Yorkshire County Cricket Club

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Yorkshire

Established	1863
First-Class Debut	v Surrey County Cricket Club at The Oval on June 5, 1863
Captain	Vacant
Coach	David Byas , Steve Oldham and Kevin Sharp
County Titles	34 (shared 2 times)

Yorkshire County Cricket Club, who represent the historic county of Yorkshire, are one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English domestic cricket structure. Their limited overs team is called the Yorkshire Phoenix.

The club plays most of their home games at the Headingley Stadium, Leeds. The club have another significant venue at North Marine Road, Scarborough, which houses the annual Scarborough Festival. Yorkshire has also played games around the county at various locations: notably at Bramall Lane, Sheffield, which was the club's original home; Horton Park Avenue, Bradford; St George's Ground, Harrogate; Anlaby Road, Hull; and Acklam Park, Middlesbrough.

[edit] Honours

Champion County (2) - 1867, 1870; shared (1) - 1869
County Championship (30) - 1893, 1896, 1898, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1905, 1908, 1912, 1919, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1946, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1968, 2001; shared (1) - 1949
Gillette/NatWest/C&G Trophy (3) - 1965, 1969, 2002
Sunday/National League (1) - 1983
Twenty20 Cup (0) -
Benson & Hedges Cup (1) - 1987

[edit] Second XI honours

Second XI Championship (4) - 1977, 1984, 1991, 2003; shared (1) - 1987
Second XI Trophy (0) -
Minor Counties Championship (5) - 1947, 1957, 1958, 1968, 1971

[edit] Other honours

Fenner Trophy (3) - 1972, 1974, 1981
Asda Challenge (1) - 1987
Ward Knockout Cup (1) - 1989
Joshua Tetley Festival Trophy (6) - 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998; shared (1) - 1992
Tilcon Trophy (1) - 1988
Under-25 Competition (3) - 1976, 1978, 1987
Bain Clarkson Trophy (1) - 1994

[edit] Earliest cricket

For information about Yorkshire cricket before the county club was founded, see : Sheffield Cricket Club

The earliest known references to cricket in Yorkshire are as late as 1751. These relate to local matches in Sheffield and to a game on or soon after Monday 5 August at Stanwick, near Richmond, between the Duke of Cleveland’s XI and Earl of Northumberland’s XI (the same teams had earlier played in Durham and this is Durham's earliest cricket reference).

On Tuesday 7 July 1761, the Leeds Intelligencer (now the Yorkshire Post) announced a game to be played at Chapeltown the following Thursday (9 July) and this is the first game we know of in the Leeds area.

Sheffield quickly became the main centre for cricket in Yorkshire. In September 1757 a match took place between Wirksworth and Sheffield at Brampton Moor, near Chesterfield. This is the earliest reference to cricket in Derbyshire. It may also be the earliest indication of the Sheffield club that eventually became Yorkshire CCC. Sheffield are recorded in matches against Leeds in 1765 and, more significantly, against Nottingham Cricket Club in August 1771.

The Sheffield club continued to play first-class games into the 19th century. In 1833, the team is referred to as Yorkshire for the first time and in 1849 we find the first Yorkshire v Lancashire "Roses" match.

[edit] Origin of Club

On 7 March 1861, a Match Fund Committee to run Yorkshire county matches was established in Sheffield, which had by then been the home of Yorkshire cricket for nearly 100 years. It was from this fund that Yorkshire CCC was founded two years later. This was an exact parallel with the formation of Sussex CCC from a similar fund (1836 - 1839).

On 8 January 1863, the formation of Yorkshire CCC was agreed at a meeting of the Sheffield Match Fund Committee in the Adelphi Hotel, Sheffield. The club was originally based at Bramall Lane, Sheffield. Its current base at Headingley in Leeds was first established in 1888.

Yorkshire CCC played its initial first-class match versus Surrey at The Oval on 4, 5 & 6 June. It was a rain-affected draw, evenly balanced.

