Yorkshire captaincy affair of 1927

At Yorkshire, a succession of amateur captains held office in the 1920s, on the grounds of their supposed leadership qualities, although they were not worth their place in the team as cricketers.

None lasted long; after Lupton's departure some members felt it was time to appoint a more accomplished cricketer on a long-term basis.

The Yorkshire committee, prompted by the influential county president, Lord Hawke, approached Herbert Sutcliffe, one of the side's leading professionals.

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.

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.

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.

[8][9] 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.

The crowd became very antagonistic and a Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) enquiry found that a Yorkshire player had incited the unrest.

His resignation was possibly prompted by the Yorkshire president, Lord Hawke, but Wilson did not like the belligerent nature of the team and found it difficult to handle Rhodes.

[10] 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.

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.

[9] 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.

However, Sutcliffe was unusual among professionals: he had received a commission in the British Army in the First World War, his appearance was always immaculate and when speaking he altered his accent to fit what he considered a better class of society.

[7] Sutcliffe was en route to South Africa with the MCC touring team, but was aware that Yorkshire were considering him as a replacement for Lupton.

Other members wrote to support Sutcliffe's selection, glad a professional was openly appointed; they thought the team would be strengthened by the decision.

When news reached the Yorkshire committee on 18 December, they appointed William Worsley, who had refused the leadership in 1924 due to farming commitments.

[21] The Yorkshire Post also paid tribute to Sutcliffe and the way he handled himself, noting that while a conflict of opinion had been inevitable, it was "carried to unreasonable lengths".

[21] Commenting on the affair, The Times expressed regret that Sutcliffe had felt obliged to turn down the leadership; it noted that amateur captains were preferable in reminding people that cricket was only a game, but that there was nothing in principle to prevent a professional from performing the role.

However, half the value of a captain is gone if, before he takes up his duties, people begin to question whether he is the right man for the position, and Sutcliffe has been well-advised to recognise this fact.

"[25] The newspaper also pointed out that it might have been difficult to choose a skipper from a group of professionals who considered themselves eligible for the role; it added that Rhodes might have found it hard to captain the side as bowlers had historically struggled to be good leaders.

[35] In later years, he told Bill Bowes that Jack Hobbs, Sutcliffe's opening partner on the national side, should have been made England captain.