Philip Sharpe instals Jim Love as Player President

President to President: Jim Love, left, is installed as President of Yorkshire Players’ Association by retiring President Philip Sharpe at the Association’s annual general meeting.

Jim Love, left, is installed as President of the Yorkshire Players’ Association by retiring President Philip Sharpe at the Association’s 2011 annual general meeting.

Philip is pictured against the backcloth of the Anthony Woodhouse Library in Yorkshire Cricket Centre wearing the Past President’s Jewel which he received from Jim on behalf of the Players' Association.

Jim, who played for Yorkshire between 1975 and 1989, scored 10,263 First Class runs with 13 centuries. He also scored 4,298 one-day runs for his native county and represented England on three occasions in one-day matches.

Chairman Bryan Stott reported that as the Association moved into its sixth year of fellowship and friendship they could look back on another successful winter lunch at Fulford Golf Club, the varied experiences gained from last summer’s lunch in the new Headingley Carnegie pavilion and a very enjoyable annual dinner shared with many Yorkshire County Cricket Club members and friends.

Sincere thanks were due to Secretary Geoff Cope for organising the successful dinner and to Treasurer David Ryder for keeping strict control over the finances. The best bit for Bryan had been to see Director of Professional Cricket Martyn Moxon’s happy group giving their support to the dinner and obviously enjoying the reception they deserved for their performances in 2010.

Pride of place for the year went to the Association’s Discretionary Fund Committee, which had sanctioned a grant of £1,000 each to the two newly contracted players, Moin Ashraf and Gurman Randhawa, as contributions towards the pre-season tour of Barbados.

The Anthony Woodhouse Library of Yorkshire Cricket was up and running in the conference room at Yorkshire Cricket Centre, and Bryan’s hope was that the Academy, coaches and other squad members would use it and gain inspiration. Thanks were due to Tony’s widow, Audrey, for giving many books from Tony’s collection to make the library possible.

Following a proposal by Brian Close the previous year, it had been decided to go ahead with a Players’ Association Presidents’ Honours Board to be sited at the top of the stairs in the East Stand Long Room near the YCCC Presiden’s’ Medal Board.

Bryan stressed that membership of Yorkshire CCC Players’ Association was open to anyone who had played a match for the First or Second Eleven: “Younger members, particularly, are the life-blood of the Association, but anyone of any age who is qualified to join will be made most welcome.”