Tom Lancelot Taylor, president of the Yorkshire County Cricket Club and a former county player, died at his home at Chapel Allerton, Leeds, on March 16 at the age of 81. He was born in Yorkshire on May 25, 1878, and was educated at Uppingham and at Trinity College, Cambridge, showing from the beginning a tremendous keenness 'on the cricket field both as a batsman and wicketkeeper. For three years (the last two as captain) he was in the Uppingham XI, and in his last year, in 1896, he was considered the best public school batsman of the year with an average exceeding 84, among his scores being 100 against Repton.

An aggressive batsman with many brilliant strokes, he first played for Cambridge University in 1897 and secured his blue the following year. He played many splendid innings for the University, including a fine 110 against the Australians in 1899, and captained the side in 1900 when he hit 120 against Surrey at the Oval. He made his first appearance for Yorkshire in 1899 and his fluent stroke-play, especially the drive, brought him many runs in county cricket. In the early years of the century he was one of the most consistent scorers for Yorkshire, and in 1902 particularly, when he exceeded 1,500 runs in first-class matches, he played very well on a series of difficult wickets and was chosen as 12th man in the Test match against Australia at Lord's. In that year he scored five centuries, including one for the Gentlemen against the Players at Scarborough, and headed the Yorkshire batting with an average of over 40. The highest score of his career was 156 against Hampshire at Harrogate in 1901, and at the close of the following season he visited Australia and New Zealand as a member of Lord Hawke's side.

In 1906, having scored over 5,000 runs in a brief career, he dropped out of first-class cricket to devote his time to the family business. There followed a distinguished business career during which he became one of the leading figures in the engineering industry. In 1926, together with Sir Stanley Jackson, he was presented with a life membership of the Yorkshire County Cricket Club, and in 1947 he succeeded Sir Stanley as president. A familiar figure on all Yorkshire's grounds, he exerted a great influence on the county's cricket and was a constant advocate of bold batsmanship and zestful fielding. On several occasions he was president of the Scarborough Festival, where his generous hospitality was enjoyed by many. He also attained a high standard at hockey - for which he gained his blue and captained Cambridge as well as playing for England - and at lawn tennis. He was a sincere and well-loved man who will be missed by many, especially in Yorkshire.
The Cricketer