Yorkshire Cricket is regarded as one of the greatest clubs in the world , and as one of the proudest in existence. Established over 150 years ago, the history, tradition and passion of its Members are the main reasons for this. The pride of the Club’s supporters has always been evident.
To celebrate the Club’s fantastic supporters, we bring you a new feature looking at memories of some of the White Rose Members, starting with Rob from Bradford.
What are your first memories of Yorkshire County Cricket Club?
“My first memories go back a long way. I remember being taken down to matches by my grandad at Bradford Park Avenue, probably thirty odd years ago. A lot of my family are into cricket, so I’ve always been watching matches, listening on the radio, particularly during the summer holidays. Cricket has always been there.”
What is it about Yorkshire that has drawn you to supporting the Club?
“For a start, I’m from Yorkshire. You don’t live in Yorkshire and support anyone else, that’s just not right! As well, it’s the heritage and history, that’s what kind of gets you hooked. We are the greatest Club in the world, aren’t we? You can go anywhere in the world and no other club will have the same impact as Yorkshire.”
What is your fondest memory of Yorkshire cricket?
“That is probably a bit less cricket related for me. My eldest son, Isaac, is autistic and he absolutely loves cricket and Yorkshire. He is genuinely completely obsessed. A couple of year’s ago, the Club was kind enough to make him ‘fan of the match’ for the Roses match. He got to be on the big screen, went on the pitch and met the players. It was absolutely amazing to see his face when Glenn Maxwell came over, picked him up and gave him a cuddle. Moments like that can never be forgotten.”
What is your favourite ground and why?
“I love Scarborough! It’s great how close you feel to the cricket. We sit on the front row of the stand and you can almost rest your feet on the boundary rope. You feel like you are part of the match. You can be walking round looking for a cup of coffee and players and coaches will be walking past you. It looks gorgeous, and you just feel good when you’re there. It’s one of those places, as soon as you step foot through the turnstiles, no matter what mood you were in, you’ll be happy again.”
Who is your favourite current player and why?
“My favourite current player is Tim Bresnan. I’ve seen him play for England, seen his passion when he plays for Yorkshire. To see the wickets that he took against Lancashire in 2017 (A six-wicket haul and a run out in the T20 Blast) and then him tearing across the pitch celebrating, the man bleeds white rose. He’s Yorkshire through and through. He’s brilliant with fans as well. Whenever you see him after a T20, when he’s signing stuff, he really engages with the kids. He’s happy to stop and have a chat with anyone.”
Yorkshire supporters are known for being very passionate about their county and cricket team, would you put yourself in that bracket?
“Yeah definitely. Yorkshire cricket is the pinnacle of the world isn’t it. From club cricket that I’m getting my kids into, all the way to watching Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Adil Rashid playing for England. When you watch them play, you’re not watching an England player, you’re watching a Yorkshire player playing for England.
“I see the passion every day. I set up an unofficial supporters’ group (Reasonable Tykes – Yorkshire County Cricket Supporters) on Facebook, we have got just over 600 members and everyday there’s people on there showing off about Yorkshire. It’s ridiculous the amount of love and passion people feel for this county.”
What are you most looking forward to during the 2019 season?
“Some matches where I’m not chewing finger nails all season. I want to see some good cricket. I want to see some of the young lads coming through and start to cement their places. We’ve got some brilliant players coming through. I know we’re still in flux, but I think we’ve got a brilliant coach and a good backroom staff so I’m looking forward to us not being in a relegation battle.”
Which young player in the current squad do you think will breakthrough next year and why?
“Towards the backend of last season, I think the player that impressed me most was Josh Shaw. He seemed to discover a little bit of something new in himself. Almost Patterson-esque with his line, length and rhythm. I can see Shaw coming in and doing a really good job for us next season.”
How do you see the 2019 season going for Yorkshire CCC?
“I think it will be better than the last couple of seasons. From some of the performances towards the end of last year, it looked like some of the players were getting their confidence back. White ball, I can see us getting through into the latter stages, it would be good to see us at T20 Finals Day. In the Championship, I think it’s going to be a year of not fighting relegation, but maybe not winning it either.”
What is it about the experience at Emerald Headingley and Scarborough that makes it a good place to visit for you and your family?
“It’ somewhere we can go with the boys where we know they will have fun and will be completely safe. It’s exciting for the kids, meeting the players and it really instils in them a proper love for cricket.”
Want to take part in the next edition of ‘Members Mondays’? Get in touch with us at [email protected].
