Brian Close

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Out of the limelight 1951 to 1958

The years between 1951 and 1958 were relatively unsuccessful for Close, even though he achieved 1,000 runs in a season 5 times. However, immediately after the tour to Australia, Close did have a good season with the Combined Services, including a century against the touring South Africans. At the end of his National Service in October 1951, he signed for Arsenal, and tried to combine this with his cricket for Yorkshire. But it proved impossible to combine the role of dual professional: Close received permission from Yorkshire captain Norman Yardley to leave the first match of the 1952 cricket season to play for Arsenal. This leave of absence was later rescinded by the match manager in Yardley's absence. Close arrived late at Arsenal and was sacked.

Related Topics:
1951 - 1958 - South Africans - Arsenal - Yorkshire - Norman Yardley

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Close enjoyed a good 1952 season at Yorkshire, achieving another double, but played no Test cricket. He played soccer for Bradford City this time, and it was whilst doing this that he picked up a serious knee injury that ended his professional footballing career, and nearly threatened his cricket career. Close played only two first-class matches in the 1953 cricket season.

Related Topics:
1952 - 1953

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In 1954 Close scored his first first-class century for Yorkshire, an undefeated 123 for Yorkshire against the touring Pakistanis. In 1955 he scored his first county championship century. He also played one Test match against South Africa, and was 3 wickets short of another 1,000 runs/100 wickets double. He was in the Test selectors' sights again, and was picked for the MCC tour to Pakistan in 1955/6. Close played two Tests against the West Indies in 1957, but did not perform well enough to secure a regular Test place.

Related Topics:
1954 - First-class - Pakistanis - 1955 - South Africa - MCC - 6 - West Indies - 1957

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Meanwhile, in this period, Yorkshire had not win a single County Championship. At the end of 1958 there was a shake-up in the Yorkshire team. Yorkshire appointed a new captain, Ronnie Burnet, and Johnny Wardle, Yorkshire's top bowler and Close's preferred choice of captain, was dropped for disciplinary reasons. Burnet was 40 and seemed an unlikely man to take Yorkshire to the top of the championship. He had been preferred as it was felt by the Yorkshire committee that he would inject some necessary discipline into the Yorkshire team, and, with tactical support from his senior professional, Brian Close, he succeeded in doing just that.

Related Topics:
County Championship - 1958 - Ronnie Burnet - Johnny Wardle

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