[edit] Ground history

As with all county cricket clubs, Yorkshire CCC represents its traditional geographic county and not any current administrative unit. In Yorkshire's case, this means the three ridings and the City of York, although the club played some home matches outside the historic borders at Abbeydale Park in Sheffield from 1974 to 1996.^[1] ^[2]

Yorkshire first played at North Marine Road, Scarborough in 1878. This is the venue for the annual Scarborough Festival matches.

Headingley - East Stand

The club was founded on January 8, 1863 in the Adelphi Hotel, Sheffield based at Bramall Lane. Headingley in Leeds was first established in 1888. Test cricket was first played at Headingley in 1899 eight years later than it hosted its first ever first-class game against Kent County Cricket Club in 1891. From 1891 the club's headquarters moved to Headingley, although 'out grounds' in Hull, Sheffield, Bradford, Middlesbrough and Harrogate were used with great success until recent years.

A move to a new site near Wakefield was mooted but, despite an expensive publicity campaign, this foundered on Yorkshire's inability to secure a cost-effective break of their lease on the ground. Yorkshire currently play most of their home matches at Headingley with two profitable festival weeks in the east coast holiday town of Scarborough.

On 31 December 2005 Yorkshire County Cricket Club purchased the cricket ground for £12 million with the help of a £9 million loan from Leeds City Council. This purchase ensures that Test Cricket continues at the venue with a 15 year staging agreement. On 11 January 2006 the stadium was officially renamed the Headingley Carnegie Stadium as a result of sponsorship from Leeds Metropolitan University and the club announced plans on the 11th January 2006 to rebuild the stand next to the rugby ground with 3,000 extra seats, taking capacity to 20,000 ^[3]. The club also announced plans to redevelop the Winter shed (North) stand on 25th August 2006 providing a £12.5Million Pavillion Complex ^[4].

[edit] Playing history

[edit] The golden years

Yorkshire were the dominant force in the County Championship until the Second World War, often dismissing lesser sides without recourse to a third day's play. The immaculate Herbert Sutcliffe formed a famous opening partnership with Surrey great Jack Hobbs for England, while Wilfred Rhodes and George Herbert Hirst rank with the finest all rounders the game has ever produced. A youthful Len Hutton scored a then world record 364 against Australia at the Oval and returned after the war, despite a serious arm injury, to become England's first professional captain and prove himself perhaps the most complete opening batsman since Hobbs.

After Surrey's unbroken hegemony in the fifties, the sixties saw a new Yorkshire team emerge and dominate the first class game. Immaculate right-hander Doug Padgett, obdurate opener Geoff Boycott, canny off spinner Ray Illingworth, ever present keeper Jimmy Binks, belligerent left hander Brian Close, hard hitting Jack Hampshire and 'Fiery' Fred Trueman combined in one of the great county teams.

[edit] Starting to struggle

However, the last quarter of the 20th century proved to be barren years with talk of dressing room disputes and problems between the Committee and some leading players.

[edit] Signs of revival

Headingley - West Stand

More recently paceman Matthew Hoggard and Manchester born England captain Michael Vaughan have proved major stars for county and country alike, both of them making major contributions to England's recovery of The Ashes in the 2005 season.

In clinching the match against Glamorgan at Scarborough in 2001 the club won its first County Championship since 1968 under the flinty captaincy of locally born David Byas (who returned in 2005 as director of cricket). A poor season followed in 2002 however and the County was relegated to Division Two of the championship. This disappointment was tempered by a memorable victory over Gloucestershire in the final of the C&G Trophy at Lord's.

A fine Division Two Championship season in 2005, where they remained unbeaten until the last game, meant promotion and Yorkshire began 2006 once again in Division One.

Colin Graves, Chief Executive for three years and chairman of the Club's leading sponsor, Costcutter, was replaced as Chief Executive by Stewart Regan, but retained his place on the Board, becoming Chairman.

[edit] Current situation

In the 2006 County Championship Yorkshire survived relegation in the last match of the season against Durham. A score of 677-7dec against Durham combined with Nottinghamshire's innings and 245 run defeat by the champions Sussex meant that Yorkshire finished 6th, 2 places and 1 point above the relegation zone.

