Cricket heroes

Colin Blythe. Reproduced by kind permission of Kent County Cricket Club

During World War One (1914-18) the enlistment of sporting heroes was seen as a powerful propaganda tool for the Army's recruiting campaign. Young men were urged to follow their example. Rugby players, footballers and cricketers all flocked to the Colours. Over 200 county cricketers served in the Army. Of these, 34 were killed in action.

Cricketer of the Year

Among the latter was Kent's Colin Blythe, who took 100 wickets for England in 19 test matches at an average of 18.63. An exceptionally skilful spin bowler, Blythe was Wisden's Cricketer of the Year in 1904.

In 1907 he took 15 for 99 in the second test against South Africa at Headingley. In his last three seasons before the war Blythe headed the first-class bowling averages in England.

Passchendaele

On the outbreak of war in 1914 Blythe joined the King's Own (Yorkshire Light Infantry). Sergeant Blythe was serving with the 12th (S) Battalion when he was killed by random shell-fire on the railway between Pimmern and Forest Hall near Passchendaele on 8 November 1917. He is buried at Oxford Road Cemetery in Belgium.

M. W. Booth of Yorkshire CCC. Reproduced courtesy of Marylebone Cricket Club

'Major' Booth

The all-rounder Major William Booth (Major was his Christian name, not rank) played for Yorkshire between 1908 and 1914, the year in which he was named one of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year. In 1913 he made over 1,200 runs and took 181 wickets in first-class matches - the highest number of wickets by any bowler that season.

Booth played test cricket for England during the 1913-14 tour of South Africa. He took part in the first test at Durban and the fifth at Port Elizabeth, scoring 46 runs and taking seven wickets in the two matches. This was the last pre-war test series.

1 July 1916

Booth joined the Army and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. He first served in Eygpt in 1915 before being shipped to the Western Front. Booth was killed in action near La Cigny on the Somme on 1 July 1916 while serving with the 15^th(S) Battalion, The West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own), also known as 'The Leeds Pals'. He was buried at Serre Road Cemetery.

Australian hero

AIF recruiting lantern slide featuring Australian test cricketer Albert Cotter. P04366.001 © AWM

Albert Cotter of New South Wales was 20 when he was selected to bowl for Australia. In a nine-year international career he played in 21 tests, taking 89 wickets at an average of 28.64 runs. Cotter’s fast and short-pitched bowling caused outrage in the British newspapers when he first toured England in 1905.

During his first match he bowled a full toss at an elderly W. G. Grace, striking the batsman on the chest. Grace demanded that Cotter stop bowling at the body, but when Cotter continued he walked off in disgust.

Fast bowler joins the AIF

Burying the Allied and Turkish dead after the Battle of Beersheba, November 1917. NAM 2002-05-1-2

In April 1915 Cotter enlisted with the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). He joined the 1st Australian Light Horse Regiment, taking part in the Gallipoli campaign in 1915. Cotter later transferred to the 12th Australian Light Horse and was commended for his 'fine work under heavy fire' during the Second Battle of Gaza in 1917. On 31 October 1917 the 4th Light Horse Brigade, of which the 12th were part, captured Beersheba in a brilliant cavalry charge. Trooper Cotter, serving as a stretcher-bearer, was shot dead by a sniper as the troops dismounted to engage the enemy.

Hedley Verity (left) with Norman Yardley, c1941. © Green Howards Museum

Verity of Yorkshire

Hedley Verity was one of Yorkshire and England's greatest ever spin bowlers. He was mortally wounded during the invasion of Sicily in July 1943 while serving with The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment).

Before being posted overseas with his unit, Verity initially served at the Green Howards Depot in Richmond. There he served alongside three other Yorkshire cricketing heroes, Captain Herbert Sutcliffe, Lieutenant Norman Yardley and Sergeant Leonard Hutton, who was a Physical Training Instructor.

Leading by example

Captain Verity was shot in the chest while leading his men in a charge against a line of heavily-defended German pillboxes near Cantania in eastern Sicily. After he was hit he continued to shout ‘Keep going!’ to his men. Lying wounded in a military hospital in Italy, he is said to have declared, ‘I think I have played my last innings for Yorkshire.’ He died shortly after on 31 July.

Embarking on landing craft for the invasion of Sicily, July 1943. NAM 1985-11-36-47

King of spin

Verity is the only man to have taken 10 wickets for 10 runs in first class cricket. In the last game he played before World War Two (1939-45), he took seven wickets for nine runs against Sussex at Hove.

He played for England in 40 test matches, taking 144 wickets at 24.37 runs each. Verity holds the record for taking 14 test wickets in one day, during England's Ashes victory at Lord's in 1934.

Hedley v The Don

During his career Verity took Sir Don Bradman's wicket more times than any other test bowler. In the 16 tests that they played together Verity conceded just 401 runs to Bradman and claimed his wicket eight times. Bradman scored at only half of his career average (99.94) against Verity.

His first-class career figures were 1956 wickets at 14.87 runs each. In 1933, 1935, 1937 and 1939 he had the lowest bowling averages in England. In 1932 Verity was named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year.