As storms of controversy once again swamp Headingley, a perfectly topical new book looks back on The War of the White Roses: Yorkshire Cricket's Civil War, 1968-1986.

Events of the last week have reignited a rumbling dispute after the club urged its members to block Geoffrey Boycott's attempt to gain a seat on the board. The matter will be resolved at the club's AGM on March 26.

Meanwhile, Stuart Rayner’s uncannily timed book looks back thirty years on the roots of the in-fighting. In 1968 Yorkshire County Cricket Club was the dominant force in English cricket, yet by 1986 it had become one of the game's also-rans…

The War of the White Roses examines:

• How and why the all-conquering team of the 1960s was broken up and why it took Yorkshire decades to recover.
• Why captain Geoffrey Boycott’s on-field success did not translate into team silverware or personal popularity.
• How concerns about his Yorkshire future contributed to Boycott’s three-year England exile
• How an extraordinary protest from John Hampshire cost Yorkshire a victory yet earned him the captaincy.
• The story of how Boycott was suspended for breaching a contract clause which never existed.
• Why a 51-year-old Ray Illingworth was sacked after captaining Yorkshire to a first major trophy in 14 years.
• What inspired a group of ordinary fans to overthrow the club’s ruling committee.
• How combining playing with sitting on the committee hastened the end of Boycott’s career.
• Why Boycott’s last game of cricket was like his final England appearance – unhappy and unannounced.

Click here for more information, or to read a sample from The War of the White Roses.