Jonny Bairstow and the Yorkshire CCC team pay Dickie Bird the greatest tribute
THERE were various tributes paid to Dickie Bird during the course of this match but the one he would have cherished the most came from the players.
By securing the club’s top-flight status in the County Championship, they gave him the send-off he would have desired.
They did it in style, thrashing Durham by an innings and 44 runs on a dramatic final afternoon of the season at Headingley.
Trailing by 129 on first innings, the pitch still good and their own First Division status secure with a draw, the visitors collapsed from 57-2 to 85 all-out to fall through the trapdoor, George Hill taking 4-14 (including his 50th wicket in this season’s competition), Dom Bess 4-22 and Jordan Thompson 2-25 on his final appearance before his move to Warwickshire.
Reflecting on Dickie’s death at the age of 92, which cast such a shadow on the eve of this match, Jonny Bairstow, the Yorkshire captain, admitted it had served as added motivation.
“Yes, hugely so,” he told The Yorkshire Post. “On that first morning, when the VT of Dickie came up (on the big screen), I actually got quite emotional with that.
“Look, he was a huge part of the club, seeing him every morning walking across the outfield and what have you. You can see how much it meant, all of the tributes that have been paid to him, and the place won’t be the same without him.
“Just the character and the charisma and energy that he had for the game, and for Yorkshire cricket and everything, was huge – and a huge part of him. He was just a genuinely nice man.”
It was at 10.55am precisely - according to The Dickie Bird Clock high above the West Stand - when Yorkshire’s survival was mathematically secured.
In the end, it was events elsewhere that did it before they went on to win a match they only needed to draw, Surrey’s victory over Hampshire in Southampton making it impossible for the latter to overtake Yorkshire.
It also offered Durham an extraordinary lifeline; otherwise, they would have needed to win this match, which was never realistic. Instead, effectively tasked with batting out time after Yorkshire were dismissed 15 minutes into day four for 475 in reply to Durham’s first innings 346, they folded horribly.
There was no sign, initially, of the carnage to come, Alex Lees and Emilio Gay taking the score to 25-0 in the 15th over; then Hill had Gay caught behind with a fine ball before Lees was dismissed in the third over after lunch, Bess producing a delicious delivery that took the outside edge on its way through to Bairstow.
Jordan Thompson, who had earlier converted his overnight 44 into an even 50 before holing out at long-off, claimed two wickets in successive overs as Ben McKinney fatally shouldered arms and David Bedingham dabbled behind.
Back to Hill, who struck twice in successive overs too, having Ollie Robinson leg-before and Graham Clark held at point, the latter his 50th wicket.
By now, Durham looked “gone” and the end was swift. Bess took three wickets in five balls as Ben Raine advanced and sliced to mid-off, Matthew Potts was caught at short-leg and Daniel Hogg caught behind.
Hill, fittingly, finished things off, trapping Will Rhodes before the departing Thompson led the players from the field.
“It was a remarkable finish,” reflected Bairstow. “I didn’t envisage that happening, to be quite honest. I don’t think anybody did. It just happened so quickly.
“Look, it’s great memories to finish the season and hopefully that can kickstart us into next year. We’ve worked really hard this year, and I’m very proud of the way that the guys have gone.
“It’s been tricky at times, and it’s been a huge learning curve for a lot of the guys that I definitely think we’ll be able to build on.”
Bairstow, who is currently in contract talks with the club, said he had thoroughly enjoyed leading the team.
“I've found it really fulfilling, understanding the different aspects of captaincy and what that entails,” he said. “I've learnt a hell of a lot as well about myself but also about the other lads and how to try and get the best out of them.
“Look, it's something that's going to be an ongoing process and hopefully that's the same next year and they want me to do it next year and what have you when everything gets sorted, and we go from there.
“Look, there's so much talent within that room, and it's just trying to unlock the belief within them that they're able to go and do special things like they did today.”