With Yorkshire’s forces having been reduced in number due to retirements and deaths over the previous few years it comes as no surprise to find that a total of five cricketers made their first appearances for Yorkshire in 1919. Three of them had distinguished careers but another one remains an all-time great. The photo of a young Herbert Sutcliffe is by courtesy of Mick Pope.

Yorkshire’s first game of the 1919 season began on May 26th, was against Gloucestershire at the Spa Ground, Gloucester and the team contained two debutants. Batting at number six in the order was Herbert Sutcliffe; his score of 11 was no indication of the greatness that was to come. Yorkshire had lost opening batsman Benny Wilson to retirement and Sutcliffe was soon replacing him at the top of the order. Although he has been profiled in these columns previously, his stature demands that some of his achievements require repetition.

For Yorkshire he holds the records for most runs in a season, most in a career, most centuries in a season and most in a career. He was the only batsman from any county to score at least 1,000 runs in all of the 21 seasons between the two World Wars. For England, he remains the only batsman with a career average of over 60 and the only batsman to twice score two centuries in a Test.

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