Lives in Cricket No 48 - Maurice Leyland

a rare winter together, found themselves as far away from cricket as you could imagine when they accepted an invitation from the Grimsby based Crampin Steam Fishing Company to travel on board their new trawler ‘S.T.Leyland’ when it carried out its trials on the Humber. The Leyland averaged over 13 knots in the speed trials and, with reference to the similar vessel named after his old England team mate Hendren, he jokingly remarked: “I can tell Patsy that I can give him six inches in the beam and still keep up with him.” For two men noted for their, shall we say, stocky build Maurice was, typically, quite happy to make a joke at his own expense. Jamaica and Grimsby aside, 1936 was to be a strange year. As a team Yorkshire lost only two games but failed to force enough outright wins to retain the Championship - missing out to Derbyshire - and were involved in a highly controversial victory over Surrey at Headingley in the first week of July. Under the existing rules the new ball could be taken by the bowling side, not when they had bowled a specific number of overs with the old one, but when the opposition had scored 200 runs. In this particular contest time was running out. Yorkshire had scored 519 for six declared, Maurice hitting 163 not out, and Surrey, having been bowled out for 127 in their first innings, were batting for a draw. Their score stood at 186 for five and were making little attempt to increase it. Maurice and Hedley Verity were doing their best to tempt the batsmen into an indiscretion, bowling 44 overs between them, but Laurie Fishlock and Freddie Brown were having none of it. Brian Sellers desperately needed the new ball, and the chance to bring Frank Smailes and Bill Bowes back into the attack, so, replacing Verity at the pavilion end, the skipper took the ball himself and proceeded to bowl a wide off his first ball, and four byes off the second. A good length ball and a slow full toss were followed by a no ball, then two more wides both ran for four and, despite the best efforts of the Surrey pair, 200 runs were on the board. Back came Smailes and Bowes who duly finished with four for 21 and two for 17 respectively. Surrey were all out 207 and Yorkshire won by an innings and 185 runs. No wonder they changed the rules! Against the rest 111