. His Test bowling average of 20.39, is the lowest in Test cricket by any recognised spin bowler, since World War I....
, all-rounder Brian Close
Brian Close
Dennis Brian Close , usually known as Brian Close, is a former cricketer who is the youngest man ever to play Test cricket for England. He was picked for the Test team to play against New Zealand, in July 1949, when he was 18 years old. Close went on to play 22 Test matches for England,...
and fast bowler Fred Trueman
Fred Trueman
Frederick Sewards Trueman OBE was an English cricketer, generally acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers in history. A bowler of genuinely fast pace who was widely known as Fiery Fred, Trueman played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1949 until he retired in 1968...
. Another newcomer Bob Appleyard
Bob Appleyard
Bob Appleyard is a former Yorkshire and England cricketer.He was one of the best English bowlers of the 1950s, a decade which saw England develop its strongest bowling attack of the twentieth century...
became the first bowler to take 200 wickets in his first full season in 1951. The 1950s were dominated by Surrey, who won seven successive championships. Yorkshire had internal problems which were resolved before the 1959 season in which Yorkshire recovered the title under Ronnie Burnet
Ronnie Burnet
Ronnie Burnet was an English cricketer and the last amateur captain of Yorkshire County Cricket Club...
.
The 1960s saw a new Yorkshire team emerge that dominated English cricket. Brian Close was made captain in 1963 and won the Championship in his first season. The team included Fred Trueman, all-rounder Ray Illingworth
Ray Illingworth
Raymond Illingworth, CBE is a former English cricketer, cricket commentator and cricket administrator. He was one of only nine players to have taken 2,000 wickets and made 20,000 runs in First class cricket, and the last one to do so...
, wicket-keeper Jimmy Binks
Jimmy Binks
James Graham "Jimmy" Binks is a former English cricketer who played as a wicket-keeper for Yorkshire. Although he was regarded by many as the best wicket-keeper of his generation, his limited batting ability restricted him to just two Test match appearances for England, both on the 1963-64 tour to...
and Test batsmen Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott OBE is a former Yorkshire and England cricketer. In a prolific and sometimes controversial playing career from 1962 to 1986, Boycott established himself as one of England's most successful opening batsmen...
, Doug Padgett
Doug Padgett
Doug Padgett was an English cricketer, who played more than 500 first-class matches and represented England in Tests twice, both in 1960....
, Phil Sharpe and John Hampshire
John Hampshire
John Harry Hampshire John Harry Hampshire John Harry Hampshire (born 10 February 1941, Thurnscoe (near Barnsley, Yorkshire) better known as Jack Hampshire, is a former English cricketer, who played eight Tests and three ODIs for England between 1969 and 1975. He played first-class cricket for...
. The team began to break up after winning a third successive title in 1968 and Close was controversially sacked in 1970.
1971–2000
There followed a long-running current of unrest in the club. There was sadness too in 1973 when Bramall Lane, the first home of Yorkshire CCC, was closed to cricket after over 400 first class matches and was converted into a specialist football stadium.Geoff Boycott captained Yorkshire for most of the 1970s, but success eluded the team even when Boycott left Test cricket for three years to concentrate on the county game. He was sacked as captain amid much furore after the 1978 season. Ray Illingworth returned from Leicestershire as team manager and, in 1982 at the age of 50, took over the captaincy. Yorkshire finished bottom of the 17-strong County Championship for the first time in 1983 but won the John Player (later National) League for the first time. There was further controversy when Boycott was not offered a new contract. The outcome of this was that the general committee resigned and Boycott, having already been elected to the new committee, was reinstalled as a player. Meanwhile, Brian Close became chairman of the cricket committee. Success continued to elude Yorkshire although Phil Carrick
Phil Carrick
Phillip Carrick was an English first-class cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1970 and 1993.Carrick was born in Armley, Leeds, Yorkshire, England, and began his first-class career in 1970...
led the team to a Benson and Hedges Cup triumph in 1987.
