Yorkshire captaincy affair of 1927

, in 1920: Rhodes was a possible successor to Major Lupton as captain, and the favoured choice of many members.|alt=A close up of a man in an MCC cap In the 1920s, every English county cricket team had an amateur captain. Yorkshire had been led by amateurs since Lord Hawke took over the position in 1883. Amateurs were usually from privileged backgrounds, while professionals were mainly from the working classes. Class distinctions pervaded the game, which was organised and administered by former and current amateurs. They wished to preserve leadership roles for members of the Establishment, in defiance of broader social changes that had reduced their influence in other sports. Administrators argued that amateurs were better captains as they were free from worries over employment. The Wisden editor believed that "the professional may have difficulty in enforcing discipline. He would naturally hesitate to suggest to his committee that this player or that should be dropped, and so be instrumental in depriving the man in question of some part of his livelihood. Further, feeling that an error of judgment would prejudice his standing with the committee, he might well hesitate to take risks." In 1925, Lord Hawke, then the Yorkshire president, expressing his hope that an amateur would always be available to captain the national side, had made the impromptu comment, "Pray God, no professional shall ever captain England." His remarks were widely reported in the press and heavily criticised. This was to leave Hawke in an awkward situation in 1927. By the end of the 1927 English cricket season, Yorkshire had had a succession of short-term captains. Generally, these men were neither sufficiently good players nor leaders to merit a position in the team, but Yorkshire's side was strong enough to include them in the interest of maintaining amateur leadership. Tactically, Yorkshire's success came not from the captain but from the influence of leading professionals Wilfred Rhodes and Emmott Robinson. The captain's primary role was the enforcement of discipline: maintaining an amicable attitude within the team during games and ensuring that umpires and opponents were respected. In the early 1920s, Yorkshire had been undisciplined on the field; cricket correspondent Jim Kilburn wrote that they were in danger of becoming "social outcasts", Yorkshire appointed Major Arthur Lupton as captain, hoping that his experience in the army would allow him to exercise greater control than his predecessors had managed. Aged 46, he was old for a cricketer. He had played once for Yorkshire in 1908, but was no longer an effective batsman. He was very popular with the players, and managed to improve discipline but had little influence on team tactics. He left such matters to Rhodes and Robinson, to the point where several apocryphal stories emerged about his lack of control. In one story, Yorkshire had scored around 400. Lupton, hoping to score some easy runs, came out of the amateur dressing room with his bat when a young professional touched his arm and said, "It's all right, sir. Mr Rhodes has declared [the innings over]." After three years in charge, Lupton resigned the captaincy at the end of 1927. In their search for a successor, Yorkshire hoped to appoint a player with a better cricketing reputation who would serve for a longer term. ==Appointment of Sutcliffe==

Initial approach At the beginning of the 1927 season, Yorkshire secretary Frederick Toone approached Wilfred Rhodes to suggest that he should resign from his position as senior professional. Rhodes declined, prompted by his wife's suspicion of a plot against him. This may have been an attempt by Yorkshire to clear the way for a new captain. Lord Hawke was in favour of appointing Herbert Sutcliffe, Hawke asked Sir Home Gordon, a cricket writer who had assisted Hawke with his autobiography, to sound out other counties to see if they would find Sutcliffe an acceptable captain if he played as an amateur—some players switched from amateur to professional, or vice versa, around this time. The first, to give Sutcliffe amateur status, was defeated by 19 votes to 5; the second, to appoint him captain, was carried 13–11. On 4 November, a Press Association correspondent informed Sutcliffe on board his ship that he had been appointed. Sutcliffe replied, "It is the biggest honour of my career ... I shall do my utmost to uphold the best traditions of Yorkshire and England cricket." However, six days later, having arrived in Cape Town, he sent a telegram stating, "I have not yet received by mail an official offer from the Yorkshire authorities of the captaincy of the Yorkshire team next season." Wisden said that "Yorkshire cricket circles were greatly perturbed by the announcement". In the Yorkshire Post, several members of the county club wrote to express their opinions. Some claimed it was too great a burden for a professional to captain the team while also earning a living through the game and therefore being concerned with his personal performances. Others said that Yorkshire's amateur leaders were not given enough opportunities to prove themselves before they were replaced. It was also argued that if a suitable amateur candidate was unavailable and a professional appointment unavoidable, Wilfred Rhodes was the senior professional and longest serving player. ==Aftermath==

Worsley captained for just two seasons. He struggled with the demands of fielding, while his batting was disappointing. However, he was widely respected by the team. He was slightly more effective in his second season as leader, after which he retired. The next skipper, Alan Barber, although regarded as successful, captained for just one season. He was a more accomplished batsman and a great disciplinarian. However, he chose a career in teaching, limiting his availability, and resigned. The captain after that, Frank Greenwood, also did not hold the post long, resigning due to business commitments. Lord Hawke, writing in 1932, noted there had been eight captains since he retired in 1910. While six of them won the County Championship in their first season in charge, he stated that "it is not good for a side to be always changing its captain". Only when Brian Sellers was appointed in 1933 did Yorkshire gain the leader they wanted. After skippering most games in 1932 during Greenwood's frequent absences, he remained in the role until 1947 and was considered the best county captain of his time. When Leicestershire appointed Ewart Astill as their captain for the 1935 season, he became the first professional to lead any county on a regular basis since the 19th century. Alan Gibson believed that Yorkshire erred in rejecting Sutcliffe. He further argued that, if appointed, Sutcliffe would have been made England Test captain in 1931 instead of Douglas Jardine and that he would have done a good job for several years. Sutcliffe later regretted withdrawing his acceptance. In later years, he told Bill Bowes that Jack Hobbs, Sutcliffe's opening partner on the national side, should have been made England captain. According to Bowes, he said, "Lord Hawke lifted professional cricket from there to there' ... raising his hand from knee to shoulder level. 'Professional cricketers lifted it to there,' he continued, raising his hand above his head, '—and even Lord Hawke wanted it back again. Jack Hobbs, for the sake of the professional cricketer, should have accepted." Sutcliffe's son Billy subsequently captained Yorkshire from 1956 to 1958. ==See also==