Lives in Cricket No 48 - Maurice Leyland

61 innings, for only 22 and ten, but did have the distinction of taking the catch, off Geoffrey Wilson, that removed Jack Hobbs for 100. Maurice’s progress was steady. Since joining the Yorkshire club he had taken his time adjusting but, season by season, he had become increasingly involved at senior level and the stage was set. He was about to become a permanent part of, arguably, the greatest county side ever. The summer of 1923 began inauspiciously for Maurice. He was dismissed for no score and one against the XVI of the York and District Senior League and though he was included in the first team party travelling south for the opening championship games at Cardiff, against Glamorgan, respective scores of nine and 11 were his only tangible contribution to two comprehensive Yorkshire victories. But, by this time people were already talking about his speed and handling in the outfield saving a mountain of runs while the enthusiasm and commitment of the 22-year-old showed why he had been so clearly marked out as one to watch. It did not take long to dispel any lingering doubts among the Yorkshire membership for in the first home game of the season, against Middlesex at Bradford, he came to the wicket having just seen his side go from 127 for one to 162 for five, and promptly hit a career best 79 in a 190 run stand with Wilfred Rhodes (126) to help his side to run up a victory by an innings and 229 runs. He was to top that score just once during this season when, in back to back games against Gloucestershire, and batting in a now established fourth spot, he hit 57 and 21 not out at Sheffield, then hammered 89 in the return at Bristol. He was the eighth man out in the Yorkshire innings and, apart from making the runs out of the then total of 176, he actually hit more than the combined scores of Percy Holmes, Herbert Sutcliffe, Edgar Oldroyd, Wilfred Rhodes, Roy Kilner, Emmott Robinson, and John Bell who moved to Glamorgan at the end of the season. With Norman Kilner recording a remarkable unbeaten century from number nine Yorkshire went on to total 352 and were on their way to yet another of the 13 innings’ victories recorded in a season of 25 outright wins. A second successive Championship was thus secured in style and Maurice finished the season with 1,088 runs for the county.