Brian Close dies

[African Monkey]

Former England captain Close dies aged 84 | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo

RIP

 

[The Sean]

Far too many stories about him to start quoting here, but it's difficult to imagine that any tougher bastard ever played cricket.

RIP

 

[fredfertang]

Would love to have seen him giving Hall and Griffith the charge in '63 - one of my favourite players

 

[the big bambino]

Now that is sad. A legend of so many deeds.

 

[Viscount Tom]

RIP Brian Close.

Proper Yorkie.

 

[Zinzan]

Fine innings.

How brave a cricketer was this bloke.

RIP

 

[AndyZaltzHair]

Rip

 

[The Battlers Prince]

Tragic, great of the game though

 

[mr_mister]

pretty ugly record at test level with the bat ay guys

*hides*


RIP of course.

 

[Howe_zat]

I didn't think he could die

It's possible he has finally transmuted into stone and this is the best explanation people have come up with

 

[smash84]

Rip

 

[Howe_zat]

Brian Close Fact: His first class career started less than a year after Don Bradman's finished, and ended the year before Sachin Tendulkar's started

 

[Biryani Pillow]

As Eric Morecambe once observed: "Summer will soon be here and we can thrill to the sound of leather hitting Brian Close."


Brian Close and John Edrich, Saturday evening, Old Trafford Test v the West Indies 1976 with the protective equipment of the day.

As brave as anything you'll see in sport.

 

[Pratters]

Wish we had more strong men in the game. RIP.

 

[Burgey]

Brian Close Fact: His first class career started less than a year after Don Bradman's finished, and ended the year before Sachin Tendulkar's started

That's actually one of the most extraordinary facts I think I've ever read about a cricketer.

RIP to one of the great characters and hard men of cricket.

 

[the big bambino]

Yeah its a wonder how he ever maintained his competitiveness with the changes in standards over the years. That line from Morecombe is a classic.

 

[fredfertang]

Back in 2010 I did three articles on Closey - seems a good time to reprise them

The Old Bald Blighter ? Part I | Cricket Web

The Old Bald Blighter ? Part II | Cricket Web

The Old Bald Blighter ? Part III | Cricket Web

 

[YorksLanka]

RIP.I had the pleasure of meeting him through work a few years back and asked him about that over from Holding and how he got through it and he simply said, no matter how much it hurt, as soon as you let the bowler know they have hurt you, they have won and I wasn't going to lose that little victory..what a star..

 

[Biryani Pillow]

It's the one that gets him in the ribs that causes him to stagger that always gets me.

We knew how tough he was and that must have hurt a lot.