A Game Sustained

175 Concluding thoughts: Cricket, Yorkshire and the Great War Thus, it was clearly the case that cricket at home and the Great War were closely connected in many ways – some practical, others deeply emotional. In their history of sport and the military, Mason and Riedi conclude that sport was an important part of the experiences of many soldiers between 1914 and 1918. Quite simply, ‘As a distraction from the horrors of the conflict, as much-needed amusement and diversion, and as a link with home and civilian life, sport helped to make war bearable.’ 122 There is also strong evidence to suggest that this was just as true for those who remained at home. How was the game re-established in Yorkshire after the war? How the game in Yorkshire came through the war shaped how, and how quickly, it revived in the immediate aftermath of the conflict. Although it would take two summers before cricket was truly restored, it was not too difficult a task because it had only been dormant in many places and operating at a low level in many others. Many clubs and their members were ready and waiting to return to normality, even if numerous organisations had given away their equipment and lost their grounds. The return to Yorkshire of thousands of young men used to an outdoor life led to a boom in sport and recreation of all kinds around Yorkshire, growing sales of sports equipment and a widespread desire simply to be active. Many at home wanted competitive and recreational sport to restart in earnest, their own enthuasiasm further stimulated by the exposure many returning soldiers had had to games in the forces. 123 A second reason was that the revival of the game was part of a wider mood of reconstruction and energetic renewal in the country. The main cricket grounds in the county were repaired after long neglect and – often if used for military purposes – destruction. Many clubs were quickly revived and got into a surprisingly good financial state, buoyed by big increases in membership in the immediate post-war period. Leagues were restored or re-energised, benefiting