Second-team scorer goes back for the future

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Yorkshire’s new Second XI scorer, Howard Clayton, will make his debut on April 11 at the same venue where he scored his very first league match almost exactly 47 years ago.

Born in Saltburn, Howard attended Acklam Hall Grammar School, Middlesbrough, in September, 1963 - Chris Old then being in the sixth form - and after scoring for the School First XI the following summer he was asked if he would score for Marton First XI in the North Yorks and South Durham League.

His first game was at Marton Cricket Club in 1965 and that is where he will score the three-day friendly between Durham Seconds and Yorkshire Seconds, Durham being the home side.

Howard takes over from Michael Snook who has now shut his book and put away his pens after acting as Second XI scorer since July, 1996.

A member of the Association of County Cricket Scorers, Howard is also editor of the First Class Counties’ Second XI annual. He began scoring for England Under 19s in 1990 and has completed 22 years with 140 internationals, many of them on his nine overseas tours.

For the past 10 he has been scorer for the Leeds-Bradford MCCU side, and since 2008 the ECB have used him as media/press box scorer in 31 appointments.