Yorkshire CCC earn ECB praise for Headingley Test

The club was briefly banned by the governing body from hosting the game between England and New Zealand after the allegations made by Azeem Rafiq.

But after satisfying themselves that Yorkshire were moving forward after the racism scandal, the ECB has now paid them tribute.

Andy Dawson, the club’s chief operating officer, who believes that Yorkshire took major strides forward in terms of repairing their reputation during the Test, welcomed the support of ECB officials.

“Everyone from the ECB was there,” said Dawson. “Martin Darlow (the interim chair) said some really nice words about the Test match, and then again on a call I had with him (on Tuesday morning).

“So, really pleased that he commented on the huge strides he felt we’ve taken forward since he last came (to Headingley).

“He felt it was more welcoming, friendly and well-run and he made a very strong remark on the considerable improvements he felt had been made, which was really pleasing to hear.”

Dawson went on: “All the staff at the club have worked really hard. As soon as we got the Test match back, the work started to ensure that we delivered on the commitments (governance changes required by the ECB), and we feel that we did that.

“At one stage, it looked as though we wouldn’t be able to hold a Test match at all, so I’m really pleased for us as a club and, in particular, for the Yorkshire public.

“Of course, you’re always striving to improve on what you do, and you have a habit, perhaps, of focusing on the things that don’t go well because you so much want them to go well, but when you look at it all and take some perspective on it, I think the Test was a huge success.”

Although it might be stretching it to say that if Carlsberg did Test matches, they would look not unlike the one just staged, it is fair to say that it could not have gone much better for the club overall.

Granted, there were some problems with movement behind the bowler’s arm at the Howard Stand end, which Yorkshire addressed by doubling-up on stewards on the doors from the Howard Suite, along with isolated incidents of disorder that can happen anywhere – most notably, when an idiot threw punches in the West Stand surrounded by a sea of smiling halfwits.

However, considering the problems that Yorkshire have faced, along with the potential for people to deliberately cause trouble (not least of the vile racist kind), the club did well.

There were no ejections on day one – “in my time, a first”, said Dawson, who has served Yorkshire for over a decade – and only a handful throughout the game; ditto concerns raised via the anonymous new text service “Respect”. Dawson also had these thought-provoking words for those inclined to indulge in the time-honoured pastime of streaking, saying: “There was someone who took their clothes off and was looking to streak across the field of play at one point.

“But the steward reacted quickly, so this person didn’t get beyond the boundary, and although people perhaps think it’s funny and he probably got a few quid from his mates as a dare to do it, when I spoke to West Yorkshire Police, it’s quite clear that anyone who does this can potentially end up on the Sex Offenders’ Register for a period of time.

“I think it’s really important that people reflect on that and understand the implications of doing something like that. Yes, it can end up in fines and bans from cricket, but people could also end up on the Sex Offenders’ Register, which pretty much means it could ruin their life, as there are obviously minors around at matches and it’s important that people understand the consequences.”

Dawson was delighted with ticket sales, with days two, three and four sold out and only a few hundred remaining on day one. The club also made a fine gesture by issuing free tickets for day five.

“There were about 800-900 tickets left on day one, and because of the rail disruption there were a few no-shows,” he said. “The other main days were sold out and then we did the free tickets on day five, although the weather did put some people off.

“We allowed people to claim up to four free tickets, which we felt was the right number. We wanted to reduce the size of groups, in case larger groups came, and tried to strike the appropriate balance.”

As usual, the Headingley Test delivered on the field, with England claiming a series whitewash. There was no more fitting climax, after everything that has gone on in recent months, than for Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow to put the seal on a seven-wicket win.

“Great credit must go to our groundsman Andy Fogarty and his team for the pitch,” added Dawson. “It played really well and enabled a great spectacle both for the people attending at Headingley and the television audience, so absolutely hats off to Andy and his team.

“The atmosphere overall was terrific, and the England players remarked on how much they enjoyed the Headingley crowd getting behind them. And what better than to see the two Yorkshire players ‘bring it home’ at the end.”