Lives in Cricket No 48 - Maurice Leyland

stood alongside anyone’s and, having come back from the broken thumb with scores of 50, 36 not out, 135, 63 not out, 27, 50, 98, 85 and 79, he was the man in form. Though always a useful, if unorthodox, bowler the summer of 1938 sawMaurice enjoy an extended spell with the ball and going into the Test he had 46 Championship wickets under his belt, including a remarkable return against Hampshire at Huddersfield at the beginning of June. The season opened with a wicket in the MCC match, six more against Cambridge University and two against Oxford but prior to the Hampshire game he had only bowled 14 overs in five games and taken one wicket for 34 runs. However, Hedley Verity was unavailable for the match at Huddersfield and with Bill Bowes, Frank Smailes and Frank Wilkinson having achieved little with pace Maurice’s left arm wrist spin was brought into the fray in the 19th over - with rapid results. Johnny Arnold, one of that rare breed to have played football and cricket for England, was caught behind by Arthur Wood to give Maurice his second Championship wicket of the summer and six more followed before he finally wrapped up the innings with the dismissal of ‘Lofty’ Herman. That eighth wicket ended a dogged 23 run last wicket stand and secured first innings points for Yorkshire. Despite having passed his 38th birthday by the end of the 1938 season Maurice emerged as Yorkshire’s top allrounder with 61 wickets, finishing third in the averages behind Bowes and Verity, and 1,660 runs - level with Sutcliffe as the highest run scorer and in second place to Hutton in the averages. He had missed several games through injury yet his contribution to a tenth County Championship success with Yorkshire was immense. In the light of those statistics it would have been disappointing for all his fans, though he might never have shown it, if he had not been given his one last chance on the international stage against Australia. Yet, in view of what happened at the Oval, it is with a sense of irony that you re-read Jim Kilburn’s report and find him advocating Maurice’s inclusion as a bowler should the wicket look like taking spin. In any event, that this was his last chance, his swan- song, there was little doubt for the touring party for the 1938-39 trip to South Africa was announced at the same time as the squad A very happy return 12