Lives in Cricket No 52 - Schooled in Cricket (2nd edition)

12 Arthington CC and put me in touch with Frank Pennington has, now also sadly passed on. Geoffrey Boycott, Ray Illingworth, Jack Birkenshaw, Peter Stringer, Ashley Metcalf, Rodney Cass, Dickie Bird, Ken Standring, Bob Platt, Brian Bolus (who sadly died in May 2020), Roy Smith, Peter Hepworth, Lewis Pickles, Martin Maslin, Geoff Cope, Tony Clarkson, Steven Rhodes, Ken Taylor and Andrew Dalton are all ex-first-class players who helped me as did Rosemary McVicker the widow of Norman who played with Johnny at Lincolnshire before McVicker’s first-class career. Many more past cricketers from league, Minor County, and friendly cricket have included Keith Parker, Gordon Chadwick, George Hepworth, Brian Lymbery, Ralph Middlebrook, Frank Pennington, Eric Houseman, Harry Atkinson, Terry Waite, Bob Beardsall, Peter France, Norman Pearson, Pete Hennessy, Eric Hunter, Len Bannister, Chris Farrill, Phil Jefferson, Jack Bethel and Paul Thorpe. Malcolm Naylor helped me considerably. Also Peter White and his wife Anne. Patrick Hopton and Alastair Fyfe from Somerset and Maurice Holbrow from nearby Wiltshire have all written to me with such helpful letters. I received help from the Somerset Cricket Museum at Taunton and from Chris Keywood, chairman of Lincolnshire CCC. My friend Brian Senior has enthusiastically supported my project and come with me to libraries and other venues to help. The staff at the British Library reading room and customer services (near Boston Spa) have been particularly kind and helpful. I know that at times they have been bemused by Brian and myself performing a double act of what must have seemed total (and hopefully lovable) eccentricity. My closest friend Glen Cotton who himself works at the British Library as a cataloguer has helped me hugely with bibliographic matters – and now during the coronavirus pandemic he is helping me with one final read through before submission to my editor. Brian Sanderson from the Yorkshire cricket archives committee Acknowledgements