Yorkshire put themselves at a disadvantage from 1968 until 1992 by insisting that all its players must have been born within the historic county boundaries
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
of Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
while all the other county teams strengthened themselves by signing overseas Test players. In 1992, the birth qualification rule was first modified to include those educated within the county, a dispensation that allowed Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan
Michael Paul Vaughan OBE is a retired cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England. A classically elegant right-handed batsman and occasional off-spinner, Vaughan was ranked one of the best batsmen in the world following the 2002/3 Ashes, in which he scored 633 runs, including three centuries...
to play; and was then abandoned altogether. Yorkshire's first overseas player that season was 19-year old Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the only male player to score a double century in the history of ODI cricket...
.
2001 to present
Yorkshire finally won the County Championship again in 2001 when the captain was David ByasDavid Byas
David Byas is an English first-class cricketer, who played for Yorkshire and latterly Lancashire....
. Yorkshire have had mixed success in the first decade of the 21st century but finished a close third in the 2010 championship under Andrew Gale
Andrew Gale
Andrew William Gale is an English first-class cricketer, who plays for and captains Yorkshire County Cricket Club...
and their young team appears to have good potential as the 2011 season begins.
There had for many years been a controversial issue about the apparent inability of players from Yorkshire's large ethnic minority population to make their way at the club. Tendulkar was the first Asian player to represent Yorkshire, but he was an overseas player. It was not until 2003 that Dewsbury's Ismail Dawood
Ismail Dawood
Ismail Dawood is a former professional first-class cricketer, currently playing with Cheshire County Cricket Club. He has previously played first-class cricket for Northamptonshire, Worcestershire, Glamorgan and Yorkshire.Dawood is a lower-middle order batsman and wicket-keeper...
became the first British-born Asian to play for Yorkshire. He was followed by Ajmal Shahzad
Ajmal Shahzad
Ajmal Shahzad is an English cricketer who plays for Yorkshire County Cricket Club. A right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler, he made his international debut in a Twenty20 International for England in February 2010...
and Adil Rashid
Adil Rashid
Adil Usman Rashid is an English cricketer of Pakistani origins, who plays for Yorkshire. Previously a player with England Under-19s, in December 2008, he was called into the full England Test squad, for the Test matches to be played in India...
who have both represented England. In 2007, Azeem Rafiq
Azeem Rafiq
Azeem Rafiq is an English cricketer. A right arm off-spin bowler with a scholarship to Yorkshire, Azeem he current loan short-term signing of Derbyshire season 2011. Azeem was also captain of the England Under-15s and Under-19s, and the first Yorkshire cricket player of an Asian background to...
as a member of Yorkshire's academy team became the first Yorkshire player of an Asian background to captain England at any level when he was appointed U15s captain.
Badge and colours
Lord Hawke, in the early days of his captaincy, designed the white rose badge. Copying the idea from Lancashire, who already had adopted the red rose as a symbol, Hawke designed a rose which, unlike Lancashire's, was not a real flower. He created a rose with eleven petals, to represent the eleven players of the team, based on the hedge rose. Only players who had received their county cap were allowed to wear the badge. It was not until the 1980s it was allowed by the committee to be placed on merchandise as a marketing device.Yorkshire's club colours are dark blue, light blue and gold. These are knitted in bands forming the v-neck of each player's sweater. The limited overs team, Yorkshire Carnegie, wears the colours in the players' overall uniforms.
Ground history
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, although the club played some home matches outside the historic borders at Sheffield's Abbeydale Park
Abbeydale Park
Abbeydale Park is a sports venue in Dore, South Yorkshire, England. It is unusual in having hosted home games for two different county cricket teams.-History:...
, historically part of Derbyshire, from 1974 to 1996.
Yorkshire first played at North Marine Road, Scarborough in the 1878 season
1878 English cricket season
The 1878 English cricket season is remembered for the first official tour by an Australian team, although it played no Test Matches; and for the match that inspired a famous poem.-Champion County:* Middlesex, Nottinghamshire -Events:...
