That was Cardus the romantic writer; there was also Cardus the realistic reporter. He told us straight about the defensiveness of Roses cricket in a match report for The Guardian in 1920: “This has been a day of spineless cricket. Five hours and a quarter’s play – an innings of 208 by Yorkshire, with a half-hearted response of 77 for five from Lancashire. In all that time we have had not more than 10 minutes of batting worth walking a hundred yards to see.”
So dour did Roses cricket become that all eight encounters from 1928-31 inclusive were drawn. From 1946-53 inclusive, out of 16 derbies, one had a definite result: a win for Lancashire by 14 runs after Brian Close had fallen over mid-pitch in the run-chase. Even after the first-class counties tried limited-overs cricket from 1963 and scoring rates climbed, nine out of 10 Roses games in the first half of the 1970s ended in draws. Give ’em nowt.
The last Roses championship match occurred in 2022. Yorkshire subsequently have been in the second division. They might even remain there, for all their talent, if they keep on making declarations like they did earlier this season: they set Gloucestershire, who have forgotten how to win a red-ball match, a target of 498 in less than four sessions, with rain around. It would have been the third-highest successful chase ever in the championship, had it happened.
The first proper Roses match occurred in 1867, although the odd fixture had been played before then, and it was so popular that Yorkshire played Lancashire in three matches, and won them all. Overall Yorkshire lead 84-56, with almost half of the 274 championship matches drawn. Lancashire did not do the double from 1893 till 1960, but the Red Rose is ahead in limited-overs competitions.
A T20 Roses match is still the biggest match in the calendar of both counties, whether at Old Trafford or Headingley, having an extra spice because of all the traditions. A batsman might be slightly more careful about getting out cheaply. If not “no fours before lunch” then “no sixes in the first over.”