The Official Carnegie History of Yorkshire County Cricket Club Derek Hodgson Leeds Met Press 2009 Reviewed by STEVE COWTON (The White Rose Forum bibliophile) It should come as no surprise that a Cricket Club with such a long and distinguished tradition should have been particularly well served by its historians. The first known history covered the years from 1833 - before the club really existed in fact - through to 1903, and was written by the eminent Victorian - the Rev E S Holmes. He was followed by A W Pullin whos history covered the 20 years from 1903 - 1923. Pullin was an important figure in early Yorkshire cricket who also wrote under the pen name of Old Ebor - his famous series of Talks with Old Yorkshire Cricketers was first published in the Yorkshire Post before being collated into a book form in 1898. Jim Kilburn remains the foremost Yorkshire based cricket writer of the last 100 years, and he entered the fray with his magisterial History of Yorkshire County Cricket 1924 - 1949. A wonderful book that is lucky enough to bridge the period from Hirst to Hutton - a time of notable success and wonderful characters. There was then a relatively lean period until 1989 when not one but two histories appeared - Anthony Woodhouses excellent version and Derek Hodgsons Official History of Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Both are wonderful books - although sadly both chose to recount the full history of the club from its earliest days rather than picking up the baton from 1949 where Kilburn had left it. This decision is understandable in that the earlier books are long since out of print and expensive to acquire from second hand dealers, but there is an inevitable feeling that each book repeats material that is already over familiar to many of us. There can never be one definitive history of course, as each book reflects the personality of its author and the time at which it was written. The very earliest book by the Rev Holmes is almost unbearably obsequious and you can feel the dark shadow of Lord Hawke on almost every page. The great Lord himself provides an introduction, For twenty years I have had the honour of being County captain - a post I would not exchange for that of England... If Holmes was a true Victorian, Pullin reflected the slightly changing World that was irrevocably affected by the First World War and the changing social structures around him. The Club was no longer the personal fiefdom of Lord Hawke - and his book chronicles the rise of the great professionals - the twin pillars of Hirst and Rhodes who dominated Yorkshire Cricket throughout his chosen period. Of these early histories, Kilburns is probably the first that is genuinely readable. He brings his gentle eye and easy prose to a period that is probably the most interesting in our entire history - the development of a meaningful County Championship and consolidation of the Club as a professional organization. The World was a very different place again by the time Hodgson and Woodhouse penned their books in the late 1980s, and both were faced with the difficult problem of chronicling the warfare which was still gripping the club at the time they were writing. The Woodhouse book has a wonderful introduction by Sir Leonard Hutton - which is frankly worth the cover price on its own - but it is the book by Derek Hodgson which has been updated by its author and republished by the Club with the assistance of Leeds Met Press. The new edition is a handsomely illustrated book which would grace the shelves of anyone with an interest in Yorkshire Cricket. Its been fully updated to the end of the 2008 season - and concludes with Goughs return to captaincy. Its easy to forget how much has been achieved since the first edition appeared - although success off the field has sadly not been matched by success on it. There is a season by season account of every game, and a series of pen pictures of leading figures. Hodgsons prose is authoritative and reflects his deep knowledge of Yorkshire Cricket - and his affection for its players. There is nothing flamboyant about this book - but its likeable no-nonsense approach serves its subject well. Its hindered slightly however by its official status. The book has been produced with the assistance of the club and Hodgson is occasionally reluctant to tackle the more contentious areas - the period of Byass feud with Gough and his eventual dismissal as coach is blandly summarized, Yorkshires Board of Management brought him back to Headingley as Director of Cricket in 2004. But when he was superseded by Martyn Moxon he declined another appointment with Yorkshire. His strict sense of discipline did not endear him to some senior members of the team. While strictly accurate, it is difficult to resist the conclusion that there is an infinitely more interesting account of this period that could be written. Again, I suspect that real objectivity is only possible with the passing of time - Hodgson is too closely connected with the people and events involved to deal more fully with some of the difficult episodes. I suspect that it is only the passing of time that will allow us to fully appreciate the more recent developments at the club - the acquisition of Headingley, introduction of central contracts and the seemingly relentless rise of Twenty-20. While Hodgsons match by match account is interesting - it makes it difficult for him to draw some of the longer running trends and developments. These are minor quibbles. Im happy to recommend this book as a welcome addition to the rich tradition of official histories. Its a wonderful reference work that provides a necessary backdrop to the greatest Cricket club in the world. The History Of Yorkshire County Cricket Club 1833 - 1903 Rev R. S. Holmes Archibald, Constable and Co. 1904 The History of Yorkshire County Cricket Club 1903 - 1923 A. W. Pullin Chorley and Pickersgill Ltd 1924 History Of Yorkshire County Cricket 1924 - 1949 J. M. Kilburn Chorley and Pickersgill Ltd 1950 The History of Yorkshire County Cricket Club Anthony Woodhouse Christopher Helm Ltd 1989 The Official History Of Yorkshire County Cricket Club Derek Hodgson The Crowood Press 1989 Revised Edition 2009 Leeds Met Press More Steve Cowton book reviews Link

A nice, balanced review, Steve. While I was always going to purchase this book, i'ts always great to hear from somebody who is an expert on Yorkshire-oriented books before one takes the plunge.

Thanks, Steve. You've just cost me another 35 quid, but I guess this book is indispensable to the serious Yorkshire cricket fan.

What you fail to mention about the Kilburn book, Steve, is that it was heavily censored before publication. An entire section was removed in which Kilburn argued that only Edgar Oldroyd and Cyril Turner were "proper committed Yorkshire cricketers", while that flashy Herbert Sutcliffe and his mate Verity were more interested in swanning off and playing for England. Or giving interviews to the papers. Or advertising their fancy art work.

I quote from the original page 27: "Sutcliffe's neo-vorticist watercolours were much derided: 'my seven year old could have done that,' quipped a certain Lincolnshire-born aristocrat."

Approaching brilliance there, Dews. You are a clever lad. The best damned cricket forum in England, this is. Please sir, can we have more?

I was going to mention Jummy Binks' Cubist phase but I didn't want to risk going over familiar territory.

There must actually be scope for more interesting cricket related art than Jocelyn alsworthy and Jack Russell. Wasn't Martin Speight an artist?
I quite like the Vanity Fair caricatures by "Spy".. we could do with a modern equivalent..

I noticed today that Mr Roberts has all of the various histories on sale in the Long Room at the moment - the earliest edition by Rev Holmes will cost you £50..