. This remains the venue for the annual Scarborough Festival
Scarborough Festival
The Scarborough Festival is an end of season series of cricket matches featuring Yorkshire County Cricket Club which has been held in Scarborough, on the east coast of Yorkshire, since 1876. The ground, at North Marine Road, sees large crowds of holiday makers watching a mixture of first class...
matches.
The club was founded on 8 January 1863 in the Adelphi Hotel, Sheffield and was initially based at Bramall Lane. Headingley Stadium was first established in 1888 and Test cricket was first played there in 1899, eight years later than it hosted its inaugural first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
match when Yorkshire played Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
in 1891, the year in which the club's headquarters moved there. The "out grounds" in Hull, Sheffield, Bradford, Middlesbrough and Harrogate were used with great success until the 1970s.
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
, with the help of a £9 million loan from Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council is the local authority for the City of Leeds metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England.-History:The city council was established in 1974, with the first elections being held in advance in 1973...
. This purchase ensures that Test cricket continues at the venue with a 15-year staging agreement. On 11 January 2006, the stadium was officially renamed the Headingley Carnegie Stadium as a result of sponsorship from Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University is a British University with three campuses. Two are situated in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England while the third is situated in Bhopal, India...
and the club announced plans on 11 January 2006 to rebuild the stand next to the rugby ground with 3,000 extra seats, taking capacity to 20,000. The club also announced plans to redevelop the Winter shed (North) stand on 25 August 2006 providing a £12.5 million pavilion complex.
This following table gives details of every venue at which Yorkshire have hosted a first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
or List A cricket match:
| Name of ground | Location | Year | FC matches |
LA matches |
T20 matches |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headingley Carnegie | Leeds | 1891–present | 392 | 222 | 17 | 631 |
| Bramall Lane | Sheffield | 1863–1973 | 391 | 5 | 396 | |
| Park Avenue | Bradford | 1881–1996 | 306 | 48 | – | 354 |
| North Marine Road | Scarborough | 1874–present | 233 | 79 | – | 312 |
| The Circle | Kingston upon Hull | 1899–1990 | 88 | 19 | – | 107 |
| St George's Road | Harrogate | 1894–2000 | 91 | 5 | – | 96 |
| Fartown | Huddersfield Huddersfield Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city.... |
1873–1982 | 72 | 9 | – | 81 |
| Acklam Park | Middlesbrough | 1956–1996 | 45 | 24 | – | 69 |
| Abbeydale Park | Sheffield | 1974–1996 | 41 | 12 | – | 53 |
| Dewsbury and Savile | Dewsbury Dewsbury Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds... |
1867–1933 | 43 | – | – | 43 |
| Great Horton Road Great Horton Road (Cricket Ground) Great Horton Road was a cricket ground in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England on which Yorkshire County Cricket Club held first class matches from 1863 to 1874. The ground hosted seven County Championship and one other first class match during that time... |
Bradford | 1863–1874 | 8 | – | – | 8 |
| Thrum Hall | Halifax Halifax, West Yorkshire Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece... |
1888–1897 | 4 | – | – | 4 |
| Shaw Lane Shaw Lane (cricket ground) Shaw Lane is a cricket ground in Barnsley. It hosted one first-class match, in August 1862 between Yorkshire and an All England XI, a game won by the England XI despite being bowled out for just 47 in their first innings.... |
Barnsley Barnsley Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and... |
1975–1978 | – | 4 | – | 4 |
| Recreation Ground Recreation Ground (Cricket) The Recreation Ground, Holbeck held eight first class cricket matches . Yorkshire CCC played 3 county championship games at the site, including a Roses Match in 1868 and the touring Australians twice played there... |
