A Game Sustained

107 Struggling through to the end: 1918 league games in which a player needed to participate before being eligible to play in deciding matches. Members of the forces who were home on leave were also allowed to play in any league game or deciding ties. Inevitably, difficulties remained and there were signs of change to teams and formats in the local game all over the county. The Huddersfield Daily Examiner commented that there would ‘be many new faces in the ranks of the various clubs even since last year, as the calls of the services have to be met’, while the Central League decided to experiment with what it called the ‘time principle’, each side being allowed a maximum of one and a half hours to bat. Elsewhere, there was tension in some clubs. There was reportedly an ‘undercurrent’ at Eccleshill Cricket Club at the time of annual meeting in January 1918, linked to the decision to continue with professional players. Conscription, allotments and shortages The impact of the war continued to be felt heavily during 1918. The rising death toll and the demands of the military campaigns meant that many more men were needed, with inevitable consequences for recruitment and subsequently for club cricket. Looking at the prospects for the Sheffield season, one reporter noted that the decision of the Government to ‘clean out’ exempted men of the age which produced most young cricketers meant that clubs might need to revise their programmes. Older men were now considered for military service, although it was clear that a professional sporting life was no guarantee of being suitable. In May 1918, three of the retained Yorkshire county players – Denton, Rhodes and Drake – had their medical examinations, but none was classed as Grade A (and thus suitable) and neither was George Hirst expected to be when he was asked to present himself. According to reports, one of the rejected players was so concerned by the doctor’s conclusion on his health that he immediately went to see a specialist to find out more. Others did meet the requirements. In June, the Yorkshire Evening Post commented that within a few days ‘Bradford