Brian Close is dead

Will have a drink in the Crown & Sceptre down by Taunton station this lunchtime to remember him. He used to keep a room above the pub during the summer when he joined Somerset as captain in his forties.

Played a massive part in making Botham and Viv Richards (especially the latter) the cricketers and the men they became.

When Close got floored by a bouncer while facing the W Indies for England at the age of about 45, a concerned Richards ran up to him and asked, "You OK, skipper?"

"FOOK OFF!" came the reply.

Will Beefy do the eulogy?

The batsman was also a footballer in his youth, playing for Leeds United, Arsenal and Bradford City.

Didn't know that !

Very sad news.

The bravest man to ever walk on a cricket pitch. Useful pro footballer too.

RIP indeed

Tough bloke and he loved a bet, RIP, one of my sporting heroes.

He ran a Fish & Chip shop in Leeds for quite a few years.
Was always generous with his portions.

What a hell of a side Yorkshire had in the 50s and 60s.

The 60s one that I remember so well, and watched many times was made up of the likes of

Boycott
Stott
Bolus
Ken Taylor
Don Wilson
Padgett
Nicholson
Close
Illingworth
Binks
Trueman
plus a good few more whose names escapeme for now.

No soft southern pansies or foreigners in that lot. All Yorkshireman!

You know the cricket season has arrived when you hear the sound of leather on Brian Close

Eric Morecambe

When I was a kid I had some cricket coaching off him.  One thing I remember is him chucking the ball at us as hard as he could from about 15 yards away because our hands needed toughening up.  He was right as well (everyone's catching was instantly improved!) although you couldn't do it today.  The other thing I remember was winning a fiver off him after getting him to get a thin nick on one in the nets   Top man

Think he ended his career as Pro for Todmorden in the Lancs League.
Wonder what Boycott's thoughts are today.

First test at 18, last at 45.

Last first class innings at 55.



According to Imran Khan, Close once stood his ground when fielding at short leg when a batsman played a pull shot, the ball hit him on the forehead, rebounded and was caught at cover.

The famous Holding over clip is up on the BBC sports page

I would love to have been fly on the wall when Close, Illingworth, Boycott and Trueman were perhaps having a free and frank exchange of opinions on a matter where they didn't quite see eye-to-eye.

One time I can remember at least three of those four ever being on the same page was when this farcical event took place. One of the most wincingly excruciating 'PC' moments in cricket history.

.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1492262.stm

Alun,i picked up fred truemans biography on holiday and the first chapter is devoted to a meeting of the four of them for lunch along with the author Chris Waters at the Devonshire Arms less than a year before Trueman's death.

Nice one.

Sharpe was an omission on your 60s Yorkshire team, kenny.

I've never really understood the big deal about Close's batting in that over by Holding.

How to play top class fast bowling? Rubbish! John Edrich at the other end played it far better in that he got out of the way and din't get hit.

How tough Close was? Well, yes to a degree (he didn't rub where he got pinged by Holding) but every batsman wore just a cap or went bareheaded in those days. They got hit and got on with it. In later years Gatting and Andy Lloyd got hospitalised by the Windies attack, but came back and batted again, which is arguably a more brave thing to do.

I think that over shows more what a white South African could stir up when he talks about a black man 'grovelling' tbh.

Agreed Rog.

Agreed.  Standing there and getting hit is not a very clever way of playing very fast short pitched bowling.  Perhaps that is why his test record isn't very impressive full stop.  In fact if he ever heard the likes of Kenny Mann and co eulogising about his career he'd prob say something witty and blunt like "fook off you wee vegetarian fairy nancy boy".   You see they don't mince their words up there as like. They say what they like and they like what oh you get the picture etc etc.

He might also call you a n1gg3r

Because he was a bit of a blunt, plain-speaking old racist was our Brian

A friend of mine once had an encounter with a certain F S Trueman at a petrol station in God's County. The conversation went like this :

My friend : "Hello Mr Trueman"
FST :  "F*** off son".

I think we'll all agree, a most delightful and fragrant chap.

He played 22 test matches in 27 years.  He scored 887 runs at 25 (highest score of 70) and took 18 wickets.

Let us just digest that for a minute.

Worth remembering how poorly rewarded they were. As Somerset's captain Close was never paid more than £3,000/year. That's why he kept the room over the pub, while his wife and kids remained in Yorkshire - he needed a base back there for his winter job as a salesman in the pub trade.

Mind you, the fact that one of Dave Pipe's shops was on the other side of the road from the pub may have had something to do with it too.

As Somerset couldn't afford to pay travel expenses in those days, Close used to ferry Botham, Richards and the Aus legspinner Kerry O'Keefe around the country in his motor. He'd terrify them by driving with the Sporting Life opened over the wheel.

He scored 1,000 runs and took 100 wickets in a season as a teenager before missing a year to do national service.

You can find statistics which under-rate or over-rate any cricketer, if you look hard enough. Fair enough while they're playing, but we're looking at the man as a whole here.

