Anthony McGrath: 'Playing for Yorkshire CCC was a dream - coaching them is a privilege'

My first memories centre around Bradford and where I grew up in Bankfoot. We backed onto a cricket field and behind that was Odsal Stadium, Bradford Northern’s ground.

I was thrust into sport from an early age. My brothers and sisters and dad all liked sport. I had a happy childhood, and there’s a picture of me holding a cricket bat, aged three.

My first club was Muffield CC who played in the Sunday Alliance League and my first Bradford League club was Bankfoot where my brother played.

What is your favourite part of Yorkshire and why?

We live in Menston, so I really like Ilkley Moor and what’s also a special area is going towards Addingham and Bolton Abbey. We spend quite a lot of time around there.

What is your favourite walk?

It’s very difficult to find time to walk, particularly in the summer because of cricket when Yorkshire travel a lot. But if we do get a day off, we’d go to Bolton Abbey, I love the views around there, especially on a winter’s day when there’s some frost.

What’s your idea of a perfect day out or weekend away in Yorkshire?

My partner Jane and I love our food, so a perfect weekend away would be to go to a hotel. There are so many choices, so it’s hard to pick one.

Which Yorkshire sportsman or woman, past or present, would you like to take out for lunch?

That’s a good question and I’m going to stay away from cricket. So, I think I’m going to have lunch with the Brownlee brothers, Alistair and Jonny, the Olympic triathletes. What they have achieved is magnificent.

To spend an afternoon finding out how they went about their sport would be fascinating. Many of their qualities can be applied to cricket, especially the resilience the Brownlees show; they have to concentrate for long periods which you must do in batting.

Which other sports do you follow?

My brother, Damian, played professional rugby league and I grew up next to what was then Bradford Northern, and it’s great to see Bradford Bulls back in Super League.

I’m a Bulls’ fan, but at Yorkshire we share Headingley with Leeds Rhinos, so I keep an eye on them and hope to see some games in the summer.

Which Yorkshire entertainer would you like to take out for dinner?

I’d probably say Sean Bean. I like his films and wherever you are in the world and whichever character Sean plays, you know he’s from Yorkshire.

He’s played some brilliant roles, and Sean is also interested in sport and supports Sheffield United, so we’d talk about that too.

If you could own something in Yorkshire for the day, what would it be?

I would say York racecourse. I do like horse racing but I’m not that knowledgeable.

I do, though, like a day out in York, particularly at a big meeting. I’d like to invite friends to the Ebor meeting in August. That would be really cool.

What do you think it is which gives Yorkshire its unique identity?

I think the passion people have for Yorkshire. I have travelled a lot and when you are from Yorkshire everyone knows your accent. Yorkshire folk talk straight and also they have so much pride in the county.

Which Yorkshire person do you admire the most?

I’m going to say my mum and dad, Kathleen and Terry. They’ve passed away and they were the ones who shaped me. They grew up in Bradford and were from an Irish background, lived through the 1930s and the Second War. I owe them so much. You don’t realise that until you are older. Both lived into their nineties.

How much has Yorkshire influenced your career?

A lot. Going through school and playing club cricket, you were taught discipline, to respect elders and to be humble as well.

So, these were good lessons growing up and I’ve taken those into playing professionally and certainly into coaching.

Playing for Yorkshire was a dream and I never thought I’d go on to coach the county as well. It’s a big privilege.

How do you think Yorkshire has changed?

To some extent when I was growing up in Bradford, the city was thriving. I knew the mills had closed, but there were still some important businesses.

My memory then was that Leeds was secondary, but if you look at Leeds now, it’s a massive city and is unrecognisable from its position when I was a youngster.

What would you like to change in Yorkshire?

The amount of traffic and the conditions on roads drive me mad. Getting to Headingley, you experience long queues and everywhere the potholes seem to be getting worse. So, the traffic and potholes need fixing.

Which is your favourite restaurant and/or pub?

The best I have to say, and I’ve tried a lot, is called TRUEfoods at Melmerby near Ripon. It’s open only on Fridays and Saturdays. The chef is Mitch Mitchell. It was a dining experience with lots of courses.

They show how the meals are cooked. It was absolutely superb. I’d really recommend it.

If I go to a pub, I like it to have sport and live music. I have happy memories of the Dog and Gun in Apperley Bridge near Bradford and more recently I’ve been to and like the Dubliner in York where the live music is good.

Do you have a favourite food shop?

My favourite would be Weetons at Pannal on the way into Harrogate. We go there quite a bit, and they have a lovely café and restaurant.

If a stranger came to Yorkshire and had time to visit one place only, where would you take them?

I’d take that person to the area around Ilkley Moor because I know it. We’d go for a walk, visit a couple of pubs and then have a meal in Ilkley where the food is fine too.