Shefeltthatthiswastheir lasthope, and that ifNikolay were to refuse the match she had foundforhim she must bid farewellfor ever to all chanceofimprovingtheir position.
The Australian, in his farewellmatch for the club, reached 339, the highest score at Headingley, and just short of George Hirst's 341 at Leics in 1905.
At the time of the initial statement, there was the offer of an appearance in a farewell friendly match but Beckham did not consider it at that stage because he felt he still had an England future.