[15] But the committee was unable to persuade other clubs that it was not seeking to promote Sheffield cricket and a lack of funds prevented some matches being played in 1862.

[15] Like most first-class cricket clubs of the time, Yorkshire relied on private patronage with administrators "paying to serve" and "moneyed enthusiasts" acting as ready match sponsors.

[16] Travel could be arduous, living away from home could be "rough" and sometimes the match fee was not enough to cover expenses, especially if, as was often a problem with early Yorkshire cricketers, "the ale-house was a temptation".

Conscious of the need to strengthen the club, Yorkshire instituted a Colts team of young players,[38] but replaced Iddison as captain at the end of the 1872 season.

The bowling attack was strong, the team contained some experienced players and critics believed Ephraim Lockwood to be the best professional batsman in the country.

[44] An influx of what proved to be effective new players saw Yorkshire finish second to Lancashire in the unofficial Championship for 1881, but more significant was the debut for the county of Lord Hawke, then aged 21.

[54] Previous captains had all been professionals: Roger Iddison (1863–1872), Joseph Rowbotham (1873 and 1875), Luke Greenwood (1874), Ephraim Lockwood (1876–1877) and Tom Emmett (1878–1882).

[55] In an obituary tribute, the editor of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack said that Lord Hawke's "strength of character was tested" when, as a young man on leaving Cambridge University, he undertook the responsibility of captaining the Yorkshire side, composed at that time of "elements that were not entirely harmonious".

[64] These included Jack Brown, David Hunter and Stanley Jackson, while Bobby Peel was becoming increasingly effective as a bowling all-rounder.

[70] The team continued to develop as Brown and Tunnicliffe established an effective opening partnership backed up by Denton and Jackson while Peel, Wainwright and Hirst carried the bowling attack.

[66] Hawke began the practice of paying the professionals over the winter, initially £2 per week; the scheme was later modified to include bonuses.

Yorkshire won their third Championship in 1898 and narrowly failed in 1899 when only a defeat late in the season by Kent prevented the retention of the title.

[74] When Joseph Wolstinholm retired as club secretary after the 1902 season, he was succeeded by Frederick Toone who held the post until his death in June 1930 and formed a successful liaison with Hawke.

Players who had received their county cap were obliged to join the Cricketers' Friendly Society and were paid a winter wage of £2 a week.

While Hirst, Rhodes and Denton continued to excel, Yorkshire gained much in the last four years before the war from two new all-rounders, Major Booth and Alonzo Drake, both of whom were an outstanding success.

[78] He was succeeded by Everard Radcliffe, who held the post until the end of the 1911 season; and then by Sir Archibald White, who led the team until the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914.

The team won 25 games in 1923, for instance, with Rhodes and Roy Kilner doing the double in these matches alone, while four other batsmen scored 1,000 runs and three other bowlers, including George Macaulay, took 100 wickets.

The importance of this match reached a peak during the inter-war period when, for many years, Yorkshire and Lancashire were the dominant teams in English cricket.

[citation needed] Large crowds flocked to the cricket after the Second World War with 47,000 people attending the 3 days of the Roses Match at Bramall Lane in 1946.

New players after the war included spinner Johnny Wardle, all-rounder Brian Close and fast bowler Fred Trueman.

The team included Fred Trueman, all-rounder Ray Illingworth, wicket-keeper Jimmy Binks and Test batsmen Geoffrey Boycott, Doug Padgett, Phil Sharpe and John Hampshire.

There was sadness too in 1973 when Bramall Lane, the club's first ever home, was finally closed to cricket after over 400 first-class matches and was converted into a specialist football stadium.

Success continued to elude Yorkshire although Phil Carrick led the team to a Benson and Hedges Cup triumph in 1987.

In 1992, the birth qualification rule was first modified to include those who had been educated within the county, a dispensation that allowed Michael Vaughan to play; and was then eventually abandoned altogether.

[citation needed] There had for many years been a controversial issue about the apparent inability of players from Yorkshire's large ethnic minority population to make their way at the club.

[84] After swiftly regaining promotion, Gillespie set about revamping the team who made a strong title challenge in 2013, eventually finishing runners-up.

[91] The club also announced plans to redevelop the Winter shed (North) stand on 25 August 2006 providing a £12.5 million pavilion complex.

At the other extreme, Wilfred Rhodes is supposed to have been the de facto captain from 1920 to 1930, but it was Major Arthur Lupton who restored discipline to the side when a row erupted between Yorkshire and Middlesex in 1924.

"[101] In view of this, it is perhaps surprising that, when Arthur Lupton retired at the end of the 1927 season, Hawke was one of the sponsors of the suggestion that Herbert Sutcliffe should become Yorkshire captain.

In the event, there was sufficient opposition to the idea amongst the Yorkshire committee and players (some of the latter felt that Wilfred Rhodes, as senior professional, had a prior claim), that the proposal was dropped.