The Twelfth Man 2018

26 contract with Warwickshire and as a 17 year- old he didn’t hesitate to accept. Warwickshire had a great batting line up,( Amiss, Rohan Kanhai, John Jameson etc). The following year was World Cup year giving David his chance which he grabbed with both hands playing the rest of the season thanks to Kanhai returning injured. The following season Jamieson retired providing David with a golden opportunity to partner Amiss regularly. He played the following 12 years and related many of his experiences in the county game. He also played a lot of winter cricket abroad in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. The question and answer session proved frank and lively covering David’s views on best captains, grounds and places abroad, also discussions on present day selection policies, future of Test cricket, present make up of county and white ball cricket and much much more, to make a really first class evening covering virtually every aspect of the game from a very knowledgeable and frank cricket lover. Martin Howe AUTHOR Martin Howe returned to the Society two years after he spoke to us about his book on former Yorkshire President and Captain Norman Yardley, this time he spoke about former Yorkshire and England wicket keeper Paul Gibb. Gibb, who played 36 First class matches for Yorkshire is regarded as a mystery man who played for Yorkshire because so little is known about him. He became the first Cambridge Blue and amateur cricketer to turn professional when he played for Essex. In doing so his membership of the MCC was suspended. He made his debut for Yorkshire in 1935, a year after he had played for Cambridge, at Bramall Lane against Nottinghamshire. Gibb got into the side as a batsman and he came into bat with Yorkshire on 110 for five. With Herbert Sutcliffe they added 178 for the sixth wicket before Sutcliffe was leg before to the off-spinner Joseph Knowles for 135. Gibb was unbeaten on 157 his highest score in First class cricket. Gibb did get selected as a wicketkeeper but this was seen as Brian Sellers picking him ahead of Arthur Wood to bring Wood down a peg rather than on ability. He played eight Test matches, opened the innings in five Tests’ against South Africa hitting two centuries. The South African fans called him Gibraltar because of his dogged defence. He played two Tests against India in England and a Test match against Australia a Brisbane. In 1977 he was invited to the Centenary Test match at Melbourne and when he was introduced to the crowd he was greeted in silence. After the match, the writer David Frith had intended to write his biography but nine months after the Centenary Test match he was dead at the age of 64. Barry Wood FOR our fourth afternoon meeting of the season we welcomed our old friend Malcolm Lorimer from Lancashire who brought along with him ex England,Yorkshire, Lancashire and Derbyshire skipper Yorkshire born Barry Wood. Barry, a right-hand opening batsman and medium paced bowler who modeled himself on Geoffrey Boycott started out at Yorkshire but David Smith (left) with David Whittingham