Editing Brian Close (section)

{{Short description|English cricketer (1931–2015)}}
{{About|the cricketer and footballer|the footballer born 1982|Brian Close (footballer, born 1982)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox cricketer
|                name = Brian Close
|    honorific_suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE}}
|               image = Brian Close.jpg
|             caption = Brian Close in 1950
|             country = England
|            fullname = Dennis Brian Close
|            nickname =
|          birth_date = {{Birth date|1931|2|24|df=y}}
|         birth_place = [[Rawdon, West Yorkshire|Rawdon]], [[Yorkshire]], England
|          death_date = {{Death date and age|2015|09|13|1931|2|24|df=y}}
|         death_place = [[Baildon]], Yorkshire, England
<!---|            heightft = 6
|          heightinch = 0--->
|             heightm =
|             batting = Left-handed
|             bowling = Right-arm [[off break]]<br />Right-arm medium
|                role = [[All-rounder]]
|       international = true
|   internationalspan = 1949–1976
|               club1 = [[Yorkshire County Cricket Club|Yorkshire]]
|               year1 = {{nobr|1949–1970}}
|               club2 = [[Marylebone Cricket Club]]
|               year2 = 1950–1967
|               club3 = [[Somerset County Cricket Club|Somerset]]
|               year3 = 1971–1977
|             columns = 4
|             column1 = [[Test cricket|Test]]
|            matches1 = 22
|               runs1 = 887
|            bat avg1 = 25.34
|           100s/50s1 = 0/4
|          top score1 = 70
|         deliveries1 = 1,212
|            wickets1 = 18
|           bowl avg1 = 29.55
|            fivefor1 = 0
|             tenfor1 = 0
|       best bowling1 = 4/35
|  catches/stumpings1 = 24/0
|             column2 = [[One Day International|ODI]]
|            matches2 = 3
|               runs2 = 49
|            bat avg2 = 16.33
|           100s/50s2 = 0/0
|          top score2 = 43
|         deliveries2 = 18
|            wickets2 = 0
|           bowl avg2 = –
|            fivefor2 = –
|             tenfor2 = –
|       best bowling2 = –
|  catches/stumpings2 = 1/0
|             column3 = [[First-class cricket|FC]]
|            matches3 = 786
|               runs3 = 34,994
|            bat avg3 = 33.26
|           100s/50s3 = 52/171
|          top score3 = 198
|         deliveries3 = 69,971
|            wickets3 = 1,171
|           bowl avg3 = 26.42
|            fivefor3 = 43
|             tenfor3 = 3
|       best bowling3 = 8/41
|  catches/stumpings3 = 813/1
|             column4 = [[List A cricket|LA]]
|            matches4 = 164
|               runs4 = 3,458
|            bat avg4 = 23.84
|           100s/50s4 = 2/11
|          top score4 = 131
|         deliveries4 = 2,258
|            wickets4 = 65
|           bowl avg4 = 22.43
|            fivefor4 = 0
|             tenfor4 = 0
|       best bowling4 = 4/9
|  catches/stumpings4 = 53
|                date = 24 February
|                year = 2020
|              source = http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/10754.html ESPNcricinfo
|              module = {{Infobox football biography | embed = yes | header-color = #B0C4DE
 | position      = [[Forward (association football)|Forward]]<ref>{{Hugman|access-date=2 June 2024}}</ref>
 | youthyears1   = 1945–1949
 | youthclubs1   = [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]]
 | years1        = 1949–1950
 | clubs1        = [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]]
 | caps1         = 0
 | goals1        = 0
 | years2        = 1950–1952
 | clubs2        = [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]]
 | caps2         = 0
 | goals2        = 0
 | years3        = 1952–1953
 | clubs3        = [[Bradford City A.F.C.|Bradford City]]
 | caps3         = 6
 | goals3        = 2
 | nationalyears1 =
 | nationalteam1  = [[England national youth football team|England Youth]]
 | nationalcaps1  =
 | nationalgoals1 =
}}
}}
'''Dennis Brian Close''', {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE}} (24 February 1931 – 13 September 2015) was an English [[first-class cricket]]er. He was picked to play against [[New Zealand cricket team|New Zealand]] in July 1949, when he was 18&nbsp;years old. Close went on to play 22&nbsp;[[Test cricket|Test matches]] for England, [[captain (cricket)|captaining]] them seven times to six wins and one drawn test. Close also captained [[Yorkshire County Cricket Club|Yorkshire]] to four [[county cricket|county championship]] titles – the main domestic trophy in English cricket. He later went on to captain [[Somerset County Cricket Club|Somerset]], where he is widely credited with developing the county into a hard-playing team, and helping to mould [[Viv Richards]] and [[Ian Botham]] into the successful players they became.

Throughout his cricket career, which lasted from 1948 until the 1977 season, Close was one of the most charismatic and well-known cricketers. He scored almost 35,000&nbsp;[[run (cricket)|runs]] as a [[batsman (cricket)|batsman]], including 52&nbsp;[[century (cricket)|centuries]] with a highest [[innings (cricket)|innings]] score of 198. He also took 1,168&nbsp;[[wickets]] as a [[bowler (cricket)|bowler]], over 800&nbsp;[[caught (cricket)|catches]] as a [[fielding (cricket)|fielder]] and one [[stumping]], as a stand-in [[wicket-keeper]]. At just over six feet (1.83 m) tall he was a noticeable presence on the field, often fielding at the short leg position, close to the batsman. As cricketers did not use head or body protection in Close's day, he would often get hurt when a batsman struck a ball that hit him. Close was also noted, as a batsman, for standing up to intimidatory bowling, letting the ball hit his unprotected torso rather than flinching.

Close was known as a cricketing gambler; he was prepared to take risks and to court controversy throughout his career. He was serving a "confined to barracks" punishment during his [[National Service|military service]] when selected for his first international cricket tour to Australia in 1950, was sacked as England captain for timewasting, and later sacked by Yorkshire for his lukewarm attitude to [[one-day cricket]]. He was also accused of not giving enough support to younger Yorkshire cricketers. He attracted further criticism by touring [[apartheid]]-era [[South Africa]] and white-minority-controlled [[Rhodesia]] with private teams. As chairman of Yorkshire's cricket subcommittee he had many run-ins with the then Yorkshire captain, [[Geoffrey Boycott]]. However, he continued to serve Yorkshire cricket, and in his seventies was coaching and occasionally captaining the county's Colts XI. He was President of Yorkshire in 2008/9.<ref name="Presidents">{{cite web|url=https://yorkshireccc.com/history/past-presidents |title=List Of Yorkshire County Cricket Club Presidents|publisher=Yorkshire County Cricket Club|access-date=1 March 2017}}</ref>