Blue plaque commemorates careers of two of cricket's greatest ever players
A blue plaque has been unveiled to honour two of England and Yorkshire's cricketing heroes from yesteryear.
Leeds Civic Trust held the ceremony at Pudsey St. Lawrence Cricket Club where Herbert Sutcliffe and Sir Leonard Hutton both began their careers.
The plaque to Sutcliffe (1894-1978) Hutton (1916-1990) reads: “These outstanding batsmen for Yorkshire and England learnt to play cricket on this ground. Sutcliffe holds the highest England career Test Average of 60.73. Hutton, by scoring 364 v Australia in 1938,made the highest individual score by an Englishman in Test cricket.”
Hutton’s sons, Richard and John Hutton did the unveiling.
Keith H Moss MBE, President Emeritus of Pudsey St Lawrence Cricket Club, said: “For a club to develop and nurture a world class cricketer is a great achievement; to produce two contemporary players is quite remarkable.
“World class is at times an overused expression; in the case of Hutton and Sutcliffe they are a well deserved accolade.
“The club is most grateful to Leeds Civic Trust for the keen interest it has have shown in producing the plaque, thus honouring two great men.”
Sutcliffe represented Yorkshire and England as an opening right-handed batsman. Apart from one match in 1945, his career spanned the period between the two world wars.
Hutton made his debut for Yorkshire in 1934. By 1937, he was playing for England and when the war interrupted his career. During the war, he received a serious injury to his arm forcing him to alter his batting style but he remains statistically among the best batsmen to have played Test cricket.
The blue plaques scheme promotes local heritage.