226-644: Dennis Brian Close , CBE (24 February 1931 – 13 September 2015) was an English first-class cricketer . He was picked to play against New Zealand in July 1949, when he was 18 years old. Close went on to play 22 Test matches for England, captaining them seven times to six wins and one drawn test. Close also captained Yorkshire to four county championship titles – the main domestic trophy in English cricket. He later went on to captain Somerset , where he
452-454: A bowler , over 800 catches as a 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
678-410: A dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal , whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of, the order. The order was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V , who created the order to recognise 'such persons, male or female, as may have rendered or shall hereafter render important services to Our Empire'. Equal recognition was to be given for services rendered in
904-455: A duck and was dropped by Frank Laver before he had scored in the second. He survived to score 60 not out and his partnership with Tom Hayward guided England to victory after wickets had fallen early chasing a target of 194. Hirst scored 11 runs in the second match and took three wickets on a difficult batting pitch, badly affected by rain. Although this performance was not statistically impressive, Warner thought he bowled very well. During
1130-543: A GBE (in recognition of his role as chairman of the Scottish War Savings Committee) and the award of medal of the order to Lizzie Robinson, a munitions worker. The order had been established primarily as a civilian award; in August 1918, however, not long after its foundation, a number of awards were made to serving naval and military personnel. Four months later, a 'Military Division' was added to
1356-577: A Gentlemen v Players match. Yorkshire won the County Championship, the first of three consecutive victories in which Hirst played a leading role. After his achievements in the season, Hirst was selected as one of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year . The citation described him as a confident batsman who could be relied upon in difficult batting conditions or when his team were under pressure, but noted how his bowling had suffered as he improved as
1582-661: A batsman played a pull shot, the ball hit him on the forehead, rebounded and was caught at cover. Khan commented: "We are not all bullet-headed Yorkshiremen, however, and I don't recommend copying Close." In later years Close played an unnamed member of the crowd in a cricket match alongside Ray Illingworth, in an episode of the TV drama Heartbeat called "Stumped". Dickie Bird played the umpire in that episode and Martin Bicknell also appeared. Close died of lung cancer on 13 September 2015, aged 84. Printed sources Commander of
1808-524: 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 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
2034-453: A batsman. However, around this time, Hirst began to develop his use of swing bowling , known at the time as swerve bowling. Previously, the ball occasionally swung through the air without his deliberate intention after he released it, but he now discovered a method to control the "swerve" in certain atmospheric conditions. He never discussed how he achieved the effect, limiting his comments to "sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't." In
2260-467: A bowler than his average would suggest". He further described him as the best all-rounder in England and noted that "the tighter the match, the better he plays". Wisden was less convinced, and the report on the tour said that, as a bowler, "Hirst, though by no means the failure he had been with Mr Stoddart's team six years before, fell far below his English form." While commenting on his batting record,
2486-410: A bowler, and while Wisden later described his batting as being in "temporary decline" in 1895, Hirst also scored 710 runs at an average of 19.18, with three fifties. In 1896, Yorkshire won their second County Championship. Hirst hit a century against Leicestershire and nine other scores over fifty; this improvement in his batting took him past 1,000 runs for the first time, and his average of 28.05
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#17327836651452712-404: A broad riband or sash, passing from the right shoulder to the left hip. Knights Commander and male Commanders wear the badge from a ribbon around the neck; male Officers and Members wear the badge from a ribbon on the left chest; female recipients other than Dames Grand Cross (unless in military uniform) normally wear it from a bow on the left shoulder. An oval eight-pointed star is worn, pinned to
2938-553: A burning building containing explosives. In December 1922 the statutes of the order were amended; there having been a large number of awards for war work prior to this date, these amended statutes placed the order on more of a peacetime footing. For the first time numbers of appointments were limited, with the stipulation that senior awards in the Civil Division were to outnumber those in the Military Division by
3164-427: A calculated risk, and chose to hit out. He took one six off Benaud, but to the tenth ball he faced he played another unorthodox shot which Norman O'Neill caught above his head with two hands. Purists were outraged, and as England collapsed to 201 all out and a 54 run defeat, Close took most of the blame, with some commentators saying that he should never play for England again. At the end of 1962, Wilson retired, and
3390-520: A career-total 35,000 runs. With his score on 4 he glanced a ball down leg-side to the wicket-keeper and walked. Afterwards, the New Zealanders said that if they'd known how near he was to the landmark, they would have let him stay, but Close would have none of it – he was out, and that was that. When asked why he gave himself out he said: "It's an honourable game and that's the way I was brought up." Close's 786 first-class matches leave him 10th on
3616-517: A century and 11 fifties, and took 101 wickets at an average of 23.22. These performances were good enough to earn him selection for the Players against the Gentlemen in the prestigious matches at The Oval and Lord's , in both of which he scored half-centuries. For the winter of 1897–98, Hirst was selected as part of Andrew Stoddart 's team to tour Australia. The team was outplayed and lost
3842-453: A circlet bearing the motto of the Order; the reverse bears George V's Royal and Imperial Cypher. (Prior to 1937 Britannia was shown within the circlet.) The size of the badges varies according to rank: the higher classes have slightly larger badges. The badges of Knights and Dames Grand Cross, Knights and Dames Commander, and Commanders are enamelled, with pale blue crosses, crimson circlets and
4068-466: A citizen of a Commonwealth realm can convert their appointment from honorary to substantive, and they then enjoy all privileges of membership of the order, including use of the title of Sir and Dame for the senior two ranks of the Order. (An example of the latter is Irish broadcaster Terry Wogan , who was appointed an honorary Knight Commander of the Order in 2005, and on successful application for British citizenship, held alongside his Irish citizenship,
4294-411: A draw for the county; he followed this with two more centuries in the first two weeks of the season. Although his form later faltered, he played some substantial innings in difficult circumstances and ended the season with 1,441 runs at an average of 38.94. He bowled infrequently, taking 18 wickets at 29.27. During this season, Hirst accepted the position of coach at Eton College . In the last match of
4520-421: A former England international who coached Yorkshire. Close dominated junior level cricket in the area; he joined Rawdon Cricket Club in 1942, when he was eleven years of age, and was almost immediately selected to play for both the under-18 side and the second team. Close was also proficient at football , and at the age of fourteen, he was signed as an amateur by Leeds United . A natural inside forward, he became
4746-653: A full life to him." Bowes also commented: "I never hope to meet a better coach or a better man." On 1 January 1896, Hirst married Emma Kilner in Kirkheaton; James, their first child, was born on 6 October of the same year. A second child, Annie, followed in December 1899, and a third, Molly, in April 1906. The family first lived in Kirkheaton but later moved to Marsh , a more affluent area of Huddersfield. In his later years, Hirst's health declined and he spent time in
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#17327836651454972-443: A gold central medallion. Officers' badges are plain silver-gilt, while those of Members are plain silver. From 1917 until 1937, the badge of the order was suspended on a purple ribbon, with a red central stripe being added for the military division in 1918. Since 1937, the ribbon has been rose-pink with pearl-grey edges (with the addition of a pearl-grey central stripe for the military division). Knights and Dames Grand Cross wear it on
5198-517: A higher standard of cricket. Yorkshire also gave him a longer run in the first team. Early in the season, Hirst appeared for Yorkshire against the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Not considered a good batsman at this stage, he batted at number 11 in the first innings, scored 20 and 43 not out and, as a bowler, took four wickets for 29 runs (four for 29) and two for 58. His bowling performance particularly impressed Sydney Pardon ,
5424-501: A leg injury. This, coupled with other players' absences, was partly responsible for a poor start to the season by Yorkshire, and although the team recovered, it could achieve only third place in the County Championship. When Hirst returned his bowling speed was reduced, but during the season he rediscovered his swing bowling. In completing the first of 10 consecutive doubles, he took 128 wickets at an average of 14.94 and scored 1,844 runs at an average of 47.28. For Yorkshire, he topped both
5650-412: A local cottage, and then at a dyeing firm. He played rugby football as a full back during winter, and cricket with his friends and brothers in summer. By the age of 15, Hirst was playing regularly for the Kirkheaton cricket team and his batting and bowling performances regularly won prizes from a local newspaper. His reputation grew; when he was 18 he was a key player in the Kirkheaton team which won
5876-408: A long run-up and a relaxed action. He usually bowled over the wicket , meaning he bowled from the right hand side of the wickets and therefore angled the ball across the pitch. After delivery, the ball swung through the air at the last minute and hurried through after pitching, appearing to get faster. A very accurate bowler, he was difficult to score against unless a batsman was prepared to hit him in
6102-437: A low-scoring second Test, Hirst was one of the few batsmen to handle the googlies of Aubrey Faulkner . As a bowler he took 10 wickets at 18.50; of these wickets, six were in the final match of the series. Yorkshire won the County Championship again during the 1908 season. Hirst completed another double, scoring 1,598 runs at 38.97 and taking 174 wickets at 14.05, but was not selected for any other representative games until
6328-461: A match five times, including once against traditional rivals Lancashire. His batting continued to be successful, and he completed his second double with 1,950 runs at 42.39, including his first double-century: 214 against Worcestershire . He was selected for the Gentlemen and Players match at Lord's, and appeared in the equivalent fixture in an end-of-season festival match. Although both were invited, neither Hirst nor Rhodes toured Australia in
