The Twelfth Man 2013

3 This is the third edition of The Twelfth Man I have had the honour to edit, a sort of hat-trick, which has been a great experience, but one with which I have struggled with as computer work is not my forte and I have had to rely heavily on the kindness of Mick [Pope] and my Grandchildren to enable me to reach the standard members deserve. I must consider this then as being my swan song. During my 39-season playing career, I managed to achieve a few hat-tricks and while standing as umpire, for 26 seasons, I even amazingly had to give a hat-trick of lbws, which resulted in the family of Horace Fisher getting in touch, before arranging the loan of Horace’s collection to the YCCC museum at Headingley. My spell as Editor has been interesting and the feature I introduced, ‘Chats with our old Yorkshire Cricketers’, has proved immensely rewarding as Brian Sanderson and I have travelled on our visits. Perhaps I got the idea from a battered old paperback book loaned to me by a friend at the Copper Works, called Talks with Old Yorkshire Cricketers , by ‘Old Ebor’, long ago. EDITORIAL While a schoolboy, I cycled to Pudsey calling on both Len Hutton and Herbert Sutcliffe, then on to Menston where my Uncle Jack was a neighbour of Bill Bowes on Bleach Mill Lane. All three were very kind to my brother and I, so perhaps the seeds for my visiting were sown nearly 70 years ago. Visiting my three Wombwell men: Ted Lester, Don Wilson and Bob Appleyard, as Editor has been a delight. In the past I drove to Selby to meet Sandy Jacques, to Conisbrough for a morning with Ellis Robinson, and while out in Barbados called on Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall. When Geoffrey was ill, I’d call on him at Woolley and sometimes we’d go out for a ride to Fitzwilliam, where he grew up, before starting ‘grown-up’ cricket at Ackworth, just down the road. I have known him for many years and always held him in the highest regard, not just as probably one of the all-time great batsmen, but one who understands the game better than anyone. My practise, over the past decade of visiting my daughter and her family who live in Melbourne has meant missing a few early Society meetings. I have been particularly grateful to Neil and Tom for the painstaking way in which they report details of the talks and to Margaret and Beryl, the official photographers, for their work, which forms such an important section of the magazine. Appreciated I know by members from far away who are unable to join us on Thursday evenings. On my most recent ‘trip’, an appropriate word, for while in Melbourne I fell and broke my leg which prolonged the time I was away from Society meetings, so perhaps it is only sensible to ‘slow down’. The Editor (right) with two ‘decent’ Yorkshire cricketers from yesteryear, Herbert Sutcliffe and (left) Wilfred Rhodes. ~ NEW EDITOR REQUIRED ~ As the current Twelfth Man Editor, Norman Hazell, indicates above, he is giving up the post at the 2013 AGM. If you are interested in succeeding Norman or know of any budding cricket writer/junior journalist who might be interested in taking on the role then please contact WCLS Secretary, Mick Pope, in the first instance on 01302 745853 or email: wcls@councilcricketsocieties.com