Nostalgia on Tuesday: All round appeal

Games involving individuals hitting a ball with a suitably shaped piece of wood extend back many centuries. How and when this activity developed into a game where the thrower of the ball takes aim at a target defended by the person with a bat is, unfortunately, unknown. There is also no clear evidence about when the person with the bat attempted to score points.
Yorkshire county champs 1901Yorkshire county champs 1901
Yorkshire county champs 1901

There are, however, some dates which point towards cricket’s development in the UK. There is evidence around the mid 16th century of the game being played in Guildford, Surrey, and in 1598 cricket is mentioned in Florio’s Italian-English Dictionary. In the following century there are further ‘cricket’ references but a significant one occurs in 1697. This records the first mention of ‘a great match with 11 players a side’ trying to a win a 50 guineas prize in Sussex. The history of the game is then marked with the first recorded county game between Kent and Surrey in 1709 and the earliest surviving bat dates from 1729.

A rule that the pitch should be 22 yards long was amongst the first Laws of Cricket introduced in 1744. During the 18th century it was decreed that the bat should be limited to 41/4 ins; and the lbw rule was introduced. The first match was played at Thomas Lord’s first cricket ground in 1787.

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The dawn of the 19th century saw the first mention in 1807 of straight arm (as opposed to under arm) bowling. Four years later the first women’s county match was staged at Ball’s Pond, London. Batting pads were introduced around 1836 and wicket-keeping gloves in 1850. The first game was played at the Oval in 1845 and the history of the roses’ matches between Lancashire v Yorkshire began in 1849. Perhaps the most significant development with regard to bowling occurred in 1864 when the MCC authorised the bowler to do anything but throw the ball.

14th April 1977

Arnie Sidebottom in action.14th April 1977

Arnie Sidebottom in action.
14th April 1977 Arnie Sidebottom in action.

W G Grace was the first player to record 1,000 runs and 100 wickets during a season in 1873. In the first Test match staged in Australia during 1877, the home side beat England by 45 runs. Three years later, in the return match, the first staged in this country, England beat the Aussies at the Oval by five wickets.

References to cricket in Yorkshire date back to around the mid 18th century when matches were held in Sheffield. The local side was formed around this time and for a period the city was said to be more organised in playing cricket than anywhere else in the county. But cricket increased in popularity and a number of local sides were formed during the first few decades of the 19th century following the roundarm trial matches at the purpose-built Darnall New Ground in Sheffield.

Yorkshire was first used as a team name in 1833, though for a number of years it largely included Sheffield players. During a meeting at the Adelphi Hotel in Sheffield on March 7, 1861, a Match Fund Committee was established to organise Yorkshire County matches. But it was not until January 8 1863, that Yorkshire County Cricket Club was formed, relying on private patronage and a number of match sponsors.

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Over later years, Yorkshire has become the most successful team in English cricketing history with 33 county Championship titles, including one shared. The club’s success along with its greatest names have been chronicled in a number of books. A book titled Following On in the Footsteps of Cricketing Fathers, by James Buttler interestingly highlights Yorkshire cricketing careers continued by sons of noted players.

Cricket at Lords 1822Cricket at Lords 1822
Cricket at Lords 1822

The author highlights that Richard Hutton had a huge task in following Sir Leonard who was ‘a Yorkshire Colossus’. But, Richard’s statistical record is very good. In all first-class cricket he scored 7,561 with a career best of 189, one of five hundreds. He was selected for his five Test appearances because of his own pedigree, not the name of his father.

Father and son were different. Len was a working-class lad from Pudsey, whereas Richard went to public school and attended Cambridge University. Len played 79 Tests for England, had a career that spanned the War from 1937 and 1955, scored 6,971 Test runs and became England’s first professional captain in 1952. His highest Test score of 364 was a world record until beaten by Garry Sobers. He was knighted in 1956.

David Bairstow or ‘Bluey’ as he was known, was a flame-haired, robust character. He appeared in four Tests and 21 One-Day Internationals for England in a career spanning two decades. For Yorkshire he scored almost 14,000 first-class runs and snaffled 1,099 chances as wicket keeper. His 11 catches in a championship match against Derbyshire at Scarborough in 1982 equalled the world record.

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David’s second son Jonny born in 1989 has followed successfully in his father’s footsteps as wicket keeper and batsman for Yorkshire and England. Ryan Sidebottom, son of another great Yorkshire cricketer Arnie Sidebottom, has formed a strong bond with Jonny Bairstow.

March 1990

David Bairstow and Martyn Moxon.March 1990

David Bairstow and Martyn Moxon.
March 1990 David Bairstow and Martyn Moxon.

‘My dad and David Bairstow were great mates on and off the field and I think that’s rubbed off on us two,’ said Ryan.

When asked if it was difficult for both of them following in the footsteps of great Yorkshire and England cricketing fathers he suggested: ‘I think that’s made us both stronger and is maybe why we’ve made it. You can either take a back seat or get out there and think ‘right okay, I’m going to show you I can play too’, and that’s what we’ve done.”

Following On by James Buttler, is available to order online at www.ypbookoffer.co.uk or call 01274 735056. £10.99 each. Buy 2 for £17. Includes UK delivery.