Holbeck Holbeck Holbeck is a district in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.The district begins on the southern edge of the Leeds city centre and mainly lies in the LS11 Leeds postcode area. The M1 and M621 motorways used to end/begin in Holbeck. Now the M621 is the only motorway that passes through the area since... |
1968–1986 | 3 | – | – | 3 |
| Swatter's Carr | Middlesbrough | 1864–1867 | 2 | – | – | 2 |
| Woodhouse Hill | Hunslet Hunslet Hunslet is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is south east of the city centre and has an industrial past.Hunslet had many engineering companies based in the district, such as John Fowler & Co... |
1869 | 1 | – | – | 1 |
| College Grove College Grove (Cricket Ground) College Grove sports ground is a multi sport facility in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It is owned and run by Wakefield Sports Club Ltd.The current main users of the ground are Wakefield FC and Wakefield Hockey club.-Location:... |
Wakefield Wakefield Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001.... |
1878 | 1 | – | – | 1 |
| Town Cricket Club Ground Town Cricket Club Ground The Town Cricket Club Ground on Argyle Street in Hull, England hosted four first class matches from 1875 to 1879.North and South England XIs clashed on three occasions while Yorkshire CCC played Surrey CCC in a county fixture in the last match held there.... |
Kingston upon Hull | 1879 | 1 | – | – | 1 |
| Linthorpe Road West Linthorpe Road West (Cricket Ground) The Linthorpe Road West Cricket Ground in Middlesbrough held one first class match July 1882 when Yorkshire lost to the touring Australians . The ground was opened in 1875 and Middlesbrough Cricket Club played there until 1893. The ground was also used by Middlesbrough Football Club until they... |
Middlesbrough | 1882 | 1 | – | – | 1 |
| Hall Park Ground Hall Park Ground Hall Park Ground in Horsforth held a first class cricket match in August 1885. The match, which pitted Yorkshire CCC against MB Hawke's XI, was won by MB Hawke's XI by 3 wickets thanks to Australian Claude Rock who took 8 for 36 in Yorkshire's second innings.... |
Horsforth Horsforth Horsforth is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England, lying to the north west of Leeds. It has a population of 18,928.... |
1885 | 1 | – | – | 1 |
| Wigginton Road Wigginton Road Cricket Ground Wigginton Road Cricket Ground in York is a former cricket ground. Its one and only first-class match was held in June 1890 between Yorkshire CCC and Kent CCC.... |
York | 1890 | 1 | – | – | 1 |
| Saville Park Savile Park (Cricket Ground) Savile Park Cricket Ground on Lumley Street in Castleford held a list A limited overs game in May 1967 when Yorkshire CCC played Cambridgeshire in the Gillette Cup, bowling the visitors out for 43. In May 2000 the touring Zimbabwe team defeated a strong Marylebone Cricket Club side in another List... |
Castleford Castleford Castleford is the largest of the "five towns" district in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is near Pontefract, and has a population of 37,525 according to the 2001 Census, but has seen a rise in recent years and is now around 45-50,000. To the north... |
1967 | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| Source:cricketarchive Updated: 23 March 2008 |
||||||
Support and rivalries
Yorkshire's quintessential rivalry is with LancashireLancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
via the Roses Match
Roses Match
The Roses Match refers to any game of cricket played between Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Lancashire County Cricket Club. Yorkshire's emblem is the white rose, while Lancashire's is the red rose. The associations go back to the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century...
. The import of this match reached a peak during the inter-war period when, for many years, Yorkshire and Lancashire were the dominant teams in English cricket. The writings of Neville Cardus
Neville Cardus
Sir John Frederick Neville Cardus CBE was an English writer and critic, best known for his writing on music and cricket. For many years, he wrote for The Manchester Guardian. He was untrained in music, and his style of criticism was subjective, romantic and personal, in contrast with his critical...
at this time were instrumental in emphasising the sense of rivalry between the two teams.
