Lives in Cricket No 48 - Maurice Leyland

Against the best 83 One person who would have loved to have been there to share in this performance was Maurice’s wife Connie. It was heart- breaking to have to spend six months of their first year of marriage apart, including their first wedding anniversary, but as soon as she heard the news, from an errand boy who ran up the garden path at College Road clapping his hands with delight, she went to the Post Office and cabled the message “Congratulations”. That same morning, while out shopping, she was stopped over and over again by friends and neighbours offering her their congratulations and numerous telegrams arrived at the house bearing a similar message. Another notable message passing in the opposite direction was from Alderman David Simpson, president of Harrogate Cricket Club, which read: “All Harrogate is delighted with your splendid innings. Keep it up.” Keep it up he did. It was 1930 when theAustralian’s returned to these shores, a year few followers of either side could forget, although for different reasons. This was the year of Bradman’s supremacy. In the five Tests he accumulated a phenomenal 974 runs, at an average of 139.14, and they included a new world record individual score of 334, at Headingley, out of 566. In England’s first innings Maurice hit 44 and that was to prove a disappointingly modest best of the series for him from his three Tests. Australia won the series two-one with two games drawn but Bradman’s supremacy ensured Australia were on top even in the drawn games so the margin of victory could so easily have been much greater. Maurice made no attempt to hide his admiration for Bradman and so when the two men came together for the final game of the season, Australia against Mr Leveson-Gower’s eleven at Scarborough, both men made half centuries and were pictured together at the end of the game. Doubtless, Yorkshire bat manufacturers ‘Sykes’ had something to do with this as the logos ‘Bradman’ and ‘Leyland’, two of Sykes’ brands, were clearly displayed on the faces of their respective bats. But, whatever the circumstances, this picture was one that Maurice always treasured.