Mustoe’s joy at Festival crowds

The club enjoyed huge crowds for the Festival, including over 5,300 on the first day of the LVCC fixture against Durham, which was the largest Championship gate of the 2015 season anywhere in the country to date.

Mustoe said: “The good weather certainly helped, as well as the mammoth fixture between two title-challengers, which may have convinced some neutrals to come and watch one of the great games at North Marine Road.”

The festival dinner was a great success, with guests hearing speakers Andrew Gale and Jason Gillespie, who did a Q&A with cricket commentator Dave Callaghan.

Mustoe added: “This all helped increase the use of corporate hospitality in the marquee, making it the fullest yet for the club which ensured that more people enjoyed the use of our fantastic facilities.”

He added: “The LV County Championship game put every supporter through the full range of emotions.

“From despair as Yorkshire fell to 162 all out on the first afternoon, all the way to delight within just one day as Glenn Maxwell and Adil Rashid put on a 248-run partnership, breaking a 104-year-old sixth-wicket record at Scarborough.

“The loss of a day’s play doesn’t effect the club financially as we don’t plan for a fourth day of a match, but the increased crowds on the three days with play ensured we saw a fantastic game of county cricket.

“The Festival was a massive success for cricket, not just Yorkshire, as it proved that the longer format can still attract the sort of crowds that would only usually be seen at a T20 match.

“Jason Gillespie told us that Scarborough is the quickest and best pitch in the country.

“He also said the standard of cricket increased when teams played on pitches like the ones at Scarborough, with the four-day pitch being one of the closest pitches he has seen in England to the one at the WACA in Perth.”