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

141 – and the newspaper was correct in that Johnny was commandeered into being a large part of the bowling. The following day (Saturday, April 29) he played a huge part with bat and ball on debut in a nine wicket win at King Cross as the paper proclaimed “Morley hammer out warning signals”. King Cross were 56 all out and it was those two, Squire and Marwood who took two wickets each and the first three wickets to fall before Johnny took six for 29 and then batting at number three was 21 not out. His home debut was delayed as the heavens opened the following Saturday and not a ball was bowled and then again there was no play the Saturday after. It wasn’t until June that the weather had relented enough for Morley and Johnny to establish a successful pattern. It is interesting to read incidentally the headline “Mums have work out for match challenge” as Johnny’s coaching facilities were used by the mothers of Morley juniors side who were challenging their sons to a match. I searched the newspaper in vain for details of this match. Johnny’s success and that of the club made honours seem inevitable yet the newspaper warned that promotion was not in the bag when Morley faltered against East Ardsley on August 26. It then let out a public sigh of relief after promotion was secured on September 2, with a comfortable win at home to Drighlington (Johnny taking two for 15). Incredibly three Morley bowlers averaged less than ten runs per wicket each (Squire and Georgie Wilson also) but it was Johnny who topped the bowling averages for the whole of the Yorkshire Council with similar Barnes-like figures to those achieved years earlier for Bingley in the Bradford League – this time at 5.83 runs per wicket. Johnny initially going to Morley partly as a batsman is perhaps one of the last times in his league career when batting is such an important part of his game. Seven more successful seasons in league cricket