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

159 the newly named Northern Cricket Society playing in it. The teams played 13-a-side. Billy Sutcliffe’s 89 dominated proceedings. Johnny chipped in with 22 as Society reached 137 for six. In reply Johnny took four for 44 and Sutcliffe three for 15. I do not know if Bramhope who finished on 84 for 11 were claiming the draw. Proceeds of the match went to two children’s charities and this is the first mention I find of this fixture supporting charity – though this has long been a regular feature of the fixture. A.A. Thomson writing a review of “Cricket on Boxing Day” in the Society’s 1964 booklet writes: “The most astonishing facts to emerge are (a) that only once did the intrepid adventurers encounter deep snow and (b) only one match of the fifteen was [eventually] defeated by the weather.” Johnny played in the first 16 Boxing Day matches and only missed one match, 1965, before his heart attack in 1974 and even then he returned in 1976. He is statistically the most consistent performer in this fixture with either bat or ball. In 1958 he out-scored Brian Close and scored a stupendous 138 not out with Close who had gone in at number four scoring 68 not out as Society piled on 240 for two before suspending their innings whilst Alwoodley managed a ‘spirited’ 166 for five in the time allotted. He was the only batsman to score a century in the first 20-odd years of the fixture. He also scored 90 in 1962 and 72 in defeating Alwoodley in 1964. His eldest son Miles played in the fixture twice (1959 while at Somerset, and 1963) but youngest son Stephen has played many times, and with Graham Curtis, played in every fixture from 1992 to 2001 the period of Ralph Middlebrook’s captaincy, though Ralph himself missed one match while in Australia. Stephen joined his dad as one of the handful of batsmen who have scored a century in the fixture. One summer match that Johnny did play in was an over 50s match on Wednesday, June 23, 1965 at Whitkirk, Leeds, against the Wombwell Cricket Lovers’ Society over 50s. Johnny with two for 28 helped the Northern to romp home Two phenomena