6554-580: A munitions factory in Huddersfield. Hirst and Rhodes were paid by Yorkshire to play in war-time cricket matches on a certain number of Saturdays. Hirst played in the Bradford League , and became known among cricketers for accepting minimal fees from financially struggling clubs. When first-class cricket restarted in 1919, Hirst resumed playing for Yorkshire. In the first match of the season he hit an aggressive unbeaten 180 against MCC, to secure
6780-565: A non-captain's role at Somerset . The rest from the captaincy did Close good; he went through the 1971 season without injury, and scored 1,389 runs, including a century in his first game for Somerset, and a century in the game against Yorkshire. In 1972, he was awarded the CBE by the Queen for his services to cricket . Close was also promoted to Somerset captain. He soon gained the same respect and commitment from his players as he had at Yorkshire. He
7006-460: A player, Hirst occasionally umpired first-class matches, taking charge of at least one match at every Scarborough Festival between 1922 and 1938. He also umpired two matches on Yorkshire's tour of Jamaica in 1936, and a Minor Counties match between Yorkshire and Lancashire second teams. From 1920 to 1938, Hirst was the cricket coach at Eton. The college's most important match was the annual match against Harrow at Lord's , and during Hirst's tenure,
Brian Close - Misplaced Pages Continue
7232-463: A player. Brown ignored Bowes and selected Close. Close's call-up to the Australian touring party attracted considerable press interest, and a press conference was called at Catterick to give the press a chance to question him. However, his moment of glory also gave rise to controversy, when one pressman found out that Close was "confined to barracks" for disciplinary reasons at the time his call-up
7458-492: A proportion of six to one. Furthermore appointments in the civil division were to be divided equally between UK and overseas awards. With regard to the Medal of the Order (but not the order itself), a distinction was made in 1922 between awards 'for gallantry' and awards 'for meritorious service' (each being appropriately inscribed, and the former having laurel leaves decorating the clasp, the latter oak leaves). In 1933 holders of
7684-428: A reputation as an outstanding fielder at mid off . In this position, he took many catches, often from hard drives in an era when batsmen played this shot very well. Although Hirst was a right-handed batsman, he bowled with his left arm at medium-fast pace. He was one of the first bowlers to make the ball swerve through the air in a controlled fashion. According to A. A. Thomson, Hirst's development of swing bowling
7910-472: A score of 527. The highlight of the match was when West Indian captain Gary Sobers , who had a batting average in the series of well over 100, came in to bat at 137 for 5 with his side still 122 runs from making England bat again. Close knew that Sobers was a fine hooker, and he knew how he wanted to approach him, so he asked Snow to bowl a bouncer first up. Everything went to plan: Sobers hooked, edged
8136-635: A season five times. 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 Africans . At the end of his National Service in October 1951, he signed for 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
8362-468: A six. Later that season, he scored another double century, hitting 232 not out against Surrey; only two other players reached double figures in the Yorkshire innings. In the same game, Hirst took five wickets for 43 runs. Hirst's leg injury kept him out of the England side for the first two Test matches against Australia, although he would have been a certain selection had he been fit. He was chosen in
8588-662: A stint as an England selector between 1979 and 1981 and in 1984 he was elected to the Yorkshire committee. He became chairman of the cricket sub-committee, which led him into more controversy and conflict with the captain, Geoffrey Boycott . He was President of Yorkshire in 2008/9. After his retirement from Somerset, Close continued to play at the Scarborough Festival against the touring international teams, first for T.N. Pearce's XI in 1978 and then for his own XI from 1982 to 1986. In 1986, aged 55, and playing his last-ever first-class innings, Close needed 10 runs to achieve
8814-432: A total of 256 runs to win the match, with just under four hours left to play. Scoring rapidly, they reached 150 for 1 wicket. Then Ted Dexter and Peter May got out in quick succession to Benaud, who was pitching his leg breaks into the rough outside the right-handers' leg stump. This brought Close to the crease. May, the captain, was instructing his players to go for the runs and secure the victory. Close accordingly took
9040-465: A very consistent batsman throughout the tour, and noted that while he was a less effective bowler in Australian conditions than at home, he was often unlucky. After returning to England, Hirst completed another double in 1904. Although a leg injury reduced the pace and effectiveness of his bowling for much of the season, he scored 2,501 runs at an average of 54.36, the highest aggregate and average of his career, and took 132 wickets at 21.09. He became
9266-408: A very high sum for a benefit at the time, and his popularity was reflected in the attendance over three days of 78,792 spectators. Yorkshire finished second to Lancashire in the County Championship in 1904 but regained the title in 1905. Hirst's leg-strain continued to cause him pain throughout the season and again hampered his bowling. Even so, he took 110 wickets at 19.94 and passed 2,000 runs for
Brian Close - Misplaced Pages Continue
9492-475: A very successful coach. He taught technical proficiency, but encouraged his pupils to play their natural game. His Times obituary noted "his professional capacity earned him the respect of the boys and his natural good humour and good manners gained him the love of all." When he retired, a dinner was held in his honour at Eton. While serving as the Eton coach, Hirst also worked with young Yorkshire players during
9718-448: A way never replicated for his contemporary and fellow Kirkheaton-born all-rounder Wilfred Rhodes, a much more dour character. The two men were never good friends; there may have been a degree of jealousy between them, and Rhodes did not appreciate Hirst's jovial attitude. Rhodes was more tactically astute than Hirst, but Hirst's enthusiasm and personality were more inspirational to the team. Rhodes, when asked about Hirst's ability to swing
9944-406: A way that was easy to comprehend, backed up with anecdotes to illustrate his point. Bowes described how "he had a rare skill in noting and demonstrating your faults and no less skill in illustrating the remedies". Hirst received little coaching as a batsman. Physically brave, he was often at his best on pitches which were difficult for batting, and when his team faced a crisis. His usual approach
10170-516: Is an image of Britannia surrounded by the motto, with the words "For Meritorious Service" at the bottom; on the reverse is George V's Imperial and Royal Cypher, with the words "Instituted by King George V" at the bottom. The name of the recipient is engraved on the rim. This medal is nicknamed "the Gong", and comes in both full-sized and miniature versions – the latter for formal white-tie and semi-formal black-tie occasions. A lapel pin for everyday wear
10396-973: Is not a member of the College of Arms , as are many other heraldic officers; and the Lady Usher of the Purple Rod does not – unlike the Order of the Garter equivalent, the Lady Usher of the Black Rod – perform any duties related to the House of Lords . Since the Second World War, several Commonwealth realms have established their own national system of honours and awards and have created their own unique orders, decorations and medals. A number, though, continue to make recommendations for appointments to
10622-467: 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 runs as a batsman , including 52 centuries with a highest innings score of 198. He also took 1,168 wickets as
10848-536: 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. His performance in pre-season was such that he was given a trial for the county in the two first-class matches against Cambridge and Oxford Universities. He made his debut on 11 May 1949, alongside Fred Trueman and Frank Lowson – all three went on to play for England. Close impressed
11074-643: The Europeans cricket team in India, and in 1929, aged 58, he made a final appearance for Yorkshire in a Scarborough Festival match against the MCC. He scored just one run before Bill Bowes bowled him; Hirst reportedly commented: "A grand ball that, lad. I couldn't have played that one when I was good." In all first-class cricket, Hirst played 826 games, scored 36,356 runs at an average of 34.13 with 60 hundreds and took 2,742 wickets at 18.73. Following his retirement as
11300-521: The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). In 1967 England touring sides were still MCC sides rather than "England" sides, and the MCC took the opportunity to overrule the selectors who picked Close as captain. Close, whose "temperament had been shown lacking", did not go to the West Indies. On the Wednesday before the third and final Test against Pakistan, he was told he had been stripped of the captaincy;
11526-519: The Member of Parliament for Bradford Central , Maurice Webb , who successfully requested that Close be allowed to complete the 1949 season for Yorkshire, before commencing his National Service. Close was then selected to play for England in the third Test match at Old Trafford against the 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." In
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#173278366514511752-559: The Order of Canada . On the other hand, the Australian Honours System unilaterally created in 1975 did not achieve bi-partisan support until 1992, which was when Australian federal and state governments agreed to cease Australian recommendations for British honours; the last Australian recommended Order of the British Empire appointments were in the 1989 Queen's Birthday Honours . New Zealand continued to use
11978-569: The West Indies . His innings in the second Test at Lord's remains his best known. When England were pressing for a last-day victory, Close took the battle to the fastest West Indian fast bowlers, Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith , daring to advance down the wicket to them. This was before body protection and helmets were in use, and time and again the ball struck Close firmly on his body. But he persevered. With no other England player but Ken Barrington scoring above 20, Close's innings of 70 saved
12204-612: The Wisden report noted: "The Australian wickets [i.e. pitches] in fine weather are rather too fast to suit the pulling and hook strokes of which he is such a master in England." As he could not make the ball swing in Australia in the same way it did in England, Hirst used leg theory , bowling at leg stump with fielders close by on the leg side . In his second match of the tour, Hirst scored 92 and used his pull shot more effectively than on other occasions. He followed this with 66 in
12430-507: The double , of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in a single first-class season. Close began his National Service on 6 October 1949, in the Royal Corps of Signals at Catterick Army Training Depot . Another football injury, picked up during training, meant that he spent his first month of military service excused from duties. Once he was fit again, he was given weekend passes from the army to play football for Leeds. During one of these games he
