Yorkshire were led out by World Cup winner George Laidlaw as they hosted England yesterday in the first ever Disability game to take place at Headingley.

At the age of 43, Laidlaw retired from all cricket last September, but he was asked to captain Yorkshire against an England Select XI in yesterday’s 30-over showcase friendly match.

In a hard-fought encounter, Brendon Parr proved the stand-out player, blasting a sensational 131 from only 90 balls, as England racked up a huge total of 240-4.

His captain Chris Edwards backed him up with 60 from 61 balls, as the pair put on 179 together for the third wicket.

The Bradford Premier League then had its moment in the spotlight, as Scholes wicket-keeper batsman Liam Thomas top scored in the Yorkshire reply.

He helped the hosts reach 89-2 from 11 overs, leaving them up with the rate and in with a chance of victory.

But from there it became a procession, and Thomas was the fifth man out, having scored 39, as Yorkshire were eventually dismissed for 155.

Thomas, as well as playing for Scholes in Division Two of the Bradford Premier, is also England’s Physical Disability vice-captain, but was representing his home county on this occasion.

Internationally, he will be looking to emulate Doncaster native Laidlaw, who has been there and virtually done it all in Disability cricket.

He won the Physical Disability World Cup in 2015 with England and the 2023 National Quest League title with Yorkshire for example.

Matt Bateman, who played for Yorkshire yesterday, has captained the team this year but handed leadership duties over to his predecessor for this one-off occasion.

Yorkshire president Jane Powell’s day job is the ECB’s Disability performance manager, and she put together a strong England side for the game, spanning three disability groups – Deaf, Physical Disability and Learning Disability.

As well as Laidlaw, Thomas and Bateman, Yorkshire’s team included internationals such as Adnan Ghani, Rob Hewitt, Alex Jervis and Jake Oakes.