A Game Sustained

142 A wonderful relief: 1919 his interests to accept, with arrangements to be made to use his spare time to coach Yorkshire players in 1920. 95 Hirst was then awarded £8 a week as coach and guaranteed a first- team place when he was available again, on the same scale of payment as the regular players. 96 Nevertheless, the economic realities of post-war Britain now began to be felt by Yorkshire and it was clear that the club was under some pressure to make county engagements attractive. For the two-day matches in 1919, established players received five guineas and for away fixtures £1 10s to meet the extra travelling costs. Wins were £1 extra, talent money being disbursed as in previous seasons and bonuses considered at the end of the season. Young players were paid 10s a day, plus an allowance for train fares and teas. All were permitted to use spare Saturdays to play in local cricket matches, subject to the approval of the County Committee. In the summer of 1919, payments for professionals were increased to £6 10s for home matches, and £7 10s for away games, with £1 more for a win. In August, the Yorkshire selection committee recommended that for 1920 the rate of pay for those capped players who lost their place in the side would be increased from £3 to £6 per week. 97 The recent discussions with Rhodes nevertheless indicated the risks that the club faced that players would be seduced by the opportunities presented by league cricket. In October 1919, after the Advisory County Cricket Committee had decided that no winter pay be allowed, the club decided to pay a bonus as a retaining fee in the form of £32 to the end of December 1919 and £32 to the end of April 1920, with the latter amount paid early in 1920 and none of it retained. This was given to Hirst, Denton, Roy Kilner, Rhodes, Dolphin, Sutcliffe, Holmes, Waddington and Robinson. In the case of the latter, payment was on the basis he held himself available for all county matches when required, perhaps an indication that he was known to be entertaining other options. In the same vein, the county club’s minutes also noted that ‘circumstances had arisen which necessitated the giving of cap to Waddington. Action confirmed. 98