After the 1970 season Yorkshire skipper Brian Close had been sacked in dramatic and controversial circumstances. Although the county had performed poorly in the one-day competitions – the official reason for his dismissal – Close had given the county hope by rising nine places to finish in fourth place in the County Championship. Paul Dyson gives an account of what happened in the first season under a new captain.

There was no doubt that Geoff Boycott was easily Yorkshire’s best player when 1971 dawned. However, could the opening batsman, with his regular England commitments, develop the new younger players who were coming on the scene now that the hugely successful side of the 1960s was breaking up even more than it had already done so? Also, was he the type of captain who could encourage others to perform at his own high standards? These were questions which must have been on the minds of the Yorkshire CCC committee which appointed him and it could well have been seen as a gamble.

Related News

View all news
Harry Brook

Harry Brook wins Bob Willis Trophy at Cricket Writers Club Annual Awards

The Yorkshire and England star received the award, named after the outstanding former England fast bowler and broadcaster, just two years after being voted the CWC's Young Cricketer of the Year.

Read more
Headingley cricket ground

YCCC partners' Christmas offers

As Yorkshire members and fans, you can take advantage of our partners' Christmas offers!

Read more
The Yorkshire Vikings and Northern Diamonds team in a group photo at Headingley

Men's and women's 2024 domestic fixtures released

Yorkshire Cricket and Northern Diamond’s domestic fixtures for the 2024 season have been released.

Read more
An image of Lauren Winfield-Hill and Adil Rashid, with the Yorkshire logo and Northern Diamonds logo in the middle

Sign up to our newsletter

For all the latest news, previews, ticket, membership and Premium Experiences information and more exciting content from Yorkshire Cricket and the Northern Diamonds straight to your inbox, subscribe now.

To view our privacy policy, click here.