12656-403: The follow-on , scoring 43 and according to Wisden "hitting with the utmost freedom". Hirst took a further wicket as Australia were dismissed for 121. England, needing 263 to win, were 48 for five at one point but an innings of 104 from Gilbert Jessop gave England a chance. Hirst scored 58 not out, making an aggressive start but slowing down to score mainly from singles in the later stages of
12882-429: The one-day Gillette Cup for a second time, the first time being in 1965. A shoulder injury saw Close miss much of the 1970 season, and Yorkshire fell down the championship table, but once Close was fit again, they had an extraordinary run and finished fourth. Close, however, always opposed one-day cricket, believing that it lessens players' abilities. Mike Procter notes that when Gloucestershire played Yorkshire in
13108-431: The 1,000 run–100 wicket double by the end of June, two weeks faster than anyone else in the history of first-class cricket. In total he scored 2,385 first-class runs at an average of 45.86 and took 208 wickets at 16.50. Hirst's contributions were particularly important in a close race for the County Championship. Kent were eventual champions after Yorkshire lost a close game to Gloucestershire, but Hirst performed well in
13334-403: The 16 Tests India had previously played in England, England had won 12 and drawn 4, and there were no expectations that there would be anything other than an England victory in the three-match series. But they still needed to be beaten, and England, under Close, won each game convincingly. Pakistan toured England in the second half of the summer of 1967. The first match of that three-Test series
13560-423: The 1898 season. Fatigue from continuous cricket and ongoing problems with his leg added to his difficulties and he had a poor season. His only score over fifty was an innings of 130 against Surrey, and he scored 567 runs at an average of 17.71. Statistically, he had one of his worst bowling seasons, taking 36 wickets at 25.61 and never taking more than four wickets in an innings. For Yorkshire, Hirst's loss of form
13786-527: The 1901 season, Hirst's improvement in bowling brought him the highest total of wickets in his career to date. In a summer of sunny weather which brought a succession of good batting pitches, he took 183 wickets, the first time since 1897 he had passed 100 wickets, at an average of 16.38. This placed him second in the national averages behind Rhodes. He recorded a series of impressive bowling performances, winning extravagant praise from Wisden ; he took five wickets in an innings on 15 occasions and 10 wickets in
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#173278366514514012-407: The 1953 cricket season. In 1954 Close scored his first first-class century for Yorkshire, an undefeated 123 against the touring Pakistanis . In 1955 he scored his first county championship century. In that year he played one Test match against South Africa , and at the end of the season was only 3 wickets short of another 1,000 runs/100 wickets double. He was in the selectors' sights again, and
14238-560: The 1963 season. Close went on to captain Yorkshire to the county championship in 1966, 1967 and 1968. He first met his wife Vivien, an air stewardess with BOAC , in Bermuda whilst touring there with Yorkshire in 1964, when she was engaged to someone else. He pursued her relentlessly, even though initially she considered him not to be her type. Brian gambled with his love life too: on New Year's Day 1965 he told her that if she didn't agree to marry him, he would never see her again. They married
14464-473: The 21st century quotas were introduced to ensure consistent representation among recipients across nine categories of eligibility: with the largest proportion of awards being reserved for community, voluntary and local service. Non-military awards of the British Empire Medal resumed in 2012, starting with 293 BEMs awarded for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee . In 2017 the centenary of
14690-406: The 39-year-old John Edrich . Michael Holding , Andy Roberts and Wayne Daniel , a trio of fast bowlers, pounded them for two and a half hours. It was one of the most brutal displays of fast bowling ever seen. Wisden said, "Close and Edrich defended their wickets and themselves against fast bowling, which was frequently too wild and hostile to be acceptable". Close himself said, "It must have been
14916-792: The British Empire . Rather than using this chapel, the Order now holds its great services upstairs in the nave of the cathedral. In addition to the Chapel of the Order of the British Empire, St Paul's Cathedral also houses the Chapel of the Order of St Michael and St George . Religious services for the whole Order are held every four years; new Knights and Dames Grand Cross are installed at these services. Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commander prefix Sir , and Dames Grand Cross and Dames Commander prefix Dame , to their forenames. Wives of Knights may prefix Lady to their surnames, but no equivalent privilege exists for husbands of Knights or spouses of Dames. Such forms are not used by peers and princes, except when
15142-494: The British Empire for Gallantry. Any individual made a member of the order for gallantry after 14 January 1958 wears an emblem of two crossed silver oak leaves on the same ribbon as the badge, with a miniature version on the ribbon bar when worn alone. When the ribbon only is worn the emblem is worn in miniature. It could not be awarded posthumously , and was replaced in 1974 with the Queen's Gallantry Medal (QGM). If recipients of
15368-405: The County Championship and attracting disapproval from critics. Hirst led the Yorkshire batting and bowling averages and was the third highest wicket-taker in the country. He scored 1,840 runs at 32.85 and took 164 wickets at 14.79. One of his best performances came at Lord's, where he scored an unbeaten century to guide Yorkshire to a win against Middlesex. Against Lancashire he took nine for 23,
15594-424: The County Championship; Hirst's form that season was not as good as in previous years, but he batted well before poor weather and a knee injury interrupted his cricket. He hit one century and his performances with the ball were unspectacular. In all he scored 1,133 runs at an average of 25.75 and took 118 wickets at 17.37. Although both Australia and South Africa toured England, Hirst did not play any Tests and, for
15820-481: The England captain, Archie MacLaren, was engaged in a dispute with the team selectors over the composition of his side. He was given only 12 players to choose from for the fourth Test. Fred Tate was one of the twelve and the selectors probably included him as they believed MacLaren could not possibly choose him in the final eleven over another player and so would be forced to field the side they wanted. MacLaren responded by dropping Hirst to play Tate, out of anger towards
16046-515: The John Player 40-over League in 1970, with Yorkshire three wickets down and needing six an over , word came from Close in the dressing room: "No chance of winning this one, lads — just get some batting practice." Yorkshire had a policy of not offering contracts to its players, but in return they would tell cricketers by the end of July if they did not require their services the next summer. When July 1970 came and went, Close must have thought he
16272-505: The Leeds United physiotherapist, but there was little progress until just before Christmas, when another examination by the army revealed ossification of the thigh. Two months of treatment and bed rest followed, which Close thinks saved his career, he said that otherwise: "the injury would have finished me. I would never had bent my leg again." Close returned to fitness in time for the 1950 English cricket season , though little of it
16498-494: The Lumb Challenge Cup of 1889. In the final, watched by players from Yorkshire County Cricket Club , he took five wickets for 23 runs. Days later, invited to take part along with another local player, he appeared for Yorkshire against Cheshire in a non- first-class match in Huddersfield. He scored six runs in his only innings, and took three wickets in the match. Hirst played only intermittently for Yorkshire over
16724-824: The Military Division of the order from the UK and across the Empire. Recommendations for all appointments to the Order of the British Empire were originally made on the nomination of the King's United Kingdom ministers (recommendations for overseas awards were made by the Foreign Office , the Colonial Office , the India Office and the Dominions Office ); but in the early 1940s the system was changed to enable
16950-515: The Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry , rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service . It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or
17176-436: The Order of the British Empire for Gallantry received promotion within the order, whether for gallantry or otherwise, they continued to wear also the insignia of the lower grade with the oak leaves; however, they used only the post-nominal letters of the higher grade. When the order was founded in 1917, badges, ribands and stars were appointed for wear by recipients. In 1929 mantles, hats and collars were added for recipients of
17402-520: The Order of the British Empire. In 2024 appointments to the order were made by the governments of: Most members of the order are citizens of the United Kingdom or Commonwealth realms that use the UK system of honours and awards. In addition, honorary awards may be made to citizens of nations where the monarch is not head of state ; these permit use of post-nominal letters, but not the title of Sir or Dame . Honorary appointees who later become
17628-404: The Order, however, are not assigned any special precedence. As a general rule, only wives and children of male recipients are afforded privileges. Knights and Dames Grand Cross are also entitled to be granted heraldic supporters . They may, furthermore, encircle their arms with a depiction of the circlet (a circle bearing the motto) and the collar; the former is shown either outside or on top of
17854-453: The Test matches 4–1, hampered by the poor form of the bowlers and ill health among the team, not least from Stoddart himself who missed several matches following the death of his mother. Hirst, suffering from a strained leg for some of the tour, was ineffective as a bowler. The hard Australian pitches favoured batsmen and did not suit Hirst's style of bowling. In all the first-class matches on
18080-562: The Test, Hirst took 13 wickets. Later in the season, he played for the Players against the Gentlemen, though without any great success. Hirst's batting continued to be more successful than his bowling, to the point where commentators regarded him as primarily a batsman, who bowled occasionally. In 1900, he scored 1,960 runs at an average of 40.83, his best batting record to date, but his total of wickets fell to 62 at an average of 26.90, his worst average until 1914. His only representative cricket came in end-of-season festival matches, including
18306-485: The UK and overseas. Today the majority of recipients are UK citizens, though a number of Commonwealth realms outside the UK continue to make appointments to the order. Honorary awards may be made to citizens of other nations of which the order's sovereign is not the head of state. The five classes of appointment to the Order are, from highest grade to lowest grade: The senior two ranks of Knight or Dame Grand Cross and Knight or Dame Commander entitle their members to use
18532-463: The United Kingdom; those who would formerly have met the criteria for the medal were instead made eligible for the MBE. In 2004, a report entitled A Matter of Honour: Reforming Our Honours System by a Commons select committee recommended phasing out the Order of the British Empire, as its title was "now considered to be unacceptable, being thought to embody values that are no longer shared by many of
