Headingley Heroes was the theme of a recent dinner to celebrate the famous feats of cricketers and rugby league stars whose achievements have made Headingley one of the best-known stadiums in world sport
You knew you were going to experience a memorable evening in the Taverners’ Club at Headingley – its walls are covered with pictures of great cricketers such as Don Bradman and Len Hutton and photographs of outstanding Leeds rugby league teams from several eras – when the first people you see are Sir Geoffrey Boycott, 83, and Dickie Bird, 90.
Two of Yorkshire’s most distinguished sportsmen have the fondest memories of Headingley – Boycott scored his 100th first class 100 here against Australia in 1977, and Bird, cricket’s most respected umpire, officiated his first Test at the ground in 1973. Joining them were two of the best players ever to play for Leeds Rhinos, Danny McGuire (2001-17) and Jamie Peacock (2006-15), whose ground is next door.
It was a great shame that two heroes always associated with Headingley – Ian Botham for his brilliant innings of 149 not out against Australia in 1981, setting up one of the most sensational England victories in Ashes history, and rugby legend Lewis Jones, now 92, couldn’t be there.
However, the evening’s presentation paid a full tribute to both, and to fast bowler Bob Willis whose 8-43 spell in the 1981 Test destroyed Australia as, against all the odds, England won.
History shows that Yorkshire first played at Headingley in 1891 and a few years later in 1895, the first game at the rugby ground of what became rugby league, then Northern Union, took place between Leeds and Brighouse.
Many thrilling Tests, the first was against Australia in 1899, belong here, alongside supreme individual performances: two triple centuries by Bradman for Australia in 1930 and 1934, Yorkshire’s fast bowler Fred Trueman wrecking India’s batting on debut in 1952, Trueman again, ruining Australia in 1961 with 11 wickets in the match, and Ben Stokes’ heroic efforts and match-winning knocks in 2019 and this summer.
The dinner rightly highlighted Hedley Verity, the Yorkshire and England spinner who amazingly took 10-10 against Nottinghamshire at Headingley in 1932, the best figures in cricket history by a bowler taking 10 wickets in an innings.
Illustrious Leeds rugby league stars featured prominently throughout the event: from the 1930s, Eric Harris (392 tries), Arthur Clues (1947-1954), Bert Cook (1947- 1953), 556 goals, Lewis Jones (1952-1964), scorer of 2,920 points for Leeds, and more lately, Rob Burrow, Kevin Sinfield, Danny McGuire and Jamie Peacock.
‘I came here as a child to watch Leeds play and
