Just passed away, I remember very well watching him face the West Indian pace attack in that summer of '76. No body armour or helmets in those days. Played his last first class match for Yorkshire in 1985 aged 55 and made his England debut in 1949 aged 18. What a life he has had.
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/sep/14/brian-close-dies-cricket
A true legend a honourable hard man of cricket
My sporting nearly-claim-to-fame is that I very, very nearly caught Closey at mid off - if he'd just hit it a smidgen harder...
As it is, the nearest I've got to a sporting claim to fame is having played against ex Yorkshire and England Captain Brian Close. And I'm more than happy with that to be honest.
A true gent, he was, too.
edlong you got to stand on the same field as him. Arguably thats better than getting him out
Great captain of Yorkshire, Somerset and England = good that Yorkshire retained the championship last week.
I started a thread earlier but clearly Jambo's more popular than me 🙁
So I'll repost my Brian Close anecdote here
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I recall an anecdote at a cricket dinner, where i think Jack Birkenshaw was the speaker. Close had put himself at short leg (days before helmets, fielding pads, etc.) and was fielding about 6 feet from the bat.
You're too close Brian, you'll never catch it there said the bowler. I'm not planning to said Close. Just make sure you buggers catch it when it rebounds off me!
Hard man.
There was a great piece about him on Talksport during H&J earlier.
Brilliant captain and leader, would never ask anyone to do anything
He wasn't prepared to do himself.
The footage of him at the Oval during the 76 "make them grovel' series still makes me wince!
To face Michael 'whispering death' Holding in full flow with no
Helmet or arm/body pads was sheer bravery.
Hard as nails.
Helmet or arm/body pads was sheer bravery.
He did have a towel and it was Old Trafford - [url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/11863319/Brian-Close-was-the-bravest-man-to-ever-play-cricket.html ]nice article here[/url], which includes, apropos the otherjonv's post, this
As a fielder Close was no less renowned for his bravery. The story was that when a ball hit him on the head at short-leg, he shouted “catch it!” Eric Morecombe joked that the start of the cricket season was the sound of leather on Brian Close.