An historic day at Park Avenue

 posted by John Winn

In his wonderful book, Summer's Crown, Stephen Chalke describes the first ever match played in the county championship when Gloucestershire entertained Yorkshire at Ashley Down, Bristol. The match was played over three days on May 12th, 13th and 14th 1890. Other county matches were played on those dates, eventual champions Surrey were warming up with a game against Leicestershire at The Oval for example, but the game at Bristol was the only match in the newly confirmed official county championship. Despite the presence of WG Grace, who made only modest contributions, Yorkshire won by eight wickets by lunch on the third day. 

With the exception of 1919 when two day matches were played, three days remained the standard format for over a hundred years until the 1990s when the change to four day games was introduced. The pivotal season was 1992 when a mixture of three and four day games was played with the last round of three day games beginning on August 21st. For the record the final fixtures were 

Glamorgan v Gloucestershire at Swansea, Leicestershire v Notts at Grace Road, Northants v Kent, Wantage Road, Somerset v Hants at Weston-Super-Mare, Sussex v Middlesex at Hove, Worcestershire v Durham at New Road and Yorkshire v Surrey at Bradford Park Avenue

Two more rounds of four day matches were played that year with all 18 counties involved in the last games which began on September 12th. Essex were runaway winners of the championship.

Bradford Park Avenue in days gone by.

Yorkshire's match with Surrey was the first played at Bradford since 1985 and was the only one of the seven fixtures not to end in a draw, perhaps supporting the argument for four day matches. August 21st was a Friday, the two sides met in a 40 over game at Scarborough on the 23rd and on winning the toss Yorkshire skipper Martyn Moxon opted to bat. In a total of 341 top scorers were Simon Kellet, 78 and David Byas, batting at five,70. By close of play Surrey were 9 for 1 and with much of the second day lost to rain Surrey declared their innings closed at 39 for 1. Yorkshire then forfeited their second innings leaving Surrey to get 303 off 93 overs. This contrivance produced a thrilling finish with fortunes swinging this way and that until when last man James Boiling came to the middle Surrey still needed 21 to win. Boiling who had batted as night watch man in the first innings stayed with Neil Kendrick and the winning runs came with just two balls to spare. Graham Thorpe top scored with 79

The teams were Yorkshire: Moxon, Kellett, Metcalfe, White, Byas, Grayson, Jarvis, Pickles, Hartley, Chapman (wk), Batty (J).

Surrey: Bicknell (D), Sargeant (wk), Thorpe, Lynch, Ward, Brown, Feltham, Bicknell (M), Kendrick, Bryson, Boiling. 

Bradford Park Avenue in more recent times.

Thanks to Tony for supplying the photgraphs.