Hosts Yorkshire excel again but seek '˜warmer' Test date

MARK ARTHUR is calling for an end to Test cricket in the north of England in May.
WEATHER-WATCH: Umbrellas went up at Headingley as rain stopped play during the third day of the first Test between England and Sri Lanka. The delay failed to save the tourists, who lost by an innings and 88 runs to Alastair Cooks side. Picture: Nigel French/PAWEATHER-WATCH: Umbrellas went up at Headingley as rain stopped play during the third day of the first Test between England and Sri Lanka. The delay failed to save the tourists, who lost by an innings and 88 runs to Alastair Cooks side. Picture: Nigel French/PA
WEATHER-WATCH: Umbrellas went up at Headingley as rain stopped play during the third day of the first Test between England and Sri Lanka. The delay failed to save the tourists, who lost by an innings and 88 runs to Alastair Cooks side. Picture: Nigel French/PA

The Yorkshire chief executive believes it is risky to stage matches at the likes of Headingley and Chester-le-Street at this time of year due to the weather and the effect on crowd numbers.

Arthur said Yorkshire will lobby hard for a regular July Test when the new international structure comes in post-2019.

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Reflecting on the Headingley Test match against Sri Lanka, which finished inside three days, Arthur said: “The overriding comment would be that it’s disappointing to have early-season Test matches in the north of England, with the weather historically not quite as favourable as elsewhere in the country and when temperatures can be low, which can affect the crowds.

Yorkshire's chief executive, Mark Arthur. Picture: SWPIX.COMYorkshire's chief executive, Mark Arthur. Picture: SWPIX.COM
Yorkshire's chief executive, Mark Arthur. Picture: SWPIX.COM

“Early-season Tests should be held more in the south of the country, where temperatures are usually that much higher.

“We’re hoping that, in years to come, we can go back to our traditional spot of July.

“The current regime at the England and Wales Cricket Board have inherited this situation, and it’s not ideal from our point of view.”

The international schedule is mapped out until 2019.

Yorkshire's chief executive, Mark Arthur. Picture: SWPIX.COMYorkshire's chief executive, Mark Arthur. Picture: SWPIX.COM
Yorkshire's chief executive, Mark Arthur. Picture: SWPIX.COM

But Arthur hopes common sense will prevail thereafter.

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“The schedule is mapped out because of the bidding process but, post-2019, there’s going to be allocation of matches at the most appropriate venues, taking into account the work that’s done in the community, the reach of Test match grounds as well as their ability to sell,” he said.

“We’ve got an Ashes Test in 2019, which will be later in the year anyway, so I’m talking about from 2020 onwards.

“I also think it’s in the interests of all international grounds that we have regularity and consistency of when we’re hosting a Test match, rather like Ascot always falls at the same time, Wimbledon always falls at the same time, the FA Cup final always falls at the same time, and so on.

“We’d like the Headingley Test match to also fall at the same time, ideally in late July or even August.”

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Arthur’s comments come after Sri Lanka were thrashed by an innings in unfamiliar early-season conditions.

The tourists could face more of the same in the second Test at Chester-le-Street, starting on Friday, where a similarly one-sided match is in prospect.

Under the circumstances, Yorkshire did well to attract an aggregate of 36,648 spectators to the Leeds Test, with a combination of indifferent weather and even more indifferent opposition making it a difficult sell for Yorkshire’s commercial department.

But the club have made great strides in recent years to vastly improve Headingley as an international ground, and Arthur was pleased with Yorkshire’s performance from an operational perspective.

“I’m very pleased with how the Test match went,” he said.

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“I would like to pay huge credit to the Yorkshire staff and all the stewards and volunteers who made everyone feel so welcome.

“We’ve made quite a step-change in that respect over the last few years, and the feedback we’ve had so far has been very positive.

“Hopefully, we’ve made a few friends and increased our reputation for hosting international cricket.”

One of the main innovations this year was free wi-fi for spectators, which also allows the club to engage with customers and seek online feedback.

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Another big part of recent improvements at Headingley under Arthur has been the segregation of the West Stand, which means that the fancy dress brigade are now with like-minded folk.

In addition, no Test match is complete without a good pitch, and Headingley’s reputation for producing entertaining cricket was again maintained.

Arthur paid tribute to groundsman Andy Fogarty and his team for providing a good surface for the ground’s 75th Test.

“To produce that type of pitch at the earliest time of year that we’ve ever staged a Test match at Headingley was great credit to Andy Fogarty and his team,” said Arthur.

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“It was a terrific pitch, and there was great bounce and carry, which is what both bowlers and batsmen want.

“The match itself was men against boys and England performed fantastically well.

“But the pitch was of an excellent quality.”

England’s hero was Jonny Bairstow, who carried on from where he left off in South Africa in the winter to produce a man-of-the-match performance with a century and nine catches, Arthur paying tribute to the Yorkshire player.

“There was some tremendous batting by Jonny and he was in a class of his own really,” said Arthur. “His wicketkeeping was excellent too.

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“I think he’s proved to the rest of the world something that we’ve always known at Yorkshire, which is that he is the real deal at international level.

“The way that Jonny and also Joe Root go about their batting is incredibly positive, and it’s exciting cricket that the pair of them play.”