Brand, ownership, finances and sponsorship
Yorkshire County Cricket Club was founded in 1863 and is owned by its members who have elected various officials including the club's General Committee which existed until 2002 when it was replaced by a Board of Management headed by a chief executive. In 2011, Ray Illingworth holds the office of Club President while board members are Colin Graves (chairman), Geoff Boycott, Robin Smith, Gareth Davies and Martin Farrington. Liz Neto acts as PA to the board and there are a number of departmental directors and managers heading such functions as sales, finance, stadium facilities, administration, catering, hospitality, marketing and sponsorship.The once-influential post of Club Secretary effectively ceased in 2002 although the club did have a company secretary for three years. That function has now disappeared under the broader structure and the present secretary as such is the personal assistant (PA) to the board members.
Like all county clubs, Yorkshire relies heavily on sponsorship and numerous companies have formed deals with the club over many years. Colin Graves is the chairman of Costcutter and this has been one of the main sponsors for several years. Costcutter is an "official partner", as are Leeds Metropolitan University, Aunt Bessie's, Dent Steel, Henderson Insurance Brokers, Gray-Nicolls and JCT600. Other levels of sponsorship are "secondary partner" and player sponsor, both of which have attracted numerous participants.
2011 Squad
Players with international caps are listed in bold.| No | Name | Nat | Batting Style | Bowling Style | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batsmen | |||||
| 26 | Andrew Gale Andrew Gale Andrew William Gale is an English first-class cricketer, who plays for and captains Yorkshire County Cricket Club... |
 Kingdom of England |
Left-handed | Right-arm leg break Leg break A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of... |
Club captain Captain (cricket) The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player... |
| 5 | Joe Root Joe Root Joseph Edward Root is an English first-class cricketer, who plays for Yorkshire County Cricket Club. He is a classically elegant, right-handed opening batsman and useful occasional off-spinner, much in the mould of former England captain Michael Vaughan... |
Kingdom of England |
Right-handed | Right-arm off break Off break Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners.... |
England Lions, England Under-19 international |
| 9 | Adam Lyth Adam Lyth Adam Lyth is an English first-class cricketer, who has played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club since 2007. He is a left-handed opening batsman, and has represented England at youth level.... |
Kingdom of England |
Left-handed | Right-arm medium Seam bowling Seam bowling is a phrase used for a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation. Practitioners are known as seam bowlers or seamers.... |
|
| 10 | Anthony McGrath Anthony McGrath Anthony McGrath is an English first-class cricketer, who plays county cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club. He is a right-handed batsman and bowls part-time right-arm medium pace and has twice captained Yorkshire, in the 2003 and 2009 seasons.-England:McGrath made his Test match debut for... |
Kingdom of England |
Right-handed | Right-arm medium Seam bowling Seam bowling is a phrase used for a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation. Practitioners are known as seam bowlers or seamers.... |
Former England Test and ODI player |
| 19 | Gary Ballance Gary Ballance Gary Simon Ballance is a first-class cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a leg-break bowler, who currently plays for Yorkshire County Cricket Club.... |
 Zimbabwe |
Left-handed | Right-arm leg break Leg break A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of... |
|
| 22 | Joe Sayers Joe Sayers Joe Sayers is an English first-class cricketer, who has played for the Oxford University Centre of Cricketing Excellence, Oxford University and Yorkshire... |
Kingdom of England |
Left-handed | Right-arm off break Off break Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners.... |
|
| 24 | Jacques Rudolph Jacques Rudolph Jacobus Andries Rudolph , popularly known as Jacques Rudolph, is a South African Test and ODI cricketer currently playing in England with Yorkshire CCC and in South Africa with Titans.He had an unbeaten 222 in his debut Test inning... |
 South Africa |
Left-handed | Right-arm leg break Leg break A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of... |
South Africa Test and ODI player |
| 25 | Gurman Randhawa Gurman Randhawa Gurman Singh Randhawa is an English first-class cricketer. A slow left-arm orthodox spinner and left-handed batsman, Randhawa is presently contracted to Yorkshire County Cricket Club, for whom he has played one first-class match in 2011.He has been with Yorkshire since 2008... |
Kingdom of England |
Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox Left-arm orthodox spin Left-arm orthodox spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket.Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left arm bowler using the fingers to spin the ball from right to left of the cricket pitch... |
|
| All-rounders | |||||
| 3 | Adil Rashid Adil Rashid Adil Usman Rashid is an English cricketer of Pakistani origins, who plays for Yorkshire. Previously a player with England Under-19s, in December 2008, he was called into the full England Test squad, for the Test matches to be played in India... |
Kingdom of England |
Right-handed | Right-arm leg break Leg break A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of... |
England Lions, ODI, & T20I. |
| 4 | Ajmal Shahzad Ajmal Shahzad Ajmal Shahzad is an English cricketer who plays for Yorkshire County Cricket Club. A right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler, he made his international debut in a Twenty20 International for England in February 2010... |
Kingdom of England |
Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
England Test, ODI & T20I player |
| 16 | Tim Bresnan Tim Bresnan Timothy 'Tim' Thomas Bresnan is an English cricketer. He is a fast-medium bowler, as well as being respected for his ability with the bat for Yorkshire. He normally fields in the deep. He won the NBC Denis Compton Award in 2002 and 2003. In June 2006 he was called up to the England One Day... |
Kingdom of England |
Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
England Test, ODI & T20I player |
| 27 | Richard Pyrah Richard Pyrah Richard Michael Pyrah , known as 'Rich', is an English first-class cricketer, who currently plays for Yorkshire County Cricket Club.... |
Kingdom of England |
Right-handed | Right-arm medium Seam bowling Seam bowling is a phrase used for a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation. Practitioners are known as seam bowlers or seamers.... |
|
| Wicket-keepers | |||||
| 20 | Gerard Brophy Gerard Brophy Gerard Louis Brophy is a first-class cricketer, presently contracted to Yorkshire. He has also played for Ireland, Free State, Northamptonshire and Transvaal in a well travelled career.... |
South Africa |
Right-handed | — | |
| 21 | Jonathan Bairstow Jonathan Bairstow Jonathan 'Jonny' Marc Bairstow is an English cricketer, who plays first-class cricket for Yorkshire. A right-hand batsman and wicket-keeper he is the son of former Yorkshire and England keeper David Bairstow.... |
Kingdom of England |
Right-handed | — | England ODI & T20I player |
| Bowlers | |||||
| 7 | Iain Wardlaw Iain Wardlaw Iain Wardlaw is an English first-class cricketer. A right-arm medium pacer and right-handed batsman, Wardlaw is presently contracted to Yorkshire County Cricket Club to the end of the 2012 season, and for whom he has played four Twenty20 games, and one County Championship match in 2011.Wardlaw... |
Kingdom of England |
Right-handed | Right-arm medium Seam bowling Seam bowling is a phrase used for a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation. Practitioners are known as seam bowlers or seamers.... |
|
| 11 | Ryan Sidebottom Ryan Sidebottom Ryan Jay Sidebottom is an English cricketer who plays domestic cricket for Yorkshire. He is a primarily a left-arm fast-medium bowler. Sidebottom played his first Test match in 2001 against Pakistan, but failed to take a wicket and was dropped for six years... |
Kingdom of England |
Right-handed | Left-arm fast-medium Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
Former England Test, ODI & T20I player |
| 12 | Oliver Hannon-Dalby Oliver Hannon-Dalby Oliver James Hannon-Dalby is an English cricketer, playing for Yorkshire County Cricket Club. He is a left-handed batsman and a right arm medium-fast bowler.... |
Kingdom of England |
Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
|
| 17 | Steven Patterson Steven Patterson Steven Andrew Patterson is an English first-class cricketer, contracted to play for Yorkshire County Cricket Club.... |
Kingdom of England |
Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
|
| 23 | Moin Ashraf | Kingdom of England |
Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
|
| 30 | Azeem Rafiq Azeem Rafiq Azeem Rafiq is an English cricketer. A right arm off-spin bowler with a scholarship to Yorkshire, Azeem he current loan short-term signing of Derbyshire season 2011. Azeem was also captain of the England Under-15s and Under-19s, and the first Yorkshire cricket player of an Asian background to... |
Kingdom of England |
Right-handed | Right-arm off break Off break Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners.... |
Captained England Under-15 and England Under-19. On loan to Derbyshire May 2011 |
| 44 | John Blain John Blain John Blain is a Scottish first-class cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman, and a right-arm fast-medium pace bowler.... |
 Kingdom of Scotland |
Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
|
Former players
- For details of former players, see List of Yorkshire County Cricket Club players and :Category:Yorkshire cricketers.
