who sometimes flew to matches in his own plane, Richard Tyldesley, Duckworth, and the opening bowlers Frank Booth and Dick Pollard. Yorkshire never led the Championship that summer but at Bramall Lane over Whitsuntide they gave their old rivals a severe mauling. In gloomy weather with cold, wintry blasts which caused many people to think twice about going and then decide against it, Sutcliffe and Mitchell began with 143 for the first wicket, Mitchell reaching his hundred before rain brought a merciful end to the day. Play did not start until after lunch on Monday and after Yorkshire declared at 346 for five, Lancashire struggled against Verity on a pitch drying under the hot sun. They were 93 for seven by the close and followed on 235 behind, going in again soon after noon. Iddon battled for 62 as 10,000 Yorkshiremen held their breaths but they got home at 5.35pm by an innings and three runs, Verity returning a match analysis of 60.3-37-53-8. Meanwhile, at Lord’s Sussex hung on for a draw with nine wickets down, Melville having made a century, and headed the table after the Whitsun games on May 22, staying there until August 14 when Lancashire took over. By then the loss of August Bank Holiday Monday to the weather had turned the Roses match into a battle for first innings lead, which was won by the White Rose despite 142 not out from Iddon. So Yorkshire could still claim some bragging rights in 1934 and although Derbyshire were champions in 1936 they dominated the remainder of the decade. The powerhouse worked to a simple formula: a big score and then roll over the opposition twice. Lancashire were fourth in 1935 but declined to eleventh and ninth before a partial recovery took them to fourth and sixth in 1938 and 1939. As far as the outcome of the Championship was concerned the matches between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire were of greater importance in 1935 and 1936 but the Roses games remained an attraction, notably at Bradford in 1935 where nearly 20,000 howled for blood as Bowes (six for 16) caught the visiting batsmen on a green August Bank Holiday Monday pitch and reduced them to an all out total of 53. Watson led a recovery with 141 in the follow-on but after Bowes had taken six for 83, Yorkshire got home by seven wickets. In 1937 Lancashire sprung a surprise. They had been heavily defeated at Old Trafford during a gloomy Whitsuntide but positions in the Championship were rendered meaningless at a Bramall Lane basking in hot August weather. After the early loss of Hutton, Sutcliffe (122) and Mitchell (71) took the score to 145 before Mitchell was bowled by Pollard, who then got among the rest, the innings closing for 246. Consistent batting earned Lancashire a useful lead. Iddon’s hard hitting right-hand batting had been a thorough nuisance to Yorkshire in recent matches and he was also a slow left-arm bowler fully capable of exploiting a wearing pitch. He dismissed Sutcliffe late on the second day and then on Tuesday he had a field day. Yorkshire felt that if they could set Lancashire 150 they could win the match but Iddon, with nine for 42, restricted the target to 91. Some brilliant cutting and driving by Cyril Washbrook took them to 70 without loss by 3.30pm but they had to struggle to make the remaining 21, losing five wickets in the process. It was Lancashire’s first victory at Bramall Lane since 1899 and it was thoroughly deserved in what was one of the finest Roses matches of all time. Full value for money but not everybody was happy. It was here that Cardus found a Sheffield man deep in dejection. “His wife was with him and I heard her say: ‘Well, you would come, wouldn’t you?’” Roses in Bloom 73