Yorkshire CCC Players’ Association president/chairman, Peter Whiteley, has on behalf of the Association’s members sent cards to two distinguished former batters who each celebrated their 88th birthday this week.
Bryan Stott was first up on July 18 and Doug Padgett, who went on to become the County’s coach, followed him to the landmark two days later.
In September, 1951, the pair famously put on 141 together against Sussex at Hove as Yorkshire’s rushed towards a sensational five-wicket victory that clinched the Championship title and took it away from Surrey who had held it for a record seven consecutive years.
Yorkshire had been left to score 215 in 105 minutes and largely due to Bryan’s 95 and Doug’s 79 they made it with seven minutes to spare in one of the most exciting finishes ever seen on the ground.
Bryan was born at Yeadon, where he still lives, and when he retired at the end of the 1963 season he had scored 9,168 runs for Yorkshire with 17 centuries and a top score of 186.
Bradford-born Doug for many years held the distinction of being Yorkshire’s youngest player when he made his debut in 1951 while still 44 days before his 17th birthday. At the close of his final season in 1971 he had made 20,306 runs for his native county with 29 centuries. He played in two Test matches for England against South Africa in 1960 and toured New Zealand with MCC the following winter.
Peter said: “Bryan played a significant role in the forming of the Players’ Association in 2005 and Doug was also a founder member. I thought their 88th birthdays was an appropriate time for the Association to thank them for the huge part they have played in Yorkshire’s history.”
