Lives in Cricket No 47 - Brian Sellers

73 gallant cricket’. Ever the more practical, the Yorkshire Post pointed out that Middlesex had run Yorkshire close and rain had spoiled their match at Sheffield. Sellers said: ‘It should do the game a power of good. It should be a grand match.’ Some disapproved, including Lord Hawke, living in retirement at North Berwick. Quite apart from the novelty, instead of a match between the champions and the rest, and captains showing minds of their own, some worried about commercialism or corruption. Country Life had thrilled to the ‘ancient and romantic days of cricket’, when men threw down challenges. However, as the magazine admitted, wagers could mean betting, which was ‘ungallant and sordid’. Once Yorkshire had indeed won the Championship at the end of August, the Yorkshire committee met to agree. Hawke still grumbled, but said he did not want to take a ‘dog in the manger attitude’. It was a watershed; Sellers, his father and the club, had defied Hawke; and a year later, Hawke was dead. Yorkshire did to Middlesex what they did to so many teams when Sellers won the toss. On the first, cold day Yorkshire made 293 for five. On the Monday they closed on 401 and Middlesex slid to 63 for six. According to Cardus, the not out batsman Owen-Smith appealed about the bad light to Sellers, ‘who came to the wicket, looked down it into the cavern of the pavilion, and then reluctantly ordered his men to cease fire’. In Middlesex’s second innings, the 48-year-old Patsy Hendren was batting for the last Yorkdale Press staff at retirement presentation for composing room foreman Harry Woodhead, May 1975. Brian Sellers, still with his hair parted down the middle, is in white to the right of the table. His brother Godfrey is at the back behind the man with spectacles; his son David wearing a tie is behind his left shoulder, as is printer Steve Troth, supplier of this picture. Andrew Sellers is also at the back behind the right-hand woman wearing spectacles. Others from left are Herbert ? – linotype operator and compositor; Arnold ? – compositor; unknown; Ted ? – handyman-driver; unknown, unknown; Pat ? – receptionist; Marjorie ? – bench hand finisher; Maggie ? – bench hand finisher; Abdul ? – printer; John ? – guillotine operator; unknown; John Gledhill – printer; sitting at the table are Mr and Mrs Woodhead; Vinnie Towers – printer; Bob Shutt – compositor; unknown; and Charlie Broadbent – machine room foreman. Batsman, fielder, bowler – and England captain?