I mean, Viv Richards and Ian Botham had hardly begun playing professional cricket, and were years away from Test matches, when they came under Close's influence. You can't put into numbers what Close gave to the game and those of us who followed it.

He played 22 test matches in 27 years.  He scored 887 runs at 25 (highest score of 70) and took 18 wickets

lies damned lies and stats i know.  But I would like to know how on earth you could contextualise the above stats in such a way that paints a picture of a good or even average test match player.  They are terrible figures for someone who is so lionised up in yorkshire.

He's lionized up in Yorkshire (and down here in the West Country) for what he did for Yorkshire cricket and Somerset cricket. As he barely played for England, having been sacked for the whole prime of his career, nobody cares about how his Test stats compare.

Having said that, England still won 6 out of the 7 games he played as England captain before the sack.

Modern day players must be in awe at him facing the West Indies at 45 with no helmet.

Different class , RIP.

A distinct lack of respect from the usual suspects on this thread .

sixtwosix:

like I say if he heard that a bunch of gamblaholic keyboard bashers were getting all teary eyed about his glittering career he'd prob tell the lot of you to fook off such was his unique "I call a spade a spade" wit.

Close's thought was that if you allowed a ball rising up into the body to hit you then there was virtually no chance of getting out. People tend to get out seeking to fend the ball in that region. Of course he didn't nut the bouncers.

RIP

Anyone who would go and bat against the like's of Holding and Roberts hurtling them down with no helmet at the age of 45 for your country is a cricket legend.

Just watching the you tube clip has me wincing watching him duck and weave and coming off black and blue.

Worth remembering that when you watch that over from Holding in the present day, you know that Close walked away from it badly bruised, but alive.

In 1976 you didn't know that. It was genuinely disturbing viewing.

rob_dylan    14 Sep 15 15:32 
He played 22 test matches in 27 years.  He scored 887 runs at 25 (highest score of 70) and took 18 wickets.

Let us just digest that for a minute.



How about taking another five minutes & digesting his whole playing career.
You started the  thread but seem to take exception to anyone who held him in high regard

He always does that with Brian. He wasn't even fkin born when he was playing.

I could undertand it on previous threads but on the day he died he still has to have a dig. What a fkin prik.

rogerthebutler

rogerthebutler
14 Sep 15 15:23
Joined: 01 Mar 03
| Topic/replies: 10,748 | Blogger: rogerthebutler's blog
He might also call you a n1gg3r

Because he was a bit of a blunt, plain-speaking old racist was our Brian

Yet another one who lives in a leafy green suburb using the R word, ffs.

He just couldn't  help himself, the pressure to promote his opinion of averageness was too overwhelming.

Sorry Kenny

Forgot my right to an opinion on this ended the day I left Toxteth

His own statistics might be relatively modest in comparison to the game's greats, but two of those legends, Richards and Botham, hold him in very high regard. He had a massive impact on their burgeoning careers. Individual contributions in a team game are not just made up of numbers.

Also, Brian Close played to a low single figure handicap both left and right handed and apparently once went round in 76 playing alternate shots left and right. That's enough to command respect in my eyes.

One day Mark Ramprakash and Graeme Hick will die.  When they do in their obituaries and in general discussions it will be mentioned that they did not take their county form with them into the test arena.  I don't see why the same should not apply to Brian Close.

It's the last great 'do not' isn't it Rob?

Under no account point out the truth about someone when they have just died.

Lazy acceptance or consensus prejudice yet public disgrace for anyone who courts controversy on a "bad" prejudice.

Not sure its about pointing out " the truth " Roger, picking on a small part of someone's career his test one which I agree is  not great but surely his overall career is far from substandard he led his county to four county championships & I think he said himself it was  always more about the team than an individual, it just seems some people are taking humpage that others think he was an all time great, yes everyone is entitled to an opinion but also just scrutinising  on an average test career does not necessarily make his just a run of the mill cricketer.

Mike Brearley had a poor batting record, but few suggest he wasn't worth his place in the side as he was an inspirational motivator and brilliant captain.

Close's record as captain of England was veen better as captain.

Very skilfully not pointed out rob and rog.

*even better

I'll try again


Mike Brearley had a poor batting record, but few suggest he wasn't worth his place in the side as he was an inspirational motivator and brilliant captain.

Close's record as captain of England was even better.

Very skilfully not pointed out rob and rog.

Close was only captain for 7 games.  All at home I think, 6 of which I think were v INdia and Pak back in the day when they never won outside the sub continent anyway. 

Test cricket is the highest level of the game.  Everyone knows that - it is what the vast majority of cricketers are judged on. And virtually every cricketing "great" is given that label on the back of a distinguished test career.  Exceptions being Safricans who were banned (eg. Proctor, Richards, Pollock), Or they are from back in the day when there were few or no test matches.  Perhaps we are now moving into an age when limited over specialists with little or no test career to mention will also be called greats.