18758-492: The Yorkshire committee appointed Close captain. According to Bowes: "almost overnight it seemed that Brian Close matured". He wrote, "Close's field placings were as intelligent and antagonistic as any seen in the county for 25 years". Close's attitude, in his own words, was that "I've always believed that the team is more important than the individual", and that credo stood Yorkshire in good stead. Ray Illingworth noted that when he left Yorkshire to play for Leicestershire ,
18984-559: The Yorkshire hierarchy enough for his trial to be extended into the County Championship season; Bill Bowes , one of Yorkshire's coaches, declared that he was the "natural successor to the veteran all-rounder Frank Smailes ". Close continued to perform well, particularly his bowling; in his fifth first-class game, against Essex , Close took five for 58 in Essex's first innings, then top-scored with an undefeated 88 runs in
19210-467: The Yorkshire innings. 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 matches against 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
19436-450: The addition of a vertical pearl grey stripe in the centre for awards in the military division). From time to time the order was expanded: there was an increase in the maximum permitted number of recipients in 1933, and a further increase in 1937. During the Second World War, as had been the case during and after World War I, the number of military awards was greatly increased; between 1939 and 1946 there were more than 33,000 appointments to
19662-421: The air over mid on . The main dangers to the batsmen were the risk of being bowled or hitting the ball with a defensive shot and being caught by specially-placed fielders on the leg side. His ability to make the ball swing made him effective on a variety of pitches. Before Hirst developed his technique, bowlers often rubbed the ball in the dirt to remove the shiny layer of the ball, unaware that this layer helped
19888-400: The all-time list. Only four outfielders have taken more catches. Close continued to turn out to help train Yorkshire youngsters, appearing for Yorkshire Colts XI in his seventies, sometimes captaining games and taking the short leg position without a helmet, a position he had taken so many times in the past. According to Imran Khan , Close once stood his ground when fielding at short leg when
20114-421: The ball into his body, and it rebounded to Close at his customary short leg position, close to the batsman, ready to take the catch – or a full blow to the body had Sobers middled it. Sobers c. Close, b. Snow 0 off one ball. England went on to win the game by an innings and 34 runs. There was no overseas tour in 1966/67, so the next game Close captained was the first Test at Headingley against India in 1967. Of
20340-428: The ball swerve in his most puzzling fashion". After England established a first innings lead, Australia were bowled out for 151 in their second innings, with Hirst taking five for 58. The English opening batsmen scored the 105 runs required for victory without being separated. Hirst and Blythe took all the wickets which fell to England in the match, a rare accomplishment, and apart from a brief period, bowled throughout
20566-465: The ball swing. Yorkshire lost five wickets in scoring the 48 runs they required to win. The second Test was badly affected by weather and Hirst did not bat or bowl, and in the third Test in Sheffield, lost by England, he scored eight runs and did not take any wickets. Although he failed at Sheffield, Hirst was the leading all-rounder in England and thus unlikely to be left out of the team. However,
20792-621: The ball to swing. Hirst's Wisden obituary records: "Hirst, in fact, has been described as the father of all modern seam and swing bowling." Hirst completed the double 14 times, more than any other cricketer except Rhodes. Unusually for an all-rounder, for much of his career he was equally successful as a batsman and as a bowler. Consequently, he was a key member of the Yorkshire team. His Yorkshire captain Lord Hawke described Hirst as "the greatest county cricketer of all time", and journalist Jim Kilburn noted that no cricketer could "capture
21018-449: The ball, replied: "He was very good. But he didn't know how to use it, you know. I had to set the field for him so that he got the best out of it." A plain-speaking man, Hirst could be firm and even outspoken at times. Wisden said: "Cricket was George Hirst's life". Bowes wrote that Hirst "was loved as a player, he was worshipped as a coach, revered as a man. His friends numbered thousands. He gave his full life to cricket; cricket gave
21244-423: The bat, but his bowling continued to make a good impression on critics. He took 99 wickets at an average of 14.39, placing him third in the Yorkshire averages for the season; that year, the county won the official County Championship , which had begun in 1890, for the first time. In 1894, Hirst scored his maiden first-class century against Gloucestershire , hitting an unbeaten 115 out of a partnership of 176 for
21470-401: The batting and bowling averages and had the third highest batting average in the country. Hirst played in two end-of-season games for the Players against the Gentlemen; his 124 not out in the second match was his only century in the Players versus Gentlemen series. In 1903, Pelham Warner , who played for Middlesex , was chosen to captain the first tour of Australia to be sponsored by MCC, in
21696-409: The batting and bowling averages for the series. In 1906, Hirst completed an unprecedented double of 2,000 runs and 200 wickets. Cricket writer A. A. Thomson noted that both milestones were unusual individually, and that such all-round achievements had only been matched in scope by those of W. G. Grace in the 1870s. No other cricketer has come close to matching this particular double. Hirst reached
21922-519: The best bowling figures of his career, clean-bowling eight of his victims as Lancashire were dismissed for 61. Yorkshire continued to struggle in 1911, but Hirst was successful against many of the leading counties, mainly as a bowler. However, he achieved some large scores; against Sussex, he hit the third double-century of his career and against Lancashire he scored 156 as well as taking six wickets for 83. In total, he scored 1,789 runs at 33.12 and took 137 wickets at 20.40. In 1912 Yorkshire regained
22148-474: The cathedral. That year, Commonwealth awards made up 40% of all OBEs and MBEs awarded (and 35% of all living recipients of the higher awards). Gradually that proportion reduced as independent states within the Commonwealth established their own systems of honours . The last Canadian recommendation for the Order of the British Empire was an MBE for gallantry gazetted in 1966, a year before the creation of
22374-578: The chairman of the Yorkshire cricket committee, of the insult. Close wrote a letter to Lister apologising, and gave a copy to a Yorkshire committeeman. But the letter was never presented to the committee as a whole, which voted to sack him as the first agenda item at their next meeting. In November 1970 Close was summoned to see Sellers, and given the choice of either resigning or being sacked. To begin with, he chose to resign. Later that day, and after speaking to his legal adviser, he retracted this, leaving Yorkshire to sack him. The reason, according to Yorkshire,
22600-418: The circlet. In 1929, to bring the order into line with the other orders of chivalry, members of the first class of the order (GBE) were provided with mantles, hats and collars. Only Knights/Dames Grand Cross wear these elaborate vestments; the hat is now rarely, if ever, worn. Use of the mantle is limited to important occasions (such as quadrennial services and coronations ). The mantle is always worn with
22826-489: The closest thing the South Africa team had to Test cricket at that time, and for his efforts in the first of the tours to South Africa, Close was named as one of the four South African Cricket Annual Cricketers of the Year in 1974. During his time at Somerset Viv Richards and Ian Botham joined the county squad, and Close's leadership and discipline helped them become great cricketers. Botham said of Close, "There
23052-444: The collar. Although the mantle was introduced in 1929, very few mantles would have been produced prior to the 1937 design changes, as there were few occasions for wearing them in the intervening years. On certain days designated by the sovereign, known as " collar days ", members attending formal events may wear the order's collar over their military uniform, formal day dress, evening wear or robes of office. Collars are returned upon
23278-484: The coolness of his play under pressure and said that "Hirst's innings was in its way almost as remarkable as Jessop's". In four Tests, Hirst scored 157 runs at an average of 39.25 and took nine wickets at an average of 23.11. Apart from his Test appearances, Hirst also played twice for the Players against the Gentlemen and played for the same side against the Australians. Early in the 1903 season, Hirst suffered
23504-479: The country's population". The committee further suggested changing the name of the award to the Order of British Excellence, and changing the rank of Commander to Companion (as the former was said to have a "militaristic ring"), as well as advocating for the abolition of knighthoods and damehoods; the government, however, was not of the opinion that a case for change had been made, and the aforementioned suggestions and recommendations were not, therefore, pursued. In
23730-403: The death of their owners, but other insignia may be retained. The six office-holders of the order wear pearl-grey mantles lined with rose-pink, having on the right side a purple shield charged with the roundel from the badge. Each of these office-holders wears a unique badge of office, suspended from a gold chain worn around the neck. The British Empire Medal is made of silver. On the obverse
23956-626: The distinction between ranks in military operational gallantry awards will cease'. The reforms affected the order at various levels: for example the automatic award each year of a GBE to the Lord Mayor of London ceased; the OBE replaced the Imperial Service Order as an award for civil servants and the number of MBEs awarded each year was significantly increased. As part of these reforms the British Empire Medal stopped being awarded by
24182-413: The editor of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack . Yorkshire, needing to fill a vacant place in the team, played Hirst 13 times in first-class matches in 1892. He did not pass 30 runs in an innings again and averaged 16.15 with the bat. With the ball, he took 30 wickets at an average of 20.56 with a best performance of six for 16 against Sussex . Wisden later noted that Hirst, until he tired later in
24408-466: The end of the season. However, he declined an invitation to tour Australia with the MCC team in 1907–08 . In the 1909 season, Hirst was less successful. Possibly affected by his heavy workload with bat and ball in previous seasons, his batting disappointed critics. He scored 1,256 runs at 27.30, his lowest batting average since 1898. With the ball, he took 115 wickets at 20.05; his best performances came in
24634-513: The expense of his bowling until he was regarded mainly as a specialist batsman. Around 1900, his bowling re-emerged when he discovered a method to make the ball swing in the air after he released it. He was one of the first bowlers to control the swing of the ball, which batsmen found very difficult to counter, making Hirst's bowling far more successful from then on. From 1903 he achieved 11 consecutive doubles. He set records in 1905, when he scored 341 runs in an innings against Leicestershire —still
