Editing Brian Booth (section)

== Early years ==

The son of "Snowy" Booth, a market gardener and talented country cricketer,<ref>Booth and White, p. 9.</ref> Booth was born in [[Perthville]], located {{convert|9|km|mi|abbr=on}} outside the New South Wales regional town of [[Bathurst, New South Wales|Bathurst]].<ref name="pollard">{{cite book | last = Pollard | first = Jack | year = 1969 | title = Cricket the Australian Way| publisher=Lansdowne Press |isbn=0-7018-0388-6 |page= 1}}</ref> His father hung pictures of [[Don Bradman]] and [[Stan McCabe]] on the wall and told him that "these are the two greatest living cricketers".<ref name=h257>Haigh, p. 257.</ref> Booth represented [[Bathurst High School (Bathurst, New South Wales)|Bathurst High School]] at the age of 13 and played first grade cricket in Bathurst at 15. He was selected for a New South Wales youth countryside at the age of just 14. In 1950, Booth represented New South Wales Country against a combined Sydney team, and moved to [[St. George Cricket Club|St. George]] to play on a weekly basis two years later.<ref name="pollard"/> He made the first grade team at the age of 19 and began a four-year course at [[Sydney Teachers College]].<ref name="p246">Perry (2000), p. 246.</ref><ref name="r275"/> Booth also played hockey in Perthville and began playing for St George upon his arrival in Sydney.<ref>Booth and White, p. 35.</ref>

Booth made his [[First-class cricket|first-class]] debut for [[New South Wales cricket team|New South Wales]] against [[Queensland Bulls|Queensland]] in the 1954–55 [[Sheffield Shield]]. He made a [[duck (cricket)|duck]] in the first innings before adding 19 in the second.<ref name=o>{{cite web| title=Player Oracle BC Booth|url=https://cricketarchive.com/cgi-bin/player_oracle_reveals_results2.cgi?playernumber=1153&opponentmatch=exact&playername=Meckiff&resulttype=All&matchtype=All&teammatch=exact&startwicket=&homeawaytype=All&opponent=&endwicket=&wicketkeeper=&searchtype=InningsList&endscore=&playermatch=contains&branding=cricketarchive&captain=&endseason=&startscore=&team=&startseason= |access-date=14 May 2009 |publisher=CricketArchive}}</ref> New South Wales won,<ref name=o/> but Booth was dropped when the Test players returned from international duty.<ref name="r275"/> Booth was recalled a month later for a match against [[Len Hutton]]'s [[English cricket team in Australia in 1954-55|English cricket team]] at the [[Sydney Cricket Ground]]. [[Arthur Morris]] and [[Bill Watson (cricketer)|Bill Watson]] had to withdraw at late notice and Booth was asked to play, having already started his day's work as a teacher at [[Hurlstone Agricultural High School|Hurlstone Agricultural College]]. He caught a train and arrived at the ground more than half an hour after the start of play, by which time New South Wales had collapsed to 3/12. New South Wales fell further to 5/26 before Booth came in with a borrowed cap and [[Cricket bat|bat]] to join [[Peter Philpott]]. They put on an 83-run partnership, and Booth eventually finished the innings [[not out|unbeaten]] on 74 as the hosts folded for 172.<ref name=p246/><ref name="r275">Robinson, p. 275.</ref><ref name="o"/><ref name="az"/> Booth made a [[Duck (cricket)|duck]] in the second innings and took his maiden first-class wicket as New South Wales defeated Hutton's men. It was only the tourists' second loss for the campaign,<ref name=o/><ref>Perry (2005), pp. 359–360.</ref> and the last match in Booth's debut season.<ref name=o/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://static.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1950S/1954-55/AUS_LOCAL/STATS/FC_1954-55_BAT_MOST_RUNS.html| title=Australian First-Class Season 1954/55: Batting – Most Runs| work=[[ESPNcricinfo]] |access-date=4 December 2007}}</ref>

