Editing Brian Close (section)

===Consolidation, 1951 to 1958===
<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: [[Image:Brian Close.jpg|150|thumb|right|Close in action.]] -->

The years between 1951 and 1958 were a period of career consolidation for Close, who achieved 1,000&nbsp;runs in a season five times.<ref name="FC Batting">{{cite web |url-access=subscription  |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/858/f_Batting_by_Season.html|title=First-class Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Brian Close|publisher=Cricket Archive|access-date=21 August 2009}}</ref> Immediately after the tour to Australia Close had a good season in 1951, playing for the Combined Services, including a century against the touring [[South Africa national cricket team|South Africans]]. At the end of his National Service in October 1951, he signed for [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], and tried briefly to combine playing football with his cricket for Yorkshire. This proved impossible; although Close received permission from Yorkshire captain [[Norman Yardley]] to leave the first match of the 1952 cricket season early, to play football for Arsenal, this leave was rescinded by the match manager. Close arrived late at Arsenal and was sacked.<ref name="CA Profile"/>

Close enjoyed a good 1952 season at Yorkshire, achieving another double, but played no Test cricket. He played football, for [[Bradford City A.F.C.|Bradford City]] this time, and in doing so picked up a serious knee injury which ended his professional footballing career. It also threatened to end his cricket career—Close played only two first-class matches in the 1953 cricket season.<ref name="CA Profile"/>

In 1954 Close scored his first first-class century for Yorkshire, an undefeated 123 against the touring [[Pakistan national cricket team|Pakistanis]]. In 1955 he scored his first county championship century. In that year he played one Test match against [[South Africa national cricket team|South Africa]], and at the end of the season was only 3&nbsp;wickets short of another 1,000 runs/100 wickets double. He was in the selectors' sights again, and was picked for the tour to Pakistan in 1955/56. This was not a full England tour, and no Test matches were played. Close returned to the full England side in 1957, playing in the first two Tests against the [[West Indian cricket team|West Indies]], but did not perform well enough to secure a regular Test place.{{Citation needed|date=May 2008}}

Meanwhile, in this period, Yorkshire had not won a single [[County Championship]]. At the beginning of 1958 a new captain, [[Ronnie Burnet]], was appointed. Burnet was 40&nbsp;years old, without first-class cricket experience, and seemed an unlikely choice to restore to Yorkshire's fortunes.{{Citation needed|date=May 2008}} It was believed by the Yorkshire committee that Burnet would inject some discipline into the Yorkshire team, but initially the appointment caused problems. Several senior players left the club; [[Johnny Wardle]], Yorkshire's top bowler and Close's preferred choice of captain, was sacked for disciplinary reasons.<ref name="CA Profile"/>