Brian Close

Lets just get this straight.  He played 22 test matches in 27 years.  He scored 887 runs at 25 (highest score of 70) and took 18 wickets.  The Emperor’s new clothes springs to mind.

I think you are missing the point Rob. Nobody is claiming he was the greatest cricketer who ever lived.

I'll say this also. His performance at Old Trafford affected me directly. I was 13 at the time and in my second year of playing proper cricket. I never ever showed as much as even a frown after being hit in cricket and any other sport.

Brian Close is one of the few sports stars to have made me cry. I still cry sometimes when I watch Holding bowl that over at him on youtube. I can't help it. My stomach hurts the most though when I laugh too much!

I think a good man died today and one I have always had the utmost respect for even though I know very little of him.

Yes those clips of him facing the Windies still give me goosebumps when i watch . Used to live a couple of miles away from him and was a regular visitor to the Corals branch in Shipley and i remember before the smoking ban bobbing in most days with a cig in his gob and a pile of betting slips.Really nice chap and a true Yorkshireman.

thanks twizzle,

As an aside I was playing hockey once and someone hit the ball back at me like a bullet, I didn't have time to move or protect meself. It didn't hit me straight between the eyes but just above on the forehead from about 8 yards away ( not meters, old testament ).

Well I just carried on playing but everybody stopped. I said what? what? They said you just got hit on the head so I said yes, play on. no, No, No stop. So I stopped and they said I have to go off. I thought about it and thought no, we don't do that but I was persuaded to sit it out till half time and then was persuaded to go to the medical centre as we were at Crystal palce. I got some melting ice in a plastic bag and stuck it on my forehead but was not allowed to return to play. After the game I had a few beers. When I went to the toilet I noticed in the mirror the ice had prevented any significant swelling but I could clearly see the seam indent in my forehead! I felt most proud an almost an honoury Yorkshireman!