Editing Brian Close (section)

===Debut season===
In February 1949, Close underwent a medical examination with the [[British Army]], but due to an injury he had suffered playing football, his call-up was delayed by a few months, allowing him to continue into pre-season training with Yorkshire.{{sfn|Close|Mosey|1979|p=13}} His performance in pre-season was such that he was given a trial for the county in the two [[First-class cricket|first-class]] matches against [[Cambridge University Cricket Club|Cambridge]] and [[Oxford University Cricket Club|Oxford]] Universities. He made his debut on 11 May 1949, alongside [[Fred Trueman]] and [[Frank Lowson]] – all three went on to play for England.<ref name="tough-guy">{{cite web |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/20573453/cricket-tough-guy |title=Cricket's Tough Guy |last=Hodgson |first=Derek |date=14 September 2015 |website=ESPNcricinfo |access-date=25 February 2020}}</ref> Close impressed the Yorkshire hierarchy enough for his trial to be extended into the [[County Championship]] season;<ref name="coty"/> [[Bill Bowes]], one of Yorkshire's coaches, declared that he was the "natural successor to the veteran [[all-rounder]] [[Frank Smailes]]".<ref name="tough-guy"/> Close continued to perform well, particularly his bowling; in his fifth first-class game, against [[Essex County Cricket Club|Essex]], Close took five for 58 in Essex's first innings, then top-scored with an [[Not out|undefeated]] 88 [[Run (cricket)|run]]s in the Yorkshire innings.<ref>{{cite web|title=Yorkshire v Essex at Leeds, 25–27 May 1949 |website=ESPNcricinfo|url=http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1940S/1949/ENG_LOCAL/CC/YORKS_ESSEX_CC_25-27MAY1949.html|access-date=26 February 2020}}</ref> His performances for Yorkshire earned him a place in the [[North v South]] match, which was also being used as a trial for selection for the upcoming [[Test cricket|Test matches]] against [[New Zealand national cricket team|New Zealand]]. Close scored two runs, and did not take a wicket; ''[[The Times]]'' described his batting as a "disappointing feature" of the match, but noted that despite not taking any wickets, "he bowled his off-breaks round the wicket well enough."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS101664963/TTDA?u=wikipedia&sid=TTDA&xid=c543be9e |title=Test Trial at Edgbaston |work=[[The Times]] |location=London |issue=51398 |page=6 |date=3 June 1949 |via=Gale}}</ref>

Close continued to do well for Yorkshire and was selected to play for [[Gentlemen v Players|the Players against the Gentlemen]], at [[Lord's]] in July. Unofficially, this prestigious match also served as a Test match trial,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS100878573/TTDA?u=wikipedia&sid=TTDA&xid=8d1a45d8 |title=A Historic Fixture |work=[[The Times]] |location=London |issue=51432 |page=6 |date=13 July 1949 |via=Gale}}</ref> and Close scored 65 runs, the most amongst the Players, in what was described as a "most commendable performance" by ''The Times''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS134433007/TTDA?u=wikipedia&sid=TTDA&xid=aa0252f4 |title=The Gentlemen Recover |work=[[The Times]] |location=London |issue=51434 |page=8 |date=15 July 1949 |via=Gale}}</ref> During the match, Close got caught out by cricket's antiquated social etiquette. When he reached his half-century he was congratulated by the Gentlemen's wicket-keeper, [[Billy Griffith]], who said: "Well played, Brian", to which Close responded: "Thank you, Billy". Ten days later, he was called to see [[Brian Sellers]], a member of the Yorkshire committee, who reprimanded Close for his effrontery in not addressing an amateur player as "Mister".{{sfn|Hill|2003|p=7}} Despite this rebuke, the Yorkshire committee secured the assistance of the [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Bradford Central (UK Parliament constituency)|Bradford Central]], [[Maurice Webb (politician)|Maurice Webb]], who successfully requested that Close be allowed to complete the 1949 season for Yorkshire, before commencing his National Service.{{sfn|Close|Mosey|1979|p=13}}{{sfn|Hill|2003|p=23}}

Close was then selected to play for England in the third Test match at [[Old Trafford Cricket Ground|Old Trafford]] against the [[New Zealand cricket team in England in 1949|touring New Zealanders]]; a decision praised by ''The Times'', who described him as "a young all-round cricketer of such promise as to demand immediate encouragement."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS68897010/TTDA?u=wikipedia&sid=TTDA&xid=418c5806 |title=England's Test Team |work=[[The Times]] |location=London |issue=51436 |page=4 |date=18 July 1949 |via=Gale}}</ref> In the match, Close became [[English cricket team|England's]] youngest Test player, aged 18 years and 149 days,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/209994.html |title=Test matches: Youngest players |website=ESPNcricinfo |access-date=26 February 2020}}</ref> a record he still held at his death, and which was surpassed only in 2022. He came in to bat when England needed quick runs, his instruction from [[Freddie Brown (cricketer)|Freddie Brown]], the captain, being to "have a look at a couple and then give it a go".{{sfn|Close|Mosey|1979|p=11}} Close duly played two balls back to the [[Bowler (cricket)|bowler]], then hit out for the [[boundary (cricket)|boundary]], only to be caught in the outfield for a score of nought. He had previously taken one wicket for 39 runs during the first New Zealand innings.{{sfn|Close|Mosey|1979|p=11}} In his autobiography, ''I Don't Bruise Easily'', his early Test call-up is described "an albatross round [his] neck", but Close later attributed this phrase to the book's shadow writer, [[Don Mosey]].<ref name="ESPN Cricket Monthly Interview">{{cite web |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/20573291/no-idea-where-courage-came-from |title=I have no idea where the courage came from |last1=Gollapudi |first1=Nagraj |last2=Close |first2=Brian |work=ESPNcricinfo |date=15 September 2015 |access-date=26 March 2020}}</ref> During the late-season [[Scarborough Festival]], he became the youngest player to achieve the [[Double (cricket)|double]], of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in a single first-class season.<ref name="wisden-obit">{{cite book |chapter-url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/1001597.html |editor-last=Booth |editor-first=Lawrence |chapter=Obituary: Brian Close |title=[[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack|Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2016]] |via=Cricinfo |publisher=John Wisden & Co. Ltd |location=Alton, Hampshire |pages=199–202 |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-4729-2454-4}}</ref>