A Game Sustained

92 Running out of steam: 1917 which did not have fixtures, while the Kangaroo Cricket Club, which played in the Norton and District League, was made up solely of Australian munition workers brought into work under contract in Sheffield and so had an enthusiastic core of players with little else to do. Many other sides had young players coming through, although some clubs inevitably had problems where men had to work on Saturday afternoons. After initially struggling due to lack of practice, batsmen in the Bradford League had a good opening weekend of May, although predictably S.F.Barnes, with nine for 19, was again a match winner. Hirst, Drake, Rhodes and Denton were all on munitions work (with the latter complaining that there was no local club nearby where he could practise outside match days), but arrangements were made once again for them to assist local clubs when duties allowed. Not everyone was happy, however, and the Bradford League refused to allow the attached Yorkshire county players to play in the competition unless they came as ‘free agents’, which to some meant essentially that they had to ‘sign away their cricket freedom’ for a season. League representatives refused the registration of David Denton on the basis that he could only play occasional league matches. His position was in contrast to that of Schofield Haigh, whose county career had ended in 1913, and who was thus able to play regularly for Keighley, as well as taking an appointment at Winchester School. More controversial was the case of Alonzo Drake, who was reported to have signed up for the Eccleshill club. A few weeks later he relinquished the position and instead again became available to play in club matches as designated by the Yorkshire county committee. After Bradford’s decision in the case of Denton, Drake’s position had been reviewed by the county authorities. The all-rounder met with Lord Hawke and was effectively asked to decide between the ‘comfortable limitations’ of a league player, and a career in county and possibly international cricket. He chose the latter and, not being legally bound to the Eccleshill club, left them. Once the season got under way, the Shipley Times interviewed J.J.Booth to get his impressions. His descriptions – referred