Headingley return and 140 and 126 in the two 1928 matches. Leyland, superb middle-order left-hand batsman and more than useful slow left-arm bowler, was undefeated with 211 at Headingley in the 1930 Whit match after taking seven for 52 the previous August at Bradford. Moments of sadness enveloped the 1930 matches, the Leeds fixture being marred by the death of Sir Frederick Toone, Yorkshire’s secretary and Rhodes making his final Roses appearance at Old Trafford. Hedley Verity succeeded to the mantle of slow left arm, albeit in a different style fromRhodes, promptly taking five for 54 in 1931 at Old Trafford. August Bank Holiday Saturday 1931 found Lancashire’s bowlers impotent against Holmes and Sutcliffe. McDonald, admittedly now past his best, was hit for five fours by Sutcliffe in two overs just before lunch, which came at 123, Sutcliffe 80 Holmes 38. Runs flowed; 280 for none at tea, Sutcliffe 171 Holmes 95, 300 at five o’clock until, at 323, Sutcliffe (195) pulled a ball from Hopwood towards deep mid-on, a yard from the boundary. Paynter, dashing forward, took a diving catch – according to Cardus the catch of the season - a yard from the boundary. Holmes went on to 125, Yorkshire declared on Monday at 484 for seven and enforced the follow on but the match was drawn. Now there were fresh duels, Verity eight for 107 as the Lancashire and England left-hander Eddie Paynter hit 152 (five sixes and 17 fours) at Bradford in the 1932 Whit game. The holiday Monday was early, 16 May, and the pitch belonged to the bowlers. Cardus felt that Paynter played “the most original, the most imaginative, the most courageous and the most belligerent innings seen in a Lancashire and Yorkshire match since the war.” They were both overshadowed by Sibbles on Whit Monday. A sodden ground prevented play until 2.30pm and the first ball of the day, an outswinging half volley from Sibbles, accounted for Holmes, who chopped the ball to backward point. Sutcliffe battled away but Yorkshire, 38 for four, crashed to 46 all out, Sibbles 20.4-13-10-7. Sutcliffe (27) was the only batsman to reach double figures. Seam and cut did the damage and Yorkshire fared little better in their second attempt: 167 all out, Sutcliffe 61, Leyland 43, Sibbles five for 58 and match figures of 47-21-68-12, Lancashire winning by an innings and 50 runs. It should surprise nobody that Yorkshire exacted revenge with an innings to spare at Old Trafford in August. As old gave way to new there was a slight Yorkshire decline in the late 1920s, when the main challenge to Lancashire came from Nottinghamshire and Kent. But the broad acres were full of talent. Sutcliffe, Holmes and Leyland were joined by Wilf Barber, Arthur Mitchell and later, the young Len Hutton. The skipper Brian Sellers, left-handers Frank Smailes and Cyril Turner and the wicket-keeper Arthur Wood added beef to the middle order. The attack contained two bowlers of Test quality in Verity and Bill Bowes, at his best as a fast medium bowler, delivering a nasty outswinger from a great height off a short run. They were supported by the right arm medium pace of Smailes and Ellis Robinson’s off spin. Generally the 1930s saw the pendulum swing Yorkshire’s way. Mitchell made 123 in a Yorkshire total of 341 at Old Trafford in 1933 and on Whit Monday Lancashire collapsed twice in the face of George Macaulay’s medium paced off breaks. They were all out for 93 and 92, Macaulay taking seven for 28 and five for 21. Then, after winning three consecutive Championships, Yorkshire had to give second best to Lancashire in 1934; indeed they finished sixth, their lowest position since 1911. Lancashire, too, had a new team: Watson, Hopwood, Ernest Tyldesley, Paynter, Iddon, Horrocks or Halliday, the captain Peter Eckersley, Roses in Bloom 72