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

170 When he took his tutees and others to play in friendly fixtures, players in the opposition would always want to learn from him. He and his school were just legendary. The school though never empty throughout the winter would get significantly crowded in March as the season approached. Outdoor practice would still not be possible and many players of greater or lesser renown – if they never attended the rest of the winter – would suddenly turn up to practise. Wherever he went, the encouragement he gave to young players was remembered with affection. Michael Yates who went to the Rothwell nets in the early 1950s remembers: “I didn’t go with anybody even though my aim was to practise rather than have specific coaching which would be more expensive. I used to go there on my own and paid my one shilling and sixpence and if there was nobody else there Johnny would often bowl at me himself. He could bowl any ball he wanted and would test me outside the off stump for example. He was a great encourager.” Paul Thorpe remembers Johnny spotting things – maybe some very minor issue in Paul’s technique from time to time. All coaches would do this but Johnny was certainly an expert in this regard. An opponent of Johnny’s in the Yorkshire League, Jack Bethel of Sheffield United who had the chagrin of being out to Johnny’s bowling or (twice) brilliantly caught by him in the gully in those matches with Leeds, once asked Johnny a small technical question. He was so satisfied with Johnny’s answer that, having previously resented – almost hated – Johnny for being a better cricketer than himself, he felt guilty about this previous feeling and became lost in admiration. A friend of mine, Owen Turner, felt he received little encouragement from teachers at his school with his cricket as he was regarded as extremely low down in the pecking order of prospective talent. He was never individually coached by Johnny but played in a match where Johnny, visiting his school, was umpiring. Johnny rather than comment on unsuccessful deliveries picked upon one good A coach and those he influenced