Club captains
- For the full list of club captains, see: :Category:Yorkshire cricket captains
Three Yorkshire players Stanley Jackson, Len Hutton and Michael Vaughan have captained England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
to success in The Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
yet none of them was club captain at Yorkshire. Ray Illingworth was playing for Leicestershire CCC when he was captain of England.
From 1883 to 1959 inclusive, Yorkshire always had an amateur club captain. The extent of leadership given by these gentlemen has long been a subject of discussion. Hawke and Sellers are generally held to have been autocratic and decisive, but in fact both relied heavily on sound professional advice. At the other extreme, Wilfred Rhodes is supposed to have been the de facto captain from 1920 to 1930, but it was Major Arthur Lupton
Arthur Lupton
Arthur William Lupton was an English amateur first-class cricketer, who played 104 matches for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1908 to 1927. He also played for the MCC , the Gentlemen of England and H.D.G...
who restored discipline to the side when a row erupted between Yorkshire and Middlesex in 1924.
Lord Hawke famously said at the Yorkshire Annual General Meeting in 1925: "Pray God, no professional shall ever captain England. I love and admire them all, but we have always had an amateur skipper and when the day comes when we shall have no more amateurs captaining England it will be a thousand pities." In view of this, it is perhaps surprising that, when Arthur Lupton retired at the end of the 1927 season, Hawke was one of the sponsors of the suggestion that Herbert Sutcliffe should become Yorkshire captain. In the event, there was sufficient opposition to the idea amongst the Yorkshire committee and players (some of the latter felt that Wilfred Rhodes, as senior professional, had a prior claim), that the proposal was dropped.
In 1960, Vic Wilson
Vic Wilson (cricketer)
John Victor "Vic" Wilson was an English first-class cricketer, who played for and captained Yorkshire. He was born in Scampston, Malton, Yorkshire, England....
became Yorkshire's first professional captain since Tom Emmett when he succeeded Ronnie Burnet. Brian Close, who took over in 1963, has been Yorkshire's most successful professional captain with four County Championships.
Coaching staff
- Director of Pro Cricket: Martyn MoxonMartyn MoxonMartyn Douglas Moxon is a former English cricketer, who played ten Tests and eight One Day Internationals for England and appeared for Yorkshire for 17 seasons from 1981 to 1997...
- Director of Cricket Operations: Ian DewsIan DewsIan Michael Dews is a former English cricketer. He was a left-handed batsman and a right-arm offspin bowler....
- Batting Coach: Kevin SharpKevin Sharp (cricketer)Kevin Sharp is an English former first-class cricketer, who had a fourteen year first-class career playing for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Griqualand West cricket team...
- Bowling Coach: Steve Oldham
- Assistant Bowling Coach: John BlainJohn BlainJohn Blain is a Scottish first-class cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman, and a right-arm fast-medium pace bowler....
- Second XI/Colts Coach: Craig WhiteCraig WhiteCraig White is an English former first-class cricketer, and latterly cricket coach.-Life and career:...
