Revenge was swift and savage. Yorkshire won the 1938 games at Bradford and at Old Trafford, where they amassed 453, thirty thousand watching the carnage on Monday. They surpassed this during the 1939 Whitsuntide, when, after Lancashire’s 300 and Hutton’s failure left the home Saturday crowd pleasantly satisfied, the juggernaut took over. OnWhit Monday Sutcliffe (165) and Mitchell (136) took their second wicket partnership to 288. Sellers and Wood piled on the pressure and the declaration came at 528 for eight. Paynter and Norman Oldfield batted well but Bowes (six for 43) brought about a collapse and Yorkshire won by an innings and 43 runs. Sutcliffe was missing for the August Bank Holiday game but his heir, Len Hutton, treated the Headingley faithful to a full display of the qualities which had produced his 364 against Australia at The Oval a year earlier. Hutton had been ready for first-class cricket when he was only 17 in 1934, George Hirst saying there was nothing to teach him and Sutcliffe predicting a golden future. With a superb technique, a sound defence and a fluent and graceful strokemaker, Hutton became one of the greats, linked with Hobbs as England’s finest opening batsman. But his innings at Headingley was not before time. In eight Roses matches he had never got beyond 46 and was averaging a mere 22.60. On that final afternoon, after Ellis Robinson had taken eight for 35 and 13-115 in the match, Yorkshire set out on their quest to make 147 for victory. The sun came out, the pitch was difficult and four wickets were down for 83; 64 needed but Hutton was still there with 59. Yardley fell at 106 but with Sellers hanging on and Hutton farming the strike, the runs came. At 130, Hutton was 91 and rain was in the air. He reached his century just as the umbrellas were opening and then lifted the ball over cover where Washbrook – his post-war opening partner with England - chased it and just failed to hold a very hard chance. It took Hutton to 105 and proved to be the winning hit, just as the rain came down in torrents. A great innings and a great match was a fitting way for Cardus’s 21 years of rare sport to reach a temporary halt. Roses in Bloom 74