CHAMPIONS…about bloomin’ time! By Graham Hardcastle and Chris Ostick (Max Books, £16.99) (From York Press)

CHAMPIONS…about bloomin’ time! By Graham Hardcastle and Chris Ostick (Max Books, £16.99)

10:26am Thursday 29th December 2011 in Books By Tony Kelly, Deputy sports editor

YORKSHIRE’S avid cricketing fraternity will not like this suggestion – but perhaps they should take a peek inside this book.

Undoubtedly, it will be sacrilege for any of the White Rose ranks to even contemplate such an action, especially with their Red Roses rivals’ first County Championship conquest for 77 years coinciding with Yorkshire’s descent into division two. (How I loved writing that sentence).

But the insight this informative and eloquently authored tome presents as to what makes a title-winning team, could be a timely reminder for Yorkshire.

Next month the Broad Acres comes under the leadership of new coach Jason Gillespie.

One of Australia’s top pace men and ace competitors, Gillespie will bring fresh ideas to a new era for Yorkshire, one he and the rest of the county hopes will restore them to an instant return to the domestic game’s top tier.

The old enemy topped the county championship by a mixture of defiance and gung-ho, have-a-go derring-do in a campaign which is diligently captured and exhaustively detailed in this book, co-authored by Graham Hardcastle, the Yorkshire county cricket correspondent for The Press.

He and co-writer Chris Ostick have produced a triumph. All the championship matches are covered in entertaining and exact detail, complete with all the scorecards to satisfy that peculiar brand of statistics-lovers who so populate the summer game.

Interspersed with each match en route to the holy grail are illuminating pen-portraits of the entire Lancashire squad and their reflections on a glorious summer, plus articles on key members of the backroom staff.

Of particular note to Yorkshire fans will be the recall of the two championship Roses matches.

Both were feisty, controversial affairs brimming with needle, especially after Yorkshire skipper Andrew Gale had tipped the arch-foes for relegation before the first ball of the season had been bowled.

Both tussles, at Aigburth and Headingley respectively, ended with a rare brace of triumphs for Lancashire.

A great read, even if will stick in the Tykes’ craw.