Lives in Cricket No 48 - Maurice Leyland

Enter Sir William 74 We had a mix of people in the games we played, ex-pros, family and friends and locals but Maurice was always part of the group and he was always himself whoever he was with.” As far as Maurice was concerned, or anyone else for that matter, there was certainly never any question of class division on these occasions. My host was adamant that the stereotypical image of ‘forelock tugging’ locals marching out to play alongside the ‘Lord of the Manor’ was never a part of the Hovingham scene. “Cricket, or sport in general, is a great leveller,” he insisted - and nothing exemplified this more than Sir William’s final appearance as a player in September, 1949. Aged 59, he took the field for a Hovingham Hall Estate eleven against Hovingham Village alongside his three sons, three woodmen, a clerk, a carpenter, a mason and a gardener. His own contribution to the contest was a score of 89, including a six and 12 fours, out of a total of 114 on the way to an eight wicket defeat. In his notes on the game Sir William wrote: “The Estate team (which included quite a few non-players) couldn’t cope with the wiles of Baxter Nelson (7-13). It was WAW’s last appearance on the field and he enjoyed it.” He then added, “I don’t know why our bowlers had such a poor day. We expected Britton and J Worsley to cause alarm and despondency - but they didn’t. So we got a thorough good beating. This is - as far as I know - the only occasion that the Estate has turned out a team. WE HELD OUR OWN AT THE ‘MALT SHOVEL’AFTERWARDS.” JohnWorsley, who emigrated to Canada, well remembered those days - and Maurice. “My father actually had a great respect for Maurice Leyland, and I did too. He was a delightful person,” he recalled. And, the measure of the esteem in which Maurice was held by Sir William was also clear when the news of Katharine’s engagement to the Duke of Kent was announced. It was around the time of the Scarborough Festival and, as they did every year, the two men met at the Royal Hotel. “Congratulations,” said Maurice. Then, ‘tongue in cheek’, added, “I’ll be looking out for my invitation.” To his immense surprise his old skipper unhesitatingly replied, “Don’t worry, you’ll be first on the list.” The invitation, direct from the Lord Chamberlain’s office, duly arrived at College Road. Although Maurice was just one of many