Lives in Cricket No 51 - Rev ES Carter

85 wrote that wonderful research tool for all who study Yorkshire cricket ‘Yorkshire Cricketers 1839-1939’ wrote within his book a splendid essay on Peate and described how Peate discovered through practice that he could by bowling slower gain a better length, greater consistency and control. And then Peate met Carter and took the path towards greatness, becoming the first of Yorkshire’s legendary left-arm spinners followed by Peel, Rhodes, Verity andWardle In Talks with Old Yorkshire Cricketers Carter described his find. “We found that we were a man short for Yorkshire Gent’s v Scarboro’ at the close of the Carnival of 1878. In the pavilion I asked if there was anyone at liberty who would like to play. A young fellow said he was at liberty. ‘Could he bowl?’ ‘Yes, he could bowl a bit’ he thought. So I told him to change and come out. I was keeping wicket, and I put him on to bowl first. I never had occasion to take him off. He had a marvellously easy action and good length, with a break from leg. I asked where he had played. ‘With Manningham’ was his reply. I told him he would have to send me his records, as he would have to play for Yorkshire. He played with the Colts next year, and went straight into first-class cricket.” That was Carter’s description. Peate had become a professional at the Manningham Club, but what is not so well known is that the then Yorkshire cricket committee were not so enthusiastic about Peate as was his sponsor. So Carter, keeping a close eye on Peate’s progress in club cricket, sent note after note to his Yorkshire colleagues and in the end he was chosen for the Colts. Peter Thomas recorded that in 1879 in his (Peate’s) first game he took ten for 11 in the first innings and seven for 23 in the second innings – but the opponents were not named! His next match was in the Yorkshire First Eleven against Nottinghamshire, and in his third game against Kent he took 12 for 77. So a Yorkshire legend for the next eight years was found, and Carter was entitled to all the credit for finding him. Sadly a wayward style of living brought Peate’s career to an early close in 1887, but by then he had taken 1076 wickets and played nine Tests for England. It Peate, Hawke, Committee