Cricket in Bradford after the War

By Brian Sanderson

I recently purchased the above scorecard involving Royal Australian Air Force team playing Yorkshire on the 11 & 12 July 1945. This was the first match at Park Avenue for six years and it did not start till 12.30 due to drizzle. There were 3000 hardy Yorkshiremen watching the match when rain fell again at 4.00 pm forcing the teams off the field. They managed to play another fifty minutes
which left the Australians 146 for 3.

Next day the sun was out which enabled the Australians to score 204 with Ces Pepper top scoring with 51. The Yorkshire bowling attack was Bowes ,Whitehead, Coxon and Booth. and captained by Maurice Leyland. Alec Coxon playing his first match for Yorkshire took five wickets for 66

Yorkshire's  opening pair were Len Hutton and Arthur Mitchell. Hutton 's perfect batsmanship on a difficult wicket saved Yorkshire from the danger of a follow on. When Yorkshire began their innings on the second afternoon, the saturated pitch, dried by sun and light wind played all manner of tricks. The Australian bowlers ,especially Williams ,took full advantage of this, and five county wickets fell for 45. Hutton remained calm and assured .His controlled forward defensive stroke smothered the ball as it pitched, and he missed no chance to score. Hutton made 50 out of 69 and made his 82 out of 122.

Coxon ably assisted in a sixth wicket stand of 75. In his first spell of 12 overs Williams dismissed four men for 15.  Yorkshire finished on 156 all out.

Yorkshire played the Australians again at Sheffield on the 23 July and Hutton scored 111. Australia played five Victory Tests including one at Sheffield. The series was tied at two matches all.

 Wisden is at odds here with the scorecard preferring to call the Australian team 'Australian Services'. Eight of the Australian team played in the Third Victory Match at Lord's the following week when Hutton scored 104 in England's first innings. He top scored in the second innings with 69.