Died aged 84, I will never forget him being recalled to the England team in the seventies, at the age of 45 (his debut was in 1949!) to face the West Indies. His strategy against the quicks was to fend them off with his chest, leading to Freddie Trueman's immortal line "Aah, spring is here, and with it the traditional sound of leather hitting Brian Close" Close was a controversial figure all his career, but won 6 of his 7 tests as England captain and did a lot to develop Viv Richards and Ian Botham at Somerset.
Was he a cricketer? If so, never heard of him. Thought your cul de sac had been demolished at first, going by the thread title.
When I first got into cricket in the mid 60s Close was captain of Yorkshire in that great side that included Boycott, Illingworth and Trueman. They were almost invincible in the days when test players played a full county season as well as the tests. His recall in the 70s to face the Windies pace attack summed up English cricket at the time, and you might remember the famous picture of Close taken in the dressing room revealing the bruises from constantly being hit in the chest by high-speed deliveries in the days when batsmen only wore a cap. The ultimate hardman of cricket and a born leader as his subsequent success at Somerset proved and a major influence on the career of Ian Botham. He was also a gifted footballer and could have had a successful career in that as well having played professionally in the era when playing both was possible. A sad day for cricket...
Still holds the record as the youngest (18) man to have played test cricket for England. RIP Brian, you can now take your place in the pavilion in the sky. Here's a nice write-up from Vic Marks ... http://www.theguardian.com/sport/bl...re-botham-richards-vic-marks?CMP=share_btn_tw
Incredible that his test playing career spanned 26 years.....facing the likes of Andy Roberts and Michael Holding in the 70's when he should have been putting his feet up......he had some guts. A sad few days.....
Part of my childhood watching cricket - seems like he had a good innings. Interesting to note that he was also a footballer:- As well as cricket, Close was also proficient at football, to such an extent that he was signed as an amateur by Leeds United. He became the first Leeds player to play international football at youth level, when in October 1948 he played for England against Scotland at Pittodrie Park in Aberdeen.[6] Association football career Playing position Forward Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1949–1950 Leeds United 0 (0) 1950–1952 Arsenal 0 (0) 1952–1953 Bradford City 6 (2) National team 1948 England U18 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Close
Found this clip of Brian Close facing Michael Holding in 1976, 90+mph with no helmet, or the other swathes of gear today's cricketers enjoy. there was no limit on bouncers either and Holding took full advantage, not for the faint-hearted...
Outstanding (and yes it is funny too Swords). Read today that at some point in this series Viv Richards was fielding at short leg and was worried about Close, his county captain. He muttered 'are you alright Cappy?' so the rest of the Windies team couldn't hear him being soft on the opposition. Close told him to **** off.
