Lives in Cricket No 48 - Maurice Leyland

biographers were not to prove insurmountable. Maurice Leyland was a very private, very modest, man and with almost all his county and international contemporaries now passed on there may be gaps in the story. But, almost everyone warmed to him during his lifetime and hopefully a little of that character will live again through these pages. I am under no illusions as to where this book lies in the overall contribution to the literary wealth of the world. But, within a few days of beginning my enquiries into the life of Maurice Leyland I had a feeling that there was a fascinating tale to tell. A story of one of life’s genuine ‘good guys’ who, despite reaching the top of his chosen profession, never missed the chance to help others along the way. A man whose life was inextricably linked to the game of cricket from the day he was born to the day he died. He was a high achiever, a maker of history - scoring 187 alongside Hutton’s 364 in England’s 903 for seven against Australia in 1938, yet as adept at deflecting praise as punishing a wayward ball. Nothing came easily. He had to battle to establish a place in an outstanding county side and went on to form part of the backbone of Yorkshire cricket - first as a player and later as a coach. There were many setbacks in his life, both on the field and off, but adversity seemed only to serve as an opportunity to bring out the best in his affable nature and serve as a vehicle for his renowned dead-pan humour. It is an inspiring story yet one that does not appear to have ever been explored in any great depth. I can understand the reasons why not: after all, it was a long time ago, there appeared to be few information sources, the general perception was that there was no real story to tell outside cricket and, in cinema parlance, he was perhaps a better support actor than leading man. But, contrary to many opinions offered at the start of the project, it became clear from my earliest enquiries that Maurice Leyland was a truly remarkable man and a very fine cricketer to boot. Here was a man who could take a world stage, steal the scene from the leading man and be quite happy to slip out of the stage door at the end of the ‘show’ without anyone giving him a second glance. Portraying the man behind an impressive list Introduction 6