Brian Close

For more coverage of cricket, see the .

Childhood

Close was born into a working-class family in Town Street, Rawdon, Yorkshire on 24 February 1931 to Harry, a weaver, and Esther (née Barratt), the second eldest of five boys and a girl. Close was brought up in a series of council houses in Rawdon, Guiseley and Yeadon. Although these houses were small, they did have a back yard, where young Brian could practise cricket with his father. Harry Close was himself a keen cricketer, who kept wicket and was a big hitter in the Bradford League, but he never quite made it to the Yorkshire county team.

Related Topics:
Rawdon - Yorkshire - 24 February - 1931 - Guiseley - Yeadon - Kept wicket

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The hero and dominating figure of Close's home town of Rawdon was Hedley Verity, a great England and Yorkshire player in the period before the Second World War, who also came from Rawdon, and the Verity family continued to live there. Indeed, for a while Close lived in the same Canada Estate that Verity had lived in. At primary school, Close was taught by Grace Verity, Hedley's sister and was friends with two of Verity's children, Wilfred and Douglas. Later Close went to Aireborough Grammar School, where Verity was the best-known alumnus. Close's early years were surrounded by images of local cricketing greatness.

Related Topics:
Hedley Verity - Second World War - Primary school

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Close appeared set for equal greatness. At school he was a good all-round sportsman, and an excellent cricketer: Aireborough went unbeaten in the six cricketing summers while Close was there, with Close dominating junior level cricket in the area, both within and outside schools. However, he also excelled as a student and seriously considered becoming a doctor and had an offer to go to university after his National Service at age 18, which, in the event, he turned down.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As well as cricket, Close was also proficient at football to such an extent that he was taken on as an amateur by Leeds United. He even 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. However, when he got injured playing football, thereby allowing him to play cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club in 1949, his sporting ambitions were focused on cricket. Close's excellence at cricket, together with Yorkshire's enthusiasm for it, even encouraged Bradford MP Maurice Webb to intervene to allow Close to complete the 1949 season for Yorkshire, when he would ordinarily have entered into National Service.

Related Topics:
Football - Leeds United - England - Scotland - Pittodrie Park - Aberdeen - Yorkshire County Cricket Club - 1949 - Bradford - MP - Maurice Webb

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~