The Twelfth Man 2013

12 Early in February, Brian Sanderson and I drove up to Ilkley, a cold wintry day but the welcome we received from Bob, in his lovely home, could not have been warmer. The story of Bob’s entry into first-class cricket is very well known. After a few games with the Colts in 1950, the loss of Coxon and Close for the 1951 season left a vacancy which Bob, with his background in the Bradford League, was invited to fill. The Committee must have been thrilled at the way in which Bob seized the opportunity. That was to be an historic season, which saw Bob take his 200th wicket at the Scarborough Festival. A very important feature of the season was his average: 1,313 overs, 391 maidens and an average of 14.14. Bowling all those overs seems incredible to modern day players, but what an average! After a start like that one might have expected Bob to continue right at the top of the game and yet he was struck down by Tuberculosis and fated to spend months in hospital. As a matter of fact my Aunt Kathleen, was a senior nurse at Wakefield’s Pinderfields Hospital and it was through her contact, that my Wisden was signed, for not surprisingly, Bob was chosen along with Peter May and another Yorkshireman, Jim Laker, who like him hailed from Bradford, as one of ‘the Five’ (Bob at Wibsey, Jim at Frizinghall). Amazingly Bob, with his T.B. behind him, returned for the 1954 season with a changed action – another great season ensued. This time, taking 154 wickets at an average of 14.42, he finished second in the first-class averages for the country. He won the first of eight Test caps this year and was an automatic choice for the MCC tour of Australia and New Zealand. After retiring from the game, he developed a real interest in business, travelling the world and settled into a really happy life with his family in Ilkley and that is where Brian and I arrived for a conversation. Of course, I am sure every Yorkshire member will feel they are friends of A day with bob appleyard by The Editor his, for he regularly comes to sit with us in the Long Room at Headingley. Conversation just flowed, as he related the story of Ken Medlock, a friend from t’other side of Pennines who had been informed of a “load of old junk” was to be put into a skip. The ‘junk’ consisted of many Victorian Wisden’s and 97 old cricket bats. Through his friendship, Bob retrieved bats signed by Roger Iddison and Edward Wainwright, now safely added to the County collection. Bob is now after that used by Sir F.S.Jackson. His chase is well advanced, he has seen it, over in Lancashire and is confident of success. Brian and I have met Bob many times in the past, for he is well known for passing time in the Long Room with members and if the weather is good we know where to find him, in the company of many admirers on a seat outside. After more than an hour chatting on general terms we were thrilled when he invited us to have a look at his ‘Collection’. In a bookcase in the lounge, we saw a wonderful collection of books, like me he has a complete ‘run’ of Yorkshire handbooks apart from the elusive 1893 (he has the facsimile, while I, ever hopeful, The Editor and Bob at his home in February 2013