When Yorkshire CCC first felt the heat in the city of Leicester

A Yorkshire side containing such luminaries as George Hirst, Wilfred Rhodes, Schofield Haigh and David Denton lost by an innings and 20 runs in just over two days.

It was Leicestershire’s first home win against Yorkshire in the County Championship at the 16th attempt, and only their second in 33 games against them home and away to go with 22 defeats and nine draws.

Then, as now, the home side were struggling.

Going into the game in August 1911, Leicestershire were without a win in the Championship all season, just as they had been prior to this week.

In what their current crop will hope is not a bad omen, it remained their only victory of 1911 as they finished second-bottom, just above Somerset, in what was then a single division of 16 counties.

Yorkshire finished seventh in a transitional era, the great Lord Hawke having stepped down after 28 seasons as captain the previous year.

There was another parallel between then and now, the match taking place in the grip of a heatwave.

“The Great Heat” proclaimed a headline in The Times, which told of a record shade temperature of 97 degrees in central London.

The mercury was high across the country, The Times adding that “workmen on the roof of Lincoln Minster had to leave work because the lead was too hot to touch… placed on the lead, a thermometer registered 130 degrees.”

Harvest workers were badly affected, while The Yorkshire Post noted that “the rush of Leeds people from the city to the seaside was almost unprecedented”.

Yorkshire won the toss at Aylestone Road and chose to bat in “pleasing holiday weather”, according to the Leicester Evening Mail, “though the sun sent forth its rays in rather oppressive fashion”.

There was “a fairly good attendance” and the pitch was “the only green patch on the field… all around the ground, the grass had been burned away by the sun”.

Wilfred Rhodes received “a capital ovation” on his way out to open the batting but was caught and bowled by Bill Shipman for a duck. Of Rhodes’s opening partner, the Evening Mail opined that “few people were sorry to see the departure of (Ben) Wilson, who had given a tame exhibition for half an hour. Shipman bagged his wicket, and with his next ball gave (Alonzo) Drake his marching orders.” 31-3.

“A rousing cheer heralded the appearance of popular George Hirst”, added the Evening Mail, who six years earlier had scored 341 at the same ground - still Yorkshire’s highest individual innings.

Now in his 40th year, Hirst remained a formidable all-rounder, but he managed just 17 this time - one of seven scalps for pace man Shipman as Yorkshire were dismissed for 153 in just 45 overs.

Major Booth, a 24-year-old all-rounder, who would tragically be killed in action five years later, top-scored for Yorkshire with 34.

According to The Yorkshire Post, Shipman “bowled at a good pace, with an awkward length, and four of his victims were out to strokes behind the wicket. Several excellent catches were made, and the general fielding of the Leicestershire side was smart.”

The weather was a regular feature throughout proceedings.

“Twice the ground was visited by a thunderstorm,” said the Post, “which appeared to be making a circuit of the district.” Otherwise, “lightning played in the distance” as the cricket progressed.

At stumps, Leicestershire had reached 137-5, just 16 runs behind, opener Cecil Wood top-scoring with 60 before being bowled by a ball from Booth that kept “unusually low”.

In the reverse game at Bradford two months earlier, Wood, a 35-year-old right-hander, had become the first man to score a hundred in both innings while carrying his bat both times. And he still ended up on the losing side.

“Today he has again given the Yorkshire bowlers cause to respect his steadiness of defence, as well as his capacity for making the most of punishable balls,” admired the Post, adding that “clearly the day’s honours rest with the home team”.

The second day brought more volatile weather, a violent thunderstorm during the lunch break keeping the players off until 4.30pm. “The constant playing of lightning round the enclosure must have tried the nerves of many present”, contended the Post.

In the action possible, Leicestershire lost 4-7 to slip to 168-9, just 15 runs ahead, before a last-wicket stand of 52 between Harry Whitehead and William Brown gave them a first innings lead of 67.

Yorkshire were 27-2 in their second innings when day two came to an end, the Leicester Evening Mail relating how “a perfect howl of delight went up from the spectators’ benches when Rhodes was dismissed for a pair”, the paper adding that “the home team’s hopes of that much-wanted first victory were materially improved by the disastrous way in which Yorkshire embarked on their second venture”.

That second venture went from bad to worse on “an intensely hot” third morning after overnight rain, the sun drying the wicket to help the bowlers.

From 37-2, Yorkshire lost their last eight wickets for 10 runs in 40 minutes, John King, a 40-year-old medium-pacer, returning a career-best 8-17.

“The Leicestershire left-hander was keeping a perfect length, and the ball was turning off the pitch both queerly and quickly,” said the Evening Mail, while The Times observed that “even when allowance has been made for the assistance which he received from the condition of the wicket, King’s bowling was magnificent, and he received many congratulations on the best performance of his career as a bowler”.

And so Leicestershire at last had that victory, defying all odds going into the game.

“Hurrah!” proclaimed the Evening Mail – and to hell with journalistic impartiality, it appeared.

“That much-deferred first victory has come at last, and there is all the more glory and honour attached to it because it is at the expense of one of the foremost counties.”

The Times – perhaps displaying a little partiality too – declared: “There was great enthusiasm when the match ended so unexpectedly, Leicestershire’s victory after so many disappointments being most welcome.”