24860-419: The final Test, Close was not present. Nowadays, someone in Close's position would be carefully man-managed, and looked after by captain and team manager. But times were different then, and the Yorkshire stalwarts were proved right: he had been picked too early, and would never be a regular Test player. The years between 1951 and 1958 were a period of career consolidation for Close, who achieved 1,000 runs in
25086-528: The first Leeds player to feature as a youth international, when in October 1948, he played with England against Scotland at Pittodrie Park in Aberdeen . After passing his Higher School Certificate , Close seriously considered becoming a doctor; his headmaster at Aireborough believed that he could have been accepted into Cambridge or Oxford university, but he was not allowed to start university until he had completed two years of national service with
25312-503: The first Yorkshire player to achieve the double of 2,000 runs and 100 wickets, a feat previously achieved only by the Gloucestershire trio of W. G. Grace , Charlie Townsend and Gilbert Jessop . Most of his eight centuries were either against the strongest counties or in adverse circumstances for the team. In August, Hirst had a benefit match against Lancashire from which he received £3,703, worth around £490,000 as of 2023,
25538-399: The first innings he achieved his best Test figures of the tour in the second, with five for 48. In the Test series, Hirst scored 217 runs at an average of 24.11 and took 15 wickets at an average of 30.06. He scored 569 runs at 33.47 and took 36 wickets at 24.50 over all first-class games on the tour. His best bowling performance was five for 37 against Tasmania. Warner described Hirst as
25764-513: 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. Close enjoyed a good 1952 season at Yorkshire, achieving another double, but played no Test cricket. He played football, for 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
25990-426: The first time since 1904, was not selected for the Players side in any of their matches. Hirst completed the 14th and final double of his career in 1913, leading the Yorkshire batting averages with 1,540 runs at an average of 35.81. His bowling was not as effective and he was no longer Yorkshire's main attacking bowler, as Alonzo Drake and Major Booth headed the averages. Hirst took 101 wickets at 20.13. During
26216-409: The fixture was always highly competitive. Then in the 1895 season, Hirst passed 100 wickets in the season for the first time, securing 150 wickets at an average of 17.06. He established himself as an opening bowler for Yorkshire, assuming the role from Ted Wainwright and developing a good partnership with Bobby Peel . Against Leicestershire , he took a hat-trick . Although primarily regarded as
26442-419: The following March. They went on to have one daughter, Lynn, and a son, Lance. After the fourth Test of their five-Test series against the West Indies in 1966, England were 3–0 down and had lost the series. Needing someone to come in to revitalise the squad, the England selectors turned to the successful Yorkshire captain, Brian Close. Close knew why he had been selected, and also why many of his men had been. At
26668-534: The following season, the last before the First World War, Hirst was further afflicted by injuries and missed some matches. He bowled far less frequently than in recent seasons and his 43 wickets, which cost 29.81, were his fewest since 1898; it was the first time since 1902 he failed to complete the double. His batting remained effective and he produced some good performances when his team were in difficult circumstances, although his two centuries were against
26894-529: The former was to be responsible for recording all proceedings connected with the order, issuing warrants under the seal of the order and making arrangements for investitures, while the latter (at that time the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury ) was responsible for collecting and tabulating the names of those who were to receive an award. The office of Dean was added in 1957. The King of Arms
27120-547: The fourth Test. The interval between Close's first and last Test matches was 27 years, the second-longest after Wilfred Rhodes . Only one man, Zimbabwean John Traicos , has since played a Test match at a greater age. By the time he retired from county cricket at the end of the 1977 season, Close had achieved folk hero status in Somerset. He went on to play for Todmorden in the Lancashire League . Close also had
27346-467: The game for England, and came near to winning it. Set 234 to win, England ended on 228 for 9, with Colin Cowdrey famously coming in to bat (for two balls at the non-striker's end) with his broken arm in plaster. Close had been dismissed going for runs to win the game, and his courage earned him many plaudits. His shirtless torso, black and blue with bruises where he had been hit, made the front pages of
27572-426: The game, he failed to take a wicket; his maiden Test match wicket came in the following Test, but he took only two wickets in the series. In the third Test, Hirst scored 85, which remained the highest Test score of his career, but in this series he reached double figures only once more. When the series ended, Hirst had scored 207 runs at an average of 29.57. Hirst's poor form continued when he returned to England for
27798-401: The governments of overseas dominions to make their own nominations; Canada and South Africa began doing so in 1942, followed by Australia, New Zealand and other Commonwealth realms. In May 1957, forty years after the foundation of the order, it was announced that St Paul's Cathedral was to serve as the church of the order, and in 1960 a chapel was dedicated for its use within the crypt of
28024-423: The heart and the imagination and the affections more firmly than George Herbert Hirst". E. W. Swanton described his typical style of play as "grafting for victory without heroics". His record as a Test cricketer was less impressive than his figures in county cricket, owing to some extent to playing conditions during his two tours of Australia which reduced the effectiveness of his bowling and batting. Hirst gave
28250-450: The highest class of the order (GBE). The designs of all these items underwent major changes in 1937. The badge is worn by all members of the order; the size, colour and design depends on the class of award. The badge for all classes is in the form of a cross patonce (having the arms growing broader and floriated toward the end) with a medallion in the centre, the obverse of which bears a crowned image of George V and Queen Mary within
28476-634: The highest total for Yorkshire as of 2015—and in 1906, when he completed an unprecedented and unrepeated double of 2,000 runs and 200 wickets. In many seasons, he battled injury which reduced his effectiveness, but his bowling remained successful until shortly before the First World War . Hirst played in all England's home Test series between 1899 and 1909, but his record for England was less impressive than his record for Yorkshire, and he may have suffered from playing in Australia where conditions did not suit him. Hirst returned to play for Yorkshire after
28702-629: The honours system, calling it "a preposterous charade". The order has attracted some criticism for its naming having connection with the idea of the now-extinct British Empire . Benjamin Zephaniah , a British poet of Jamaican and Barbadian descent, publicly rejected appointment as an Officer in 2003 because, he asserted, it reminded him of "thousands of years of brutality". He also said that "it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised". George Hirst George Herbert Hirst (7 September 1871 – 10 May 1954)
28928-664: The houses' back gardens; Harry Close was himself a keen cricketer, who kept wicket and was a big hitter in the Bradford Cricket League , although he never attained the standard of the Yorkshire county team . Rawdon had cricketing pedigree: Hedley Verity —an England international in the period before the Second World War , in which he was killed —grew up there, and the Verity family continued to live in
29154-468: The impression of enjoying every game he played, and many of the captains under whom he played praised both his personality and his contribution to the team. Lord Hawke said that Hirst's smile "went right round his head and met at the back". Warner noted his wit helped the team in difficult situations during the tour of Australia in 1903–04. Hirst's Times obituary said: "No why or wherefore, no explanation of his great ability, not even his record which adorns
29380-408: The innings as wickets were lost. The ninth wicket fell with 15 needed when Rhodes joined Hirst. It has been claimed that Hirst said to Rhodes, "We'll get 'em in singles", but neither batsman could remember those words being said and not all the runs came in singles. The two Yorkshiremen held their nerve to take England to a one-wicket victory. Wisden described Hirst as playing "a great game", noted
29606-446: The insignia to Buckingham Palace and by ceasing to make reference to their honour, but they still hold the honour unless and until annulled by the monarch. In 2003, The Sunday Times published a list of the people who had rejected the Order of the British Empire, including David Bowie , John Cleese , Nigella Lawson , Elgar Howarth , L. S. Lowry , George Melly , and J. G. Ballard . In addition, Ballard voiced his opposition to
29832-640: The junior post-nominal letters. The British sovereign is the sovereign of the order and appoints all other officers of the order (by convention, on the advice of the governments of the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth realms ). The second-most senior officer is the Grand Master (a 'Prince of the Blood Royal, or other exalted personage' appointed by the sovereign, who, by virtue of their appointment, becomes 'the First or Principal Knight Grand Cross of
30058-528: The latter. Knights and Dames Commander and Commanders may display the circlet, but not the collar, surrounding their arms. The badge is depicted suspended from the collar or circlet. See List of current honorary knights and dames of the Order of the British Empire Only the monarch can annul an honour. The Honours Forfeiture Committee considers cases and makes recommendations for forfeiture. An individual can renounce their honour by returning
30284-463: The left breast, by Knights and Dames Grand Cross; Knights and Dames Commander wear a smaller star composed of 'four equal points and four lesser'. The star is not worn by the more junior classes. Prior to 1937 each star had in the centre a gold medallion with a figure of Britannia, surrounded by a crimson circlet inscribed with the motto of the order ('For God and the Empire'); since 1937 the effigies of King George V and Queen Mary have been shown within
30510-477: The lunch interval on the second day. Misjudging the bounce on the Melbourne wicket , which was somewhat different from the bounce of English wickets, he swept a ball from Jack Iverson only to get a top edge to Sam Loxton , fielding behind square leg. E. W. Swanton called it the worst shot he had seen played by a first-class batsman. The dressing room was silent when he returned. Brown, when advised that Close
30736-442: The match by three runs, giving them an unassailable lead in the series; later writers claimed that Tate's performance was responsible for losing the match. Hirst was recalled for the final Test and played a vital role. Wisden said that he bowled as well as he had in 1901 as he brought about an early batting collapse. Although Australia recovered, he had figures of five for 77. With Len Braund , Hirst then helped England to avoid
