Sad demise of Yorkshire CCC is hard to witness: Yorkshire Post Letters

As a Yorkshire member, I have suffered through the losses in the second half of the season, most recently the defeat down at the Oval. Patterson and Coad apart, this was an embarrassing display made worse by the Surrey members expressing well-meaning sympathy at the plight of the team.

Southerners feeling sorry for us is very hard to take, especially when they are winning the Championship title.

There are so many things wrong on the playing side at the moment and it is difficult to see where any improvement might come from. Lord Patel, Darren Gough (Yorkshire hero but way out of his depth in a senior managerial role), Ottis Gibson and the ex Leicestershire coaches are driving our club into the ground with little understanding of what Yorkshire cricket means to people.

1. The fixation with Leicestershire – why on earth have we taken on the coaches from a county who are currently bottom of Division 2 by over 30 points? And why have we signed a player from Leicestershire who averages 24 with the bat and 39 with the ball in that 2 nd division?

There was no surprise whatsoever when the Surrey batsman plundered him for eight an over.

2. Yorkshire’s batting. Oh dear. I cannot recall a weaker line up. We have some promising young lads coming through who have done well with England U19’s, the Academy and the second eleven. They have big opportunities to become regular fixtures in the side and, whilst we have seen some good performances, especially from George Hill, there is just no consistency and there is little sign of any improvement over the season. I understand some of the batsmen are seeking help from outside the club and I doubt the ex Leicestershire coaches have the requisite skills to help the lads step up to the next level and start playing regularly for Yorkshire.

3. Captaincy. Very odd that a player who was not deemed worthy of a place at the start of the season is captaining the side at the end, as well as wicket-keeping and batting at number 5.

4. The treatment of Stephen Patterson. No reason has been given as to why Patterson’s contract has not been renewed. He is, arguably, our best and most reliable bowler this season and certainly the most economical. His performances against Essex and Surrey were truly outstanding. This loyal servant of 20 years has been treated diabolically.

Watching Yorkshire has been frustrating and without enjoyment this year. I resent having to witness the consequences of poor decision-making and a lack of skills from Patel, Gough, Gibson and the ex-Leicestershire coaches who have put our club into steady, and seemingly inexorable, decline.

Thomas Wright, Whitehall Road East, Birkenshaw.

Chris Waters' scathing criticism of Andrew Strauss ''key document' (The Yorkshire Post, September 24) will resonate with many Yorkshire members who are committed to the longer forms of cricket and particularly the County Championship.

If the document is accepted by the respective county administrations many members like myself will question whether it is worthwhile renewing their memberships.

Yorkshire 's existential crisis as a result of the Rafiq claims of racism will be exacerbated as the club hemorrhages members.

The all pervading aura of negativity that ushered in 2022 has hung around the grounds at Headingley and Scarborough throughout the campaign with no County Championship wins recorded yet in the Broad Acres.

The decision to release Patterson is crass and smacks of what your correspondent states as rudderless leadership and a club in disarray. Patterson has still much to offer and his loyal and distinguished service deserved another contract given Anderson continues to perform heroically for England. Age should be irrelevant when it comes to considerations of player retention – ability, commitment and fitness should determine outcomes.

The Headingley negative experience extends to rogue stewarding and while it is encouraging to see several young players contribute and make progress, the club appears to be staggering from one tribunal to another without any clear pathway of how the club can move forward and make significant progress.

Peter Rickaby, West Park, Selby.

Not only should chairman Lord Patel resign, director of cricket Darren Gough should do as well. His overseas signings have shown themselves to be expensive, non-entities, yet on each one Gough exuded huge compliments, claiming they would make significant contributions to the team - nothing could be further from the truth.

First XI performances overall have been below average at best, not those expected of a Club of such renown. His counterpart at a Premier League football club with similar results would have been sacked weeks ago.