Mitchell Arthur Image 1 Yorkshire 1932

Description

Baildon, Yorkshire born middle order batsman Arthur “Ticker” Mitchell was a solid, determined and sometimes dour  batsman who converted to become an opening batsman after the retirement of Percy Holmes in 1932. Nicknamed “Ticker” because of a habit of chatting to himself while batting, he was an accumulator of runs rather than a stroke maker, he very occasionally allowed himself to bat more freely, and when he did he revealed himself as a particularly fine cutter.

He had played for Yorkshire as early as 1922, but competition was fierce and in the next three years he had few chances. An innings of 189 against Northamptonshire in 1926 revealed his possibilities, but it was not until two years later that he at last got an assured place. So strong was the County’s batting that in 1930 he was one of five members of the side who averaged over 50. In those days he went in three, four or five, but after the retirement of Holmes in 1933 more often opened.

Unpretentious, perhaps unspectacular, but immensely effective and always prepared to adapt himself to the needs of the side. On his one appearance for the Players at Lord’s in 1934 he took two hours and five minutes over his first fifty and an hour later was out for 120. He scored centuries in four consecutive innings for Yorkshire in 1933.

Mitchell’s Test cricket career might have consisted of just three matches on the 1933-34 tour of India, when he performed without distinction in what was, in effect, an England second eleven, making his debut at Mumbai in December 1933. But an injury to Maurice Leyland just before the Headingley Test against South Africa in July 1935 led to Mitchell being summoned, literally, from his back garden. He took over three hours to score a valuable 58 and then made 72 in the second innings, he retained his place for the final Test at The Oval, and played once more, against India at Lord’s in June 1936, averaging 29.80 across his six Test matches.

He continued to play regularly up to the Second World War, but in 1945 became the county’s coach, a post he held until 1970, and he played his final match in 1947. Apart from his batting, he was one of the greatest fieldsmen of his day, Specialising close to the wicket, whether on the leg or the off. In the course of his career spanning 426 first class matches, he scored 19,523 runs with an average of 37.47, including 44 centuries and 98 half centuries. A very occasional bowler, he took 7 wickets in first class play with a best performance of 3-49, and also took 439 catches.

Brian Sellers, Yorkshire captain in the latter years of Mitchell’s career, said of him after his passing: “Cricket has lost a great personality and I have lost a very great friend and old team-mate. Arthur was a loyal supporter and hard worker for Yorkshire and he did extraordinarily good work as coach. He will be greatly missed by the club. He was a dedicated cricketer who worked hard at the game and became a resolute and determined player. His determination is shown in that he was a poor fielder in league cricket at first but he practised so much that he became one of the best in the world.”

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