The Fred Trueman Statue Appeal was baptised rather than launched on Monday with the unveiling of a Northern Rail train in the great man's name at Leeds City Station.

The Appeal, led by Northern Rail in partnership with Yorkshire CCC and Craven District Council, chose the wettest day in living memory for its launch - and I am sure that Fred himself would have been quite amused at being responsible on this occasion for setting an off-the-field record.

He would also have been deeply moved that the atrocious weather did not deter some of his greatest pals and closest colleagues from attending the launch, at which former Yorkshire and England captains Brian Close and Ray Illingworth and world-famous umpire Dickie Bird accompanied Fred's widow Veronica at the unveiling.

The party was then due to make the short journey up to Headingley Carnegie for the Roses Twenty20 match but by the time of the launch the match had already been abandoned because of a waterlogged ground.

I doubt whether that would have worried Close, Illingworth and Bird too much, however, because this form of the game is hardly their cup of tea.

As Illingworth has pointed out, 20-overs cricket is not new and he played it over half-a-century ago when it was known as works cricket.

Quite right, Raymond, but all who play or have played in that form of the game know that the approach is totally different to Twenty20.

For a start, there is no slogging the ball around in the first few overs, which is a time when the openers prefer to settle themselves in. It is only after a dozen overs or so that colleagues waiting to go in may pipe up: "Get on with it".

It is many years now since I played cricket for Bradford Press and the West Yorkshire Press but team-mates and opponents will agree that these matches were taken very seriously and there was certainly no larking about.

But back to the Appeal, which is to raise money for a statue of Fred to be sited in his adopted home town of Skipton, as well as to support art and grass-roots sports initiatives for children across the North.

Money will be raised through donations and the sale of limited-edition maquettes - miniature versions of the statue - that will be produced by Yorkshire sculptor Graham Ibbeson, who created the celebrated statue of Eric Morecambe doing the sunshine dance.

Heidi Mottram, managing director of Northern Rail, said: The arts and grass- roots initiatives will give children the chance to learn new skills and develop constructive interests - something that Fred would definitely have advocated."

The maquette collection, that includes 220mm high resin and bronze versions of the statue as well as a 100mm pewter model, are available from www.fieryfred.net and www.grahamibbeson.net. Prices are £160 (resin), £3,500 (bronze) and £64.95 (pewter).

Donations to the Appeal can be made by cash or cheque at all Skipton Building Society branches and at Skipton Town Hall Office, with cheques made payable to either Skipton Building Society or Craven District Council, with Fred Trueman Appeal written on the reverse.