After the final match of the season Craig White resigned as captain stating: "Now is the appropriate moment to go. I led Yorkshire to promotion last season and we stayed up this year, I am proud of my record and will support to the hilt whoever takes over"^[5]. Yorkshire fans waved goodbye to a legend in the match against Durham, with Darren Lehmann retiring from the county game^[6]. Richard Dawson^[5], Richard Blakey and Mitchell Claydon^[7] have all been released by the club.

England Captain Michael Vaughan has committed the remainder of his county level career to Yorkshire while leaving the contract open enough that he can play for England whenever available^[8]. Yorkshire have signed Younis Khan^[9] for the 2007 season. Unfortunately however, left-hander Michael Lumb has left the club for Hampshire^[10]. Sussex captain Chris Adams had been due to take up the captaincy at Yorkshire^[11], but on the day he met the rest of the team at Yorkshire he pulled a U-turn stating the role was too much for him^[12]. It has since been revealed that Younis Khan could still take up the captaincy, as had been previously suggested^[13].-

[edit] The players

[edit] For the honour of the County

Dickie Bird at Headingley

Yorkshiremen are regarded as fanatical in their support of their native county, and in cricketing matters especially. The famous 'Roses' matches against Lancashire are second only to Anglo-Australian Tests in terms of history, tradition and competitiveness.

Yorkshire CCC was famous for insisting that its players must have been born within the traditional county of Yorkshire, a rule not dropped until 1992, and Yorkshire's results suffered through the seventies and eighties as other counties raced to sign major overseas stars.

Due to a lack of playing success, this rule was firstly modified to allow those educated within the County to play (a dispensation used by Vaughan) and then abandoned altogether. Sachin Tendulkar was the first player to take advantage of this new freedom and, incidentally, was the first Asian to be selected for Yorkshire, when he played as an overseas player. Other overseas players to have worn the famous white rose cap include Australian middle order batsmen Michael Bevan and Darren Lehmann, Australian paceman Jason Gillespie and West Indian Richie Richardson.

[edit] Ethnic minority players

Yorkshire has a large ethnic minority population and, for many years, the inability of players from the ethnic minority communities to force their way into the 1st team has been a controversial issue. The County authorities regularly insist that they have an equal opportunities policy and that they take vigorous steps to encourage players from all backgrounds. However, it has manifestly not borne fruit and the low number of players (and spectators) from the ethnic minority communities continues to be a source of embarrassment.

It was not until May 2004 that Ajmal Shahzad became the first British-born Asian to play for Yorkshire. In 2006, all-rounder Adil Rashid made his debut against Warwickshire and produced figures of 6/67 with his leg spin in the second innings, helping to reduce Warwickshire to an innings defeat.

[edit] Players with most first-class appearances

[edit] Club captains

For the full list of club captains, see : Category:Yorkshire cricket captains

It is a curious fact that three Yorkshire players Stanley Jackson, Len Hutton and Michael Vaughan have captained England to success in The Ashes yet none of them have been club captain at Yorkshire. Ray Illingworth was playing for Leicestershire CCC when he was captain of England.

From 1883 to 1959 inclusive, Yorkshire always had an amateur club captain. The extent of leadership given by these gentlemen has long been a subject of discussion. Hawke and Sellers are generally held to have been autocratic and decisive, but in fact both relied heavily on sound professional advice. At the other extreme, Wilfred Rhodes is supposed to have been the de facto captain from 1920 to 1930, but it is a fact that Major Arthur Lupton took the diplomatic lead when a row erupted between Yorkshire and Middlesex during his tenure.

Lord Hawke famously said, at the Yorkshire Annual General Meeting in 1925: "Pray God, no professional shall ever captain England. I love and admire them all, but we have always had an amateur skipper^[14] and when the day comes when we shall have no more amateurs captaining England it will be a thousand pities."^[15] In view of this, it is perhaps surprising that, when Arthur Lupton retired at the end of the 1927 season, Hawke was one of the sponsors of the suggestion that Herbert Sutcliffe should turn amateur and become the Yorkshire captain. In the event, there was sufficient opposition to the idea amongst the Yorkshire committee and players (some of the latter felt that Wilfred Rhodes, as senior professional, had a prior claim), that the proposal was dropped.^[16]