30962-407: The match was drawn. However, Yorkshire managed to bowl only 24 overs, with only two being bowled in the last 15 minutes. Whilst it was wet, and Yorkshire had to dry the ball often, this was seen as unacceptable time-wasting and gamesmanship . Close did not help himself as he personally berated a Warwickshire spectator who he thought had called out something inopportune, though in the event he picked on
31188-509: The match without resting. However, Hirst was ineffective in the rest of the series, and was left out of the side for the fifth and final Test. In the series he scored 52 runs at an average of 8.66, with a top-score of 31, and took 16 wickets at 21.75. This ended his Test career; his final Test record in 24 matches was 790 runs, with three scores over fifty, at an average of 22.57, and 59 wickets at an average of 30.00. Yorkshire had one of their worst seasons to date in 1910, finishing eighth in
31414-423: The match, Close became England's youngest Test player, aged 18 years and 149 days, 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 , the captain, being to "have a look at a couple and then give it a go". Close duly played two balls back to the bowler , then hit out for the boundary , only to be caught in
31640-588: The medal 'for gallantry', which had come to be known as the Empire Gallantry Medal , were given permission to use the postnominal letters EGM (and at the same time to add a laurel branch emblem to the ribbon of the medal); however, in 1940, awards of the EGM ceased and all holders of the medal were instructed to exchange it for a new and more prestigious gallantry award: the George Cross . In 1941,
31866-559: The medal of the order 'for meritorious service' was renamed the British Empire Medal , and the following year its recipients were granted the right to use the postnominal letters BEM. During the war, the BEM came to be used to recognise acts of bravery which did not merit the award of a George Cross or George Medal , a use which continued until the introduction of the Queen's Gallantry Medal in 1974. The designs of insignia of
32092-449: The medal. The colour of the riband was also changed: twenty years earlier, prior to the order's establishment, Queen Mary had made it known that pink would be her preferred colour for the riband of the proposed new order, but, in the event, purple was chosen. Following her appointment as Grand Master of the order in 1936 a change was duly made and since 9 March 1937 the riband of the order has been 'rose pink edged with pearl grey’ (with
32318-486: The military. With the enforced break from his studies he chose to try a career as a professional sportsman; he signed a professional contract with Leeds United and having already played for the Yorkshire Colts in second eleven cricket, he joined them for winter coaching. The coaches encouraged Close to switch from bowling seam to being an off spinner . In February 1949, Close underwent a medical examination with
32544-561: The more important matches such as those against Lancashire and Surrey. He was selected for the Players against the Gentlemen, taking seven wickets in the game. In the Test series against Australia, which England lost 2–1, Hirst played in the first four matches. England won the first game, in which Hirst took nine wickets. On the first day, bowling throughout the Australian innings with Colin Blythe , Hirst took four for 28. The Australians were never comfortable; Wisden noted that Hirst "[made]
32770-473: The names of the former are written out in their fullest forms. Male clergy of the Church of England or the Church of Scotland do not use the title Sir (unless they were knighted before being ordained) as they do not receive the accolade (they are not dubbed "knight" with a sword), although they do append the post-nominal letters ; dames do not receive the accolade, and therefore female clergy are free to use
32996-441: The newspapers the next day. Len Hutton wrote him a congratulatory letter on his innings, and he returned to county cricket the hero. Overall, he made over 300 runs in the series, but was not selected for the next series. Close also had immediate success as Yorkshire captain, winning the County Championship in 1963. His successes saw him named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1964, acknowledging his impact on
33222-406: The next couple of seasons, but continued to develop as a cricketer, signing as a professional for Elland Cricket Club for the 1890 season before joining Mirfield in 1891. During that season, he made his first-class debut for Yorkshire against Somerset in the County Championship ; he scored 15 runs and took two wickets in the game. For the 1892 season, Hirst joined Huddersfield, which played
33448-413: The ninth wicket . Although this was his only score over fifty, Wisden recorded how his batting often helped his team out of difficult situations. In total, he hit 564 runs at an average of 16.58. With the ball, his record was similar to the previous season. He took 98 wickets at an average of 15.98, and his best figures came in a match against Lancashire , a feat appreciated by Yorkshire supporters as
33674-454: The numbers restricted to the order as full members do. Although the Order of the British Empire has by far the highest number of members of the British orders of chivalry, with more than 100,000 living members worldwide, there are fewer appointments to knighthoods than in other orders. From time to time, individuals may be promoted to a higher grade within the Order, thereby ceasing usage of
33900-620: The order alongside its own honours until the establishment of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1996. Other Commonwealth realms have continued to use the Order of the British Empire alongside their own honours. In 1993 the Prime Minister, John Major , instituted a reform of the honours system with the aim 'that exceptional service or achievement will be more widely recognised; that greater importance will be given to voluntary service; that automatic honours will end; that
34126-408: The order and medal were altered in 1937, prior to the coronation of King George VI , 'in commemoration of the reign of King George V and Queen Mary, during which the Order was founded'. The figure of Britannia at the centre of the badge of the order was replaced with an image of the crowned heads of the late King and Queen Mary, and the words 'Instituted by King George V' were added to the reverse of
34352-409: The order was celebrated with a service at St Paul's Cathedral. The order is limited to 300 Knights and Dames Grand Cross, 845 Knights and Dames Commander, and 8,960 Commanders. There are no limits applied to the total number of members of the fourth and fifth classes, but no more than 858 officers and 1,464 members may be appointed per year. Foreign appointees, as honorary members, do not contribute to
34578-426: The order, to which serving personnel would in future be appointed. The classes were the same as for the Civil Division (as it was now termed), but military awards were distinguished by the addition of a central vertical red stripe to the purple riband of the civil awards. In 1920 appointment as an MBE 'for an act of gallantry' was granted for the first time, to Sydney Frank Blanck Esq, who had rescued an injured man from
34804-405: The outfield for a score of nought. He had previously taken one wicket for 39 runs during the first New Zealand innings. 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 . During the late-season Scarborough Festival , he became the youngest player to achieve
35030-505: The pages of Wisden can adequately describe to those who had not the fortune to see him play the rich quality of George Hirst, the type of professional cricketer to which all would like to aspire. He played during the golden age of cricket, and he was one of the most illustrious of his time." Hirst was noted for his honesty, sportsmanship, and enthusiasm. Known as "George Herbert", he was admired and affectionately regarded by his contemporaries and by spectators. The public worshipped him in
35256-534: The players there were surprised that, while Yorkshire were perennial Championship winners, the batting averages of their leading batsmen tended to languish in the 20s. The answer was that Close had honed them to play the innings required at the right time: when quick runs were required, players did not play for their averages, they played for quick runs. Close was recalled to the England Test squad in 1963, and played his first full series of five matches, against
35482-548: The pre-match dinner he said, "I shouldn't be here if we hadn't made such a mess of the series. What's more, neither would a few of you. You are here because you are all fighters, and we are going to keep the pressure on and keep it on for five days." What Close did was to engender a battling spirit for the final Test Match. So, when England were 166 for 7 in reply to the West Indies' 268 all out, they did not give up. Instead, centuries from Tom Graveney and John Murray , and half-centuries from Ken Higgs and John Snow , saw England to
35708-449: The replacement captain was Colin Cowdrey. The third Test against Pakistan was Close's final Test as captain. He led England to a comprehensive 8-wicket victory, winning the series 2–0. His record as captain was played 7, won 6, drawn 1, the best record of any Englishman who captained in more than two Tests. In 1969 Close played only 18 county championship games as he was plagued by a calf injury, although he did lead Yorkshire to victory in
35934-603: The same Order'). The position of Grand Master has been held by the following people: In addition to the sovereign and the grand master , the order has six further officers: At its foundation the order was served by three officers: the King of Arms, the Registrar & Secretary and the Gentleman Usher of the Purple Rod. In 1922 the Prelate was added, and the office of Registrar was separated from that of Secretary:
36160-447: The same first-class match; as of 2015, only one other man, Franklyn Stephenson in 1988, has achieved the feat. Battling a knee injury and exhaustion towards the end of the season, it became increasingly difficult for Hirst to perform. Hirst took his 200th wicket at the end of August and commented that, were his feat to be duplicated in future, "whoever does will be very tired". He also commented that his injuries only troubled him once
36386-408: The school holidays, and maintained his coaching connection with the county until shortly before his death. Despite the differences in the backgrounds of the players, Hirst was equally respected at Eton and when he acted as a coach to the Yorkshire team. At Yorkshire Hirst worked with young players in the cricket nets at Headingley , took charge of indoor trials during the winter, and travelled with
36612-600: The season and was dropped from the team, "bowled up to a certain point with excellent results". Over the next few seasons, Hirst became a regular member of the Yorkshire side, but although his performances were good enough to keep him in the team, he had few outstanding successes. Wisden noted: "For some time after his first season Hirst's career was one of steady progress rather than of brilliant achievement." Hirst's batting remained undeveloped in 1893; he batted at number 10 and did not pass fifty in any one innings, though he managed some useful scores. He averaged only 15.04 with
36838-448: The season was over and it "was a triumph of spirit over matter". The weather was poor during the 1907 season, resulting in a succession of pitches which suited spin bowling and were difficult to bat on. In these circumstances, Hirst scored fewer runs than in the previous season. He did not score a century, making 1,321 runs at 28.71, and the prevalent type of pitches did not suit his bowling pace so that he took fewer wickets. Even so, he
