Lives in Cricket No 48 - Maurice Leyland

A family affair 39 threw the bat at it - quite literally! As he played his shot he let go and it thudded against the shin of the silly-mid-on. Discretion proved the better part of valour for the fielding side and, with their retreat to safer places, the youngster began to play his shots and took his total past the 30 mark on the way to helping his side secure a win. It was an act undoubtedly out of character, and was never repeated, but later in life Maurice explained: “I didn’t understand sport as I do now.” During his time at Moorside Ted Leyland was to turn in a number of outstanding performances. One, retold by Maurice to Kilburn, related to a Whitsuntide clash with arch rivals Oldham when Moorside were bowled out for just 48. During the interval the Oldham pro’ was out on the wicket with a ‘pounder’, commonly used by gardeners for re-setting displaced turf, and Ted promptly stopped him. He insisted that he wanted the wicket just as it was and proceeded to bowl out the opposition for 12 with his own analysis showing six wickets for just one run. His best effort with the ball for Moorside was a nine for 48 stint, against Milnrow, on August 22, 1914, while in 1915 he collected his highest run aggregate, 574, hitting 105 not out against Duckinfield on July 12, and helped his side lift the league championship. There were two particular games involving both Maurice and Ted that are worth a mention - the first coming early in their Moorside careers. Ted had travelled to Werneth to take part in a charity game involving a Lancashire Leagues select side boasting Sydney Barnes and Cecil Parkin. Parkin had played one game for Yorkshire as a 20-year-old, before discovering he had been born 20 yards the wrong side of the Yorkshire-Durham border, but it was 1914 before he began to make his mark in county cricket with Lancashire. He went on to play in ten Tests for England but at the time of this game he was just a greatly respected slow right arm league bowler. The players on show certainly made it worthwhile turning up to watch but a special treat was in store for Maurice as he was called up to play at the last minute. It is not clear exactly how the invitation came about. Kilburn suggests a player sustained a damaged finger in the warm up while Bill Bowes, writing in John Kay’s book Cricket Heroes puts it down to a player failing