A humble house...a humble street...where 104 years ago a baby boy was born who would light up the cricket world. A street where he would first learn to take a ball into his left hand.

A humble house...a humble street...where 104 years ago a baby boy was born who would light up the cricket world. A street where he would first learn to take a ball into his left hand.

This was the beautiful image painted by Douglas Verity - son of the great Hedley - as he stood with Yorkshire President Brian Close, right, for the unveiling of a Blue Plaque at 4 Welton Grove, Burley, Leeds, no more than a brisk walk from Headingley Cricket Ground.

Painstaking research spearheaded by Yorkshire County Cricket Club Archives Committee and its chairman, David Hall, has established that this was, indeed, the birthplace of the Yorkshire and England left-arm spinner who if he was not Yorkshire's greatest exponent of the art was second only to Wilfred Rhodes. The plaque was unveiled on August 19, 2009 - Day 1 of the Yorkshire v. Lancashire LV Championship match at Headingley Carnegie, which was the Club's Yorkshire Regiment Day.

The regiment - which has become a fixture at the home Roses matches - is the successor to the Green Howards - with whom Verity was serving as a captain when he died of wounds on July 31, 1943.

Douglas said at the ceremony: "In this house, 104 years ago, to a young couple - my grandparents, Hedley Verity Senior and his wife, Edith - my father was born. It is reasonable to assume that in this street my father first took a ball into his left hand - not knowing then that this small left arm would, some 20 years later, light up the cricketing world.

"To me the most significant thing about all this is the great hope that arrives with every newborn child - and with it the possibility that in any humble or, indeed, great house this child can turn out to be a Prime Minister or, indeed, the next Don Bradman.

"I thank all who have been responsible for commemorating this modest house, also everyone here today for their presence. I do hope that the value of the house will now increase for the present occupants - and that this will compensate them for their loss of privacy.

"God bless this house - and all who dwell here. And in that hope I humbly unveil this plaque."

Robin Smith, third picture, former President and Chairman of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, paid the Club's official tribute:

When Hedley Verity died of his wounds on July 31, 1943, during the Second World War, Yorkshire and English cricket lost one of their greatest bowlers.

In a long and distinguished tradition of slow left-armers, Verity was a master of his art - able to confound good batsmen on all types of pitches.

He was noted for his classical, high action and exemplary control of length and flight. A thoughtful and intelligent bowler, Verity was an astute judge of fellow cricketers.

He was also blessed with a placid, yet unflappable, character and natural dignity. Born on May 18, 1905, Verity played First Class cricket from 1930 to 1939.

He took 1,986 wickets - including 144 in 40 appearances for England - at an average of 14.87. Twice he claimed all 10 wickets in an innings: 10-36 against Warwickshire in 1931 and 10-10, including a hat trick, the following season against Nottinghamshire. On several other occasions Verity took nine in an innings.

In each of his nine full English seasons he captured at least 150 wickets. Three times (1935/6/7) the total was over 200. Yorkshire won the County Championship in seven of his 10 seasons. In one day in 1933 he took 17 wickets against Essex - and 14 fell to him in a single day during the 1934 Test against Australia at Lord's, when his match analysis was 15-104.

A patriotic man who believed in the rightness of Britain's course, shortly after the outbreak of war in 1939 Verity became an infantry officer in the 1st Battalion Green Howards. After manoeuvres in Northern Ireland in 1941 Verity's battalion was posted to India in early 1942, where he suffered badly from dysentery. Various postings in the Middle East followed, where training exercises for the invasion of Sicily were undertaken in March 1943. The initial few days of the campaign went well until July 1943, when the Green Howards launched an attack on the German position at Catanca.

Verity's company advanced under heavy fire. Leading a group forward across a cornfield to silence a strongpoint, Verity was hit in the chest, but still exhorted his men to "keep going". Severely wounded, he was captured the next morning by the Germans. After being operated upon, Verity was transferred to the mainland. He underwent another operation in an Italian military hospital at Casenta, near Naples, but died three days later. Verity had told a fellow prisoner of war: "I think I have played my last innings for Yorkshire."

HEDLEY VERITY

By David Fine, Yorkshire County Cricket Club Poet in Residence

No one should die here, except in peace.
News travelled slowly; weeks, months or more passed
till all those who knew you heard of a hill
in Sicily, of wounds, of capture and death.

One more soldier, one more war,
where is its honour, except in us all,
to fight the aggressor who lives
in our breath, who heeds no call.

Listen, it is the sound of a ball
beating bat, another wicket falls
in a ground well-hallowed:
the silence of dismissal
the ideal epistle
instant as the game goes on.

A lelegram or a letter, perhaps a telephone call,
their mute finality makes no sense at all.
Words march against destiny's
order, fight those that are wrong
with the perfect flight of reason
to find, share and love in history's throng.

It is our duty to cease yet care for others' fall,
none should die, nor live, except in peace

Hedley Verity was arguably the best English slow left-armer ever. Wilfred Rhodes, whom he replaced in the Yorkshire team and who said "He'll do" is deemed top, and Derek Underwood - "Deadly" - President of the MCC, is seen as No. 3 of a triumverate. In 1934 Verity took 15 wickets, 14 in one day, against Australia - Bradman twice - for England's last Ashes victory at Lord's until 2009. Two years earlier in the Bodyline series he had stopped one end while the quicks did their best/worst at the other.

Bugler from the Yorkshire Regiment (Formerly the Green Howards), Civic Trust Chairman Peter Baker, Douglas Verity, Yorkshire President Brian Close and former Yorkshire President and Chairman Robin Smith.

The Yorkshire County Cricket Club is indebted to the Yorkshire Post and JAMES HARDISTY for making their picture file available to this webpage.