37064-419: The season, at Scarborough, he was given a warm reception by the crowd, who did not expect to see him playing for Yorkshire again. However, he appeared on occasions during the school holidays in the next two seasons, although he did not score any centuries, did not average more than 24 with the bat and took only 21 wickets in total. At the end of the 1921 season Hirst retired as a Yorkshire player, and made what
37290-475: The season, at an average of 31.11 with two centuries. He took fewer wickets than the previous year, partly as he was often used for a few overs early in an innings by Yorkshire before giving way to slow bowlers Rhodes and Schofield Haigh , who topped the national first-class bowling averages for the season. In total, Hirst took 83 wickets at an average of 20.33. During the summer of 1902, Australia toured England, playing five Test matches; Hirst made an impact on
37516-545: The second most of any cricketer after his contemporary and team-mate Wilfred Rhodes . One of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 1901, Hirst scored 36,356 runs and took 2,742 wickets in first-class cricket. In Tests, he made 790 runs and captured 59 wickets. Born in Kirkheaton , Hirst first achieved success for Yorkshire as a bowler who could bat a little. Over his first few seasons, his batting improved at
37742-421: The second time, scoring 2,226 runs at an average of 53.95. Early in the season, Hirst scored 341 against Leicestershire, the highest score of his career and, as of 2015, the record individual innings by a Yorkshire batsman. On a good pitch for batting, he began his innings when Yorkshire had scored 22 for three wickets, in reply to Leicestershire's score of 419, batted just under seven hours and hit 53 fours and
37968-402: The selectors. The pitch was soft, which would have favoured the bowling of Tate, but Wisden reported that while this offered some justification for dropping Hirst, "it meant playing a bowler pure and simple in preference to a first-rate all-round man, and the result proved anything but happy." Tate bowled just 16 overs in the game, dropped a vital catch and was the last man out as Australia won
38194-434: The senior professional Yorkshire enjoyed a period of almost unbroken success, winning the county championship again in 1960, taking second place in 1961, and winning again in 1962. During this period Close was called up for his seventh Test in 1961, against Australia. This match, which at one point England appeared certain to win, turned to disaster, with Close bearing the main blame for England's defeat. England were chasing
38420-447: The series. Around the time of the first Test, the tourists endured a dispiriting spell of poor form and illness. In the first Test, England scored 376 for nine wickets. Hirst scored 48 and Wisden described his partnership with Johnny Tyldesley of 94 in 80 minutes as the turning point of the innings. In reply, Hirst and Rhodes bowled out Australia for 36 in conditions that the umpires considered reasonable to bat in. Wisden described
38646-472: The squad for the second match but was left out on fitness grounds. However, Hirst was not particularly successful in the three Tests he played that season, hitting a highest score of 40 not out; as a bowler he never took more than three wickets in an innings. In the series he scored 105 runs at an average of 35.00 and took 6 wickets at 35.33. England won the series 2–0, mainly due to the all-round efforts of Hirst's Yorkshire teammate Stanley Jackson , who headed
38872-461: The standard of the George Medal (even though, as appointments to an order of chivalry, they were listed before it on the Order of Wear . In contrast to awards for meritorious service, which usually appear without a citation, there were often citations for gallantry awards, some detailed and graphic. From 14 January 1958, these awards were designated Commander, Officer or Member of the Order of
39098-543: The team as coach on a tour to Jamaica in 1936. Many Yorkshire players, with vastly differing temperaments, came under his influence and improved as players. One of Hirst's most notable achievements as a coach was improving the bowling of George Macaulay to the point where he became a key member of the Yorkshire team. The short terms at Eton allowed him to play matches for Scarborough from 1923 onwards, in July and August for seven seasons. During this period he scored 2,682 runs at an average of 58.3. His highest batting average
39324-409: The team were unbeaten in the fixture, winning the six matches that produced a definite result and drawing the remainder. Following Hirst's retirement, Eton lost to Harrow in 1939 for the first time since the First World War. In the period of Hirst's coaching, Eton only lost once—in 1920—to Winchester. A combination of Hirst's technical knowledge, playing experience and empathy with young people made him
39550-404: The team's success, more so than a strong batting line-up, and expressed the opinion that Hirst should concentrate on one discipline rather than dividing his energy. Over the next few seasons, these fears were proven to some extent, Wisden noting in 1901 that he was a less effective bowler than previously. In 1897, Hirst completed the double again. He scored 1,535 runs at an average of 35.69, with
39776-418: The third Test, Hirst took three wickets and, with innings of 58 and 44, was one of the few successful England batsmen in a poor performance which enabled Australia to win the match. England won the crucial fourth match to ensure the series victory. Hirst took two wickets and contributed scores of 25 and 18. Australia achieved a win in the final match in which Hirst scored 0 and 1, but after taking no wickets in
40002-414: The third match but did not take many wickets before the first Test. Warner considered he had nevertheless bowled well but was finding it difficult to maintain his energy in the hot conditions; his bowling lost pace and sting later in his bowling spells. Hirst played in all five Test matches, the first two of which were won by England. In the first game, Hirst took two wickets. In his first innings, he scored
40228-506: The title Dame . Knights and Dames Grand Cross use the post-nominal GBE; Knights Commander, KBE; Dames Commander, DBE; Commanders, CBE; Officers, OBE; and Members, MBE. The post-nominal for the British Empire Medal is BEM. Members of all classes of the order are assigned positions in the order of precedence . Wives of male members of all classes also feature on the order of precedence, as do sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commander; relatives of Ladies of
40454-525: The titles Sir for men and Dame for women before their forenames, except with honorary awards. King George V founded the order to fill gaps in the British honours system : In particular, George V wished to create an order to honour the many thousands of individuals from across the Empire who had served in a variety of non-combat roles during the First World War . From its foundation the order consisted of five classes (GBE, KBE/DBE, CBE, OBE and MBE) and
40680-504: The tour, and had little in common with the rest of the party; by the end, he was not even on talking terms with most of them. After a reasonable start, making a century on his First Class debut in Australia, Close faltered, and then became injured, with a badly pulled groin muscle. He was selected to play in the second Test, which England lost by 28 runs. After Australia were dismissed for 194, England had collapsed to 54 for 4 when Close came in to bat, with only eight deliveries to go before
40906-423: The tour, he took only nine wickets at the very expensive average of 75.77. His batting was inconsistent and he scored 338 runs at an average of 21.12. His best scores came in minor matches. Nevertheless, he was selected for England in four of the five Test matches. His debut came in the first match, England's only victory, when he scored 62 batting at number six in the batting order . Despite bowling 41 overs in
41132-400: The tourist's first innings, but in a low-scoring game, Yorkshire were behind after the first innings. After Australia had reached 20 for three wickets in their second innings, Hirst bowled Victor Trumper with what Hirst believed was the best delivery of his life and the tourists last wickets fell quickly. The team were bowled out for 23, of which Hirst took five wickets for nine runs as he made
41358-410: The two Yorkshiremen as bowling very well. Hirst had figures of three for 15 and Rhodes returned seven for 17. However C. B. Fry , who played for England in the match, believed Hirst to be the more difficult to play and that while Rhodes bowled well, the Australian batsmen got themselves out as they "hurried to the other end and tried to hit Rhodes, without success. Well as Rhodes bowled, it was Hirst who
41584-438: The two matches against Kent. He scored a century and took 11 wickets as Yorkshire won the first, and took eight wickets and scored a match-saving 93 in the drawn second encounter. Against the other title contenders, Lancashire and Surrey, he was likewise successful with both bat and ball, earning praise from The Times and Wisden for his batting under difficult circumstances in these matches. His captain, Lord Hawke , said "It
41810-420: The village. At Rawdon Littlemoor Primary School, Close was taught by Grace Verity, Hedley's sister, and he was friends with two of his children, Wilfred and Douglas. At Aireborough Grammar School , Close excelled both academically and athletically. The school went unbeaten in the six cricketing summers while Close was there, and the school's sport's master arranged for him to receive coaching from George Hirst ,
42036-484: The war, but became a cricket coach at Eton College in 1920, where he remained until 1938. After making occasional appearances in 1920 and 1921, he retired from regular first-class cricket. He maintained his connections with Yorkshire for the rest of his life, coached young players and established an excellent reputation for developing players of all social backgrounds. A popular player, coach, and personality with cricketers and spectators, Hirst died in 1954, aged 82. Hirst
42262-516: The weaker bowling attacks of Northamptonshire and Somerset. He scored 1,670 runs at 41.75. In June, he was selected in a match to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the current Lord's ground, playing for the Rest of England against the MCC side which had toured South Africa the previous winter. The outbreak of war brought the season to an early close in August. During the war Hirst, along with Rhodes and their team-mate Schofield Haigh , worked in
42488-473: The wicket well enough." Close continued to do well for Yorkshire and was selected to play for the Players against the Gentlemen , at Lord's in July. Unofficially, this prestigious match also served as a Test match trial, and Close scored 65 runs, the most amongst the Players, in what was described as a "most commendable performance" by The Times . During the match, Close got caught out by cricket's antiquated social etiquette. When he reached his half-century he
42714-416: The winter of 1901–02 with Archie MacLaren 's team, as the Yorkshire committee wanted both players to be well rested before the new season. Hirst was statistically less successful in 1902, but he nevertheless returned to the Test team. The summer was very wet, resulting in many rain-affected pitches, known as sticky wickets , which favoured slower bowlers and made batting difficult. Hirst scored 1,413 runs in
42940-411: The winter of 1903–04. According to Warner, Hirst and Rhodes were the first two players to be selected, as "the two best bowlers of the present day in this country". Before the tour, critics claimed Hirst would be unsuccessful, citing his failure during his previous tour. However, Warner later wrote: "Hirst, to say nothing of his batting, bowled excellently throughout the tour, and was of much more value as