Booth had a low key season in 1955–56, struggling to find a regular position in the New South Wales team. As there were no international matches during the summer,<ref name=auslist>{{cite web|title=List of match results (by year) Australia – Test matches |url=http://stats.cricinfo.com/australia/engine/records/team/match_results_year.html?class=1;id=2;type=team |access-date=4 December 2007 |work=[[ESPNcricinfo]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224153942/http://stats.cricinfo.com/australia/engine/records/team/match_results_year.html?class=1%3Bid%3D2%3Btype%3Dteam |archive-date=24 December 2007 }}</ref> the Test players were available for the whole campaign. He played in six matches and had few opportunities, managing only 157 runs at 31.40, passing fifty on only one occasion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://static.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1950S/1955-56/AUS_LOCAL/STATS/FC_1955-56_BAT_MOST_RUNS.html| title=Australian First-Class Season 1955/56: Batting – Most Runs| work=[[ESPNcricinfo]] |access-date=4 December 2007}}</ref> New South Wales went on to claim a hat-trick of Sheffield Shield titles.<ref name=s/>

Booth was selected for the New South Wales hockey team in 1955 and toured New Zealand in 1956.<ref>Booth and White, p. 36.</ref> Good performances on this tour led to his selection in the Australian Olympic squad for the [[1956 Summer Olympics]] in [[Melbourne]], but he had an anxious wait following media claims that he had received out-of-pocket expenses for playing cricket, which would make him a professional and therefore ineligible to participate in the Olympics.<ref>Booth and White, p. 37.</ref> Eventually, Booth and fellow first-class cricketers [[Ian Dick]] and [[Maurice Foley (Australian sportsman)|Maurice Foley]] were cleared to play for Australia.<ref>Booth and White, p. 38.</ref> Booth then missed the 1956–57 [[Sheffield Shield]] season because he was part of the Australian field hockey team that finished fifth at the Olympics.<ref name=h32>Haigh, p. 32.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.olympics.com.au/athletes.cfm?AthleteID=610|title=Brian Booth|publisher=[[Australian Olympic Committee]]|access-date=2 April 2007}}</ref> Booth was selected as an inside left but was not utilised in any of Australia's matches until the classification matches for 5th to 8th places<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.olympedia.org/results/35650 | title=Olympedia – Hockey, Men – Classification Round 5-8, Match #2 }}</ref>

In 1957–58, the [[Australian cricket team|Australian Test team]] toured South Africa during the southern hemisphere summer,<ref name=auslist/> opening up opportunities in the Shield competition back in Australia. Booth established himself at first-class level with 503 runs at 50.30.<ref name=o/> After scoring two fifties, he broke through for his maiden first-class century against [[Victorian Bushrangers|Victoria]] at the [[Sydney Cricket Ground]], in his last match of the season.<ref name=o/> He put on a partnership of 325 with future Test teammate [[Norm O'Neill]] in fewer than four hours.<ref name="az"/> It was his fifteenth first-class match,<ref name=p246/><ref name="o"/> and helped his state secure a fifth successive title with a ten-wicket win over their arch-rivals.<ref name=o/><ref name=auslist/><ref name=s/> With the Test players returning to Australia in 1958–59, Booth again faced more competition for places. He struggled, playing six matches and aggregating only 190 runs at 31.66.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://static.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1950S/1958-59/AUS_LOCAL/STATS/FC_1958-59_BAT_MOST_RUNS.html| title=Australian First-Class Season 1960/61: Batting – Most Runs| work=[[ESPNcricinfo]] |access-date=4 December 2007}}</ref> He only had six innings for the entire season, and in his only opportunity against [[Peter May (cricketer)|Peter May]]'s [[English cricket team in Australia in 1958–59|touring Englishmen]], he made a duck. Booth passed 50 on two occasions during the season, making 75 and 85.<ref name=o/> In one high-scoring match against [[Southern Redbacks|South Australia]], he took 0/97 with his part-time [[off spin]].<ref name=o/><ref name=az/>