Lives in Cricket No 48 - Maurice Leyland

Signing off 132 Trent Bridge with first innings points from an abandoned match against Nottinghamshire, with Maurice taking one for one in 3.2 overs to finish off the home side’s first innings - he made only three with the bat, and it was straight to Scarborough from there. Wednesday, September 4, saw the opening of the 1946 Festival with Yorkshire facing an MCC side that included Maurice’s old England colleague Walter Robins - who marked the occasion with 116 out of 192 and helped put on a 75 run stand for the last wicket in which his partner, Jack Young, finished none not out. A low scoring game ended in a draw. Maurice hit two and ten and was not involved in Mr HDG Leveson-Gower’s eleven against India. So, the following Wednesday he began his final first-class game, in Yorkshire, batting at number four for the North against the South. In the North’s first innings he hit 31 and then added another eleven in the second and the South were left needing 364 to win in the fourth innings. It was a score they never really looked like getting but some dogged batting from New Zealander Martin Donnelly, Robins, once again, and Glamorgam paceman Austin Matthews threatened to save the game for the South. But, on a bitterly cold Friday afternoon, Maurice finally brought a little sunshine to the proceedings. Not once during the day did a bowler take off his sweater and the few spectators, mostly sat huddled in the stand to protect them from the icy winds, shivered with them. Finally, Maurice put everyone out of their misery. With the third ball of his seventh over, he wheeled out his speciality ‘Chinaman’, Matthews took the bait, lifted the ball and Les Berry snapped up the catch. It was all over, almost. Mr Leveson-Gower made a special presentation of a cheque from the Scarborough Cricket Club, in appreciation for Maurice’s efforts at the Festival over the years, the band played ‘for he’s a jolly good fellow’, and that was that. Almost. Recalling the event some 55 years on Dennis Brookes, who opened for the North, was with Maurice after the presentation. The two men had played wartime Bradford League cricket for Undercliffe and were friends. Maurice confided in him. “Here look at this Denis,” he said, and showed him the cheque. Mr