I haven't said a damn word about his career, other than to make the point that I didn't understand the lionisation of the man re his facing 'that' over from Holding and that he made the occasional racist comment.

....from which kenny mann appears to have divined all kinds of stuff about me and where I live.

I suppose letting the ball hit you is a far more dignified reaction to fast short pitched bowling than sending getting your cricketing board of control to send telegrams to the oppositions cricketing board of control effectively saying "please stop".

"THE greatest all-round sportsman Yorkshire has ever produced."

Among those paying tribute to former Yorkshire and England captain Brian Close, who has died at the age of 84 after a period of ill-health, was commentator John Helm, a friend and neighbour in Baildon.

"He was such a courageous man; I don't think he ever sensed fear, never mind felt it," said Mr Helm, who was 11 when he first saw Mr Close play first class cricket.

"I remember when he walked down the steps at Park Avenue - he had that cocky air about him. And he showed that character again as he was fighting lung cancer. He defied the doctors, it was typical Closey."

Mr Helm said that his friend's "bloody-mindedness" and courage on the field "boarded on being crazy".

"I am sure he would have taken on Mohammed Ali."

Brian Close was Yorkshire's ultimate sporting hero, according to Mr Helm.

His cricketing skills were legendary, but he also played golf - right-handed and left, both from a single-figure handicap - and was a skilled footballer in his day.

"For me, he was the greatest all-round sportsman Yorkshire has ever produced. He captained Yorkshire and England and played football for Bradford City, Leeds United and Arsenal. He only packed in football because of a knee injury.
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"He was proud of being a Yorkshireman and playing for England. When he was captain they never lost a match. As cricketing captain he had no equal."

Childhood friend Bryan Stott, who met Mr Close at Rawdon Cricket Club in 1943, described him as a "very loyal friend" who had a "heart of gold."

"He was as soft as they come, but also very courageous. He was a big softy as far as dealing with people - he didn't have a bad thought in his head. He was a very nice lad all the time."

Mr Stott, who played for Yorkshire in the 1950s and 1960s, described his friend as a "great thinker" on the cricket field who was a natural at whatever sport he took up.

"He was a super lad to play with, but not always appreciated by some of the powers that be. There was one man in charge at Yorkshire who never really understood Brian and, as a consequence, made some big mistakes."

Former umpire Dickie Bird described Brian Close as an "all-time great" .

Mr Close first represented his country as an 18-year-old against New Zealand in 1949 and went on to skipper England seven times in his 22-Test career.

In his 37 years in the game, he scored nearly 35,000 runs and guided recently-crowned County Champions Yorkshire to four domestic titles before overseeing an upturn in Somerset's fortunes and helping to mould the early careers of Viv Richards and Ian Botham at Taunton.

Mr Bird said: "Brian Close was an all-time great, both of Yorkshire and England.

"He will go down as one of the bravest cricketers of all time. He would stand at short-leg, about a yard away from the bat, and would never flinch if the ball hit him. He would take it in his stride and carry on.

"As a captain, his record speaks for itself. He is Yorkshire's most successful post-war captain - winning the County Championship on four occasions - and will always be regarded as one of the best skippers in the game.

"He led from the front and never took a back step. He commanded huge respect from his fellow players. He had the ability to get the best out of every player under his stewardship with his fearless and brave approach to the game."

Michael Vaughan, who also played for Yorkshire and led England, revealed how Mr Close's guidance assisted him when he broke through.

Writing on Twitter, Mr Vaughan said: "Such a sad day.. He was a true inspiration to all of us .. Thanks Brian for helping me as a kid growing up at Yorkshire... #RIPClosey".

Former England and Yorkshire seamer Matthew Hoggard, who also lives in Baildon, also used the social media website to tell a tale of Mr Close's dedication to the sport even in his advancing years.

"R.I.P to a Yorkshire great Brian Close. His toughness was legendary his talents immense!," Hoggard wrote.

"Will always remember bowling to Closey in the indoor nets as he did his pre season preparation to captain the YCC Academy at 65yr old!"

He might also call you a n1gg3r

Because he was a bit of a blunt, plain-speaking old racist was our Brian


What's wrong with that in those days. I used to ask for a niggger brown shirt and it was accepted in those days. The shop assistant knew exACtly what you were looking for.

REPORTED

Report Agatha Christie while you're at it.

Mitchell
I bet you were very niggardly when it came to paying too.


Coat

Enjoy your ban Kenny.

we wont see him again

It is a lonely man who strides across the cricket field.
The stars shining above him are his only companions.

r.i.p  Brian Close.

I thought the Agatha reference would go above bito's head!

looks like my report buttons faulty

Unlike the stepladder.

780k in-running I heard at Catterick today.

good old wickes,sold me a licence to print money



and do the odd bit of perving

I find a binoculars to be perfectly adequate for that healthy racecourse pursuit.

A real hardman and a great cricketer.  I had no idea until I read the obits that he never lost his temper and was firm but fair.  I always thought he held miscreants over the woodchipper.  Good memories.