Maurice Leyland
Maurice Leyland, who died on January 1, aged 66, was exactly as old as this part-worn century and his first-class career embraced the inter-war years in addition to the vital season afterwards. The body of English cricket in those years was built on firm bone and muscle, but, more often than not, Leyland was its spinal column. Your Yorkshire cricketer usually has, and admits to having, certain major qualities: sturdiness, independence and a refusal to consider defeat. Leyland had all these virtues and more; where he differed from many was that his fighting was done not grimly, but with a quizzical smile; the harder the battle, the stouter the resolution and the broader the smile.
Although he bothered little about his figures, they are none the less impressive. In all, he scored 33,660 runs ; of these 26,191 were for Yorkshire and 2,764 for England. These three totals give a general average of 40-50 ; for his county 41.05 and in his 41 Tests 46.06. If his average is higher for England than for Yorkshire, this was only partly significant. Assuredly the hardest task called out the best in the man and of his 80 centuries, nine were in Tests, seven of them against Australia but, while most cricketers regard England as an extension of their own counties, to Yorkshiremen England is a not unimportant part of Yorkshire. For Leyland, I suspect, a hundred against Australia was as richly satisfying as one in a Roses match - almost.
Stats:
Matches: 41
Innings: 65
Runs: 2764
Average: 46.06
Highest Score: 187
50s/100s: 10/9
