A Game Sustained

168 9: Concluding thoughts: Cricket, Yorkshire and the Great War ‘the War was the cause of complete convulsion in cricket as well as in more important matters.’ Lord Hawke, Recollections and Reminiscences, 1924 ‘To find county cricket opening again...to hear the noble music of bat on ball-these were among the true joys of peace. These was no apprehension among those returning that cricket might be different; there was only deep pleasure that cricket had come back at all.’ A.A.Thomson, Hirst and Rhodes, 1959 Like millions of other people, cricketers grappled with the ethical dilemma of how to behave in wartime in the period between 1914 and 1918. The choices were real for people at home in Britain and surfaced repeatedly in discussions about how they should conduct themselves while their fellow countrymen were in peril. As we have seen, there were numerous tests of conscience but there was also the desire to carry on and to maintain as much normality as possible. Ironically, the act of playing and watching cricket became easier to justify as the war went on and as more men were called up, just as the practicalities of doing so meant it became harder. As the Bradford League authorities made clear in 1916, with the advent of conscription there was no- one playing who should be in the army, so that the harsh criticisms that were heard in the early days of the conflict were easier to counter. Yet, given the numbers of men away in 1917 and 1918, allied to the deteriorating state of grounds, shortages of cricket equipment and the difficulties and cost of travelling, it was just at this time that it became harder for many clubs to keep going. The ending of the war resolved the dilemma of whether it was appropriate to play or watch sport for most people. In 1920, a strong Yorkshire side with much potential was in place, and numerous leagues were operating again and ensuring