A puzzle solved

 posted by John Winn

I should begin with an apology to the serious signature collector for these 'graphs' were not collected by me in person but by a friend of my dad's who had access to the changing rooms when Yorkshire played at Middlesbrough and it is the friend's handwriting which identifies them as the signatures of Yorkshire and Warwickshire. From time to time I have tried to pinpoint the match in question but have been misled by the name of Ron Burnet who captained Yorkshire for two seasons, 1958 and 1959, in the latter of which they broke Surrey's seven year grip on the county championship. On more than one occasion I have scrolled through Wisden seeking an occasion in those two years when the two teams met at Acklam Park. No such luck. 

The book containing the signatures has been in my possession for more than sixty years but it was only two weeks ago that thanks to my friend Arthur Bartle the Gordian knot was cut for as Arthur pointed out if the signature under that of Raymond Illingworth was that of WHH Sutcliffe, which it surely is. then he would be captain rather than Burnet. Bingo, time to bark up another tree, and sure enough page 634 of Wisden 1958 has a report of Yorkshire v Warwickshire at Middlesbrough May 11, 13, 14 1957 with Sutcliffe captaining Yorkshire. 

I will give readers a chance to decipher the signatures and supply the answers and details of the match after the weekend. Good luck.