- Strength & Conditioning Coach: Tom Summers
- First XI Physiotherapist: Scott McAllister
- Second XI Physiotherapist: James Clegg
List of Yorkshire CCC Presidents
Those who have held the office of Yorkshire President are:| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1863 | 1863 | T.R. Barker |
| 1864 | 1897 | Michael Ellison |
| 1898 | 1938 | Lord Hawke |
| 1939 | 1947 | Stanley Jackson |
| 1948 | 1960 | Tom Taylor |
| 1961 | 1973 | Sir William Worsley |
| 1974 | 1981 | Sir Kenneth Parkinson |
| 1981 | 1983 | Norman Yardley |
| 1984 | 1989 | Viscount Mountgarret Richard Butler, 17th Viscount Mountgarret Richard Henry Piers Butler, 17th Viscount Mountgarret was the son of Piers Henry Augustus Butler, 16th Viscount Mountgarret and Eglantine Christie... |
| 1989 | 1990 | Len Hutton |
| 1991 | 1999 | Sir Lawrence Byford |
| 1999 | 2004 | R.A. Smith |
| 2004 | 2006 | David Jones |
| 2006 | 2008 | Bob Appleyard |
| 2008 | 2009 | Brian Close |
| 2010 | present | Ray Illingworth |
List of Yorkshire CCC Secretaries
Those who have held the office of Yorkshire Secretary are:| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1863 | 1863 | George Padley |
| 1864 | 1902 | Joseph B. Wolstinholm |
| 1903 | 1930 | Frederick Toone Frederick Toone Sir Frederick Charles 'Fred' Toone was a cricket administrator, who in 1929 became the second man ever to be knighted for cricket-related activities. Unusually for a man who achieved such eminence in the game, he never played cricket at first-class level.He was Secretary of Leicestershire from... |
| 1931 | 1971 | John Nash |
| 1972 | 1991 | Joe Lister |
| 1991 | 2002 | D.M. Ryder |
| 2002 | 2005 | B. Bouttell |
First XI honours
- Champion County (0) – ; shared (1) – 1883
- County Championship (30) – 1893, 1896, 1898, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1905, 1908, 1912, 1919, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1946, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1968, 2001; shared (1) – 1949
- FP Trophy (3) – 1965, 1969, 2002
- National League (1) – 1983
- Twenty20 Cup (0) –
- Benson & Hedges Cup (1) – 1987
Second XI honours
- Second XI Championship (4) – 1977, 1984, 1991, 2003; shared (1) – 1987
- Second XI Trophy (1) – 2009
- Minor Counties Championship (5) – 1947, 1957, 1958, 1968, 1971
Other honours
- Fenner Trophy (3) – 1972, 1974, 1981
- Asda Challenge (1) – 1987
- Ward Knockout Cup (1) – 1989
- Joshua Tetley Festival Trophy (6) – 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998; shared (1) – 1992
- Tilcon Trophy (1) – 1988
- Under-25 Competition (3) – 1976, 1978, 1987
- Bain Clarkson Trophy (1) – 1994
See also
- Yorkshire captaincy affair of 1927
- Yorkshire County Cricket Club in 2005Yorkshire County Cricket Club in 2005Yorkshire County Cricket Club in 2005 were in the second divisions of both the County Championship and the totesport League. At 6–1 odds to win the Second Division of the County Championship, they were likely to struggle again – as they had done since they won the First Division championship in 2001...
- Yorkshire County Cricket Club in 2007Yorkshire County Cricket Club in 2007-Championship:-Pro40:-Friends Provident:-County Championship Scorecards:Surrey v Yorkshire* Points: Surrey 5, Yorkshire 22 Yorkshire v Durham * Points: Surrey 5, Yorkshire 22Hampshire v Yorkshire* Points: Hampshire 9, Yorkshire 9...
- Yorkshire County Cricket Club in 2008Yorkshire County Cricket Club in 2008Yorkshire County Cricket Club started the 2008 season in the top division of the LV= County Championship and in the second division of the NatWest Pro40 league...
- List of cricket grounds in England and Wales
- List of Test cricket grounds