43166-518: The worst wicket I experienced in Test cricket. The faster the West Indians bowled the worse it got because the balls broke through the surface of the wicket. They exploded and flew at you." With this innings of 20 runs off 108 balls in 162 minutes Close completed his Test career, under a vicious barrage, standing tall and taking the damage as he had against the West Indies at Lord's 13 years earlier. After that, both Close and Edrich were dropped for
43392-471: The wrong man. After the game, Close said to the Warwickshire captain, M.J.K. Smith , "Bad luck, Mike, you played better than we did. But I couldn't give you the game." Smith appeared to accept this when he replied, "I quite understand." Brian Sellers, chairman of Yorkshire and the one who had berated Close in 1949 for saying "Thank you, Billy", then made matters worse for Close by sending an apology to
43618-408: Was 117.2, attained in 1926 and his highest individual innings score was 124 in 1928, scored when he was 58 years old. He took 182 wickets in this time at a strike rate of 13.1. He also coached at the club in the summer months, alongside David Hunter . Bill Bowes, who received coaching by Hirst and went on to play for England, described him as "the finest coach in the world". Len Hutton , another who
43844-438: Was Close's dislike for the new 40-over one-day cricket league that was first played in 1969 (Close thought it led to bad habits and negative play), and because Close had supposedly not brought on the younger players. After being sacked by Yorkshire, the 39-year-old Close received offers from many other counties, including Lancashire , Glamorgan , Middlesex and Leicestershire . But he turned all these down, preferring to accept
44070-456: Was a bit down and needed consolation, replied "Let the blighter stew. He deserves it." Later in Tasmania , Close was ordered to play despite doctor's advice to rest, and as he tried to nurse his injury he acquired a reputation for malingering and insubordination. He was made to play in six of the next seven games. When England won a Test match in Australia for the first time in 13 years in
44296-451: Was a genuine enthusiasm for cricket which rubbed off on all those playing alongside him. You couldn't help but get excited by the game." In 1976, the 45-year-old Brian Close was called up for the first three Tests in England's five- Test series against the West Indies , who were no less ferocious than when Close was battered by them in 1963. In the second innings of the third Test at Old Trafford , Close's final Test innings, Close opened with
44522-466: Was a professional English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1891 and 1921, with a further appearance in 1929. One of the best all-rounders of his time, Hirst was a left arm medium-fast bowler and right-handed batsman. He played in 24 Test matches for England between 1897 and 1909, touring Australia twice. He completed the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in an English cricket season 14 times,
44748-446: Was a rain-affected draw. The second Test was won comfortably by England by 10 wickets. It seemed certain that Close would be selected to captain England in their 1967/68 tour to the West Indies. Then on 16, 17 and 18 August, Yorkshire, captained by Close, played Warwickshire at Edgbaston , Birmingham . Warwickshire had been set 142 to win in 100 minutes. When the match ended, Warwickshire were 133 for 5, nine runs short of victory, and
44974-407: Was almost as revolutionary as Bernard Bosanquet's invention of the googly . His bowling partnership with Rhodes was particularly effective, and established a formidable reputation. Hirst could not make the ball swing in every match, nor could he maintain it through a long innings. However, when he could achieve swerve, even the best batsmen found it almost impossible to bat against him. His success
45200-404: 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
45426-540: Was also called up to the England one-day squad to captain them in a three-match One Day International series against Australia, which England won 2–1, when the regular England captain and his former Yorkshire teammate, Ray Illingworth , injured his ankle in the last Test. In 1972/73 Close led a two-match tour of the "International Wanderers" to Rhodesia . The next two winters he captained the Derrick Robins ' XI tours to apartheid South Africa . Robins' tours were
45652-461: Was announced: he had absented himself from an army cricket match. The pressman promised to stay silent, but a week later a clerk on the camp newspaper telephoned the Daily Express with the news. However, Close still toured; his National Service was suspended so that he could do so, as touring sportsmen were considered to be ambassadors for the United Kingdom. Close was the youngest player on
45878-425: Was appointed. Burnet was 40 years old, without first-class cricket experience, and seemed an unlikely choice to restore to Yorkshire's fortunes. 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,
46104-456: Was badly injured again: playing against Newcastle United he hurt his thigh in a collision with Ted Robledo . Showing the stubbornness that he later became famous for, Close played the rest of the game, but by the time he reported back for duty the next day, it was badly swollen and painful. He was excused from duties again, but not offered any treatment by the army. After around six weeks, he travelled home on leave and got some heat treatment from
46330-462: Was born on 7 September 1871 in the Brown Cow Inn, Kirkheaton , a village close to Huddersfield . He was the last of 10 children born to James Hirst and his wife Sarah Maria Woolhouse. When his father died in 1880, Hirst lived with his sister Mary Elizabeth Woolhouse and her husband John Berry in Kirkheaton. After leaving school at 10 years of age, Hirst first worked for a hand-loom weaver in
46556-456: Was coached by Hirst, wrote "I shall always think of George Hirst as the ideal coach. He was a 'natural' one, the guide, the philosopher, and friend of every young fellow who has had a trial under him". Part of Hirst's success at Eton came from his personality and ability to extract the best from people. Bowes noted how his enthusiasm inspired young players, and his humour and kindness led boys to worship him. He could pass on technical knowledge in
46782-621: Was coaching and occasionally captaining the county's Colts XI. He was President of Yorkshire in 2008/9. Close was born into a working class family in Rawdon , West Riding of Yorkshire , around 7 miles (11 km) west of Leeds , on 24 February 1931. His parents were Harry, a weaver, and Esther ( née Barrett). He was the second eldest of five boys and a girl. The family lived in a series of small council houses in Rawdon, Guiseley and Yeadon . Growing up, Close practised cricket with his father in
47008-399: 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". Despite this rebuke, the Yorkshire committee secured the assistance of
47234-417: Was dependent on atmospheric conditions; for example, he could not swing the ball much in Australia. He was particularly effective when bowling into the wind. Sammy Woods described facing Hirst when the ball was moving in the air: "How the devil can you play a ball that comes in at you like a hard throw-in from cover-point?" Hirst was not an especially quick bowler, a little faster than medium pace , with
47460-477: Was expected to be his final first-class appearance in a Scarborough Festival match, in which he captained the Players against the Gentlemen. On the last day of the match, Hirst's 50th birthday, he took the final two wickets to secure victory for his side. The crowd gathered outside the pavilion and demanded to see him; he gave a farewell speech, and was moved by the reception given to him. Hirst played three more first-class games; in 1921–22 he played two games for
47686-402: Was first announced at the end of December 2006, and is available to recipients of all levels of the order, as well as to holders of the British Empire Medal . The pin design is not unique to any level. The pin features the badge of the order, enclosed in a circle of ribbon of its colours of pink and grey. Lapel pins must be purchased separately by a member of the order. The creation of such a pin
47912-505: Was first-class: he appeared for Yorkshire once, and made three first-class appearances for the Combined Services cricket team . He was playing plenty of other cricket; he played in inter-services matches during the week, and obtained weekend passes to play league cricket for Leeds on Saturdays and charity matches on Sundays. Between playing football and cricket, he had little time for anything else, so much so according to Close, he
48138-469: Was made a substantive member and subsequently styled as Sir Terry Wogan). Although initially intended to recognise meritorious service, the order began to also be awarded for gallantry. There were an increased number of cases in the Second World War for service personnel and civilians including the merchant navy, police, emergency services and civil defence, mostly MBEs but with a small number of OBEs and CBEs. Such awards were for gallantry that did not reach
48364-435: Was never given a job in the army, as he would have no time in which to do it. His performances attracted the attention of the England cricket captain, Brown, who wanted Close to be included in the English party to tour Australia for the 1950–51 Ashes series . Brown consulted Close's county coach, former England bowler Bill Bowes , who pleaded with Brown not to select Close, arguing that such early promotion would damage him as
48590-473: Was not only what Georgie Hirst did but how he did it, coming off [i. e. "succeeding"] when an effort seemed most necessary and playing his best against the more formidable sides." He scored six centuries, two of which came in a record-equalling performance against Somerset. He scored 111 and 117 not out when batting and took six for 70 and five for 45 with the ball. He became only the second man after Bernard Bosanquet to score two centuries and take 10 wickets in
48816-399: Was offset by the debut of Wilfred Rhodes , also from Kirkheaton, who took 154 wickets in his first season. In 1899, Hirst showed a big improvement in his batting form, scoring 1,630 runs—his best tally to date—at an average of 35.43. He increased his number of wickets to 82 at 24.75, and his form was good enough to earn selection for his first home Test match, against Australia. However, it
49042-421: Was only injuries to three other candidates that secured his place as a fast bowler, and he was not selected in the rest of the series. Wisden noted: "It cannot be said that the experiment was in any way a success. Hirst worked hard for his side, his fielding indeed being perfection, but as a bowler he did not cause the Australians any trouble." When he played the tourists in their game against Yorkshire soon after
49268-513: Was open to both women and men; provision was also made for conferring honorary awards on foreign recipients. At the same time, alongside the order, the Medal of the Order of the British Empire was instituted, to serve as a lower award granting recipients affiliation but not membership. The first investiture took place at Ibrox Stadium , as part of a royal visit to the Glasgow shipyards, with the appointment of Alexander Ure, 1st Baron Strathclyde as
49494-425: 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 Indies , but did not perform well enough to secure a regular Test place. Meanwhile, in this period, Yorkshire had not won a single County Championship . At the beginning of 1958 a new captain, Ronnie Burnet ,
49720-585: Was recommended in Sir Hayden Phillips ' review of the honours system in 2004. The Chapel of the Order of the British Empire is in St Paul's Cathedral . It occupies the far eastern end of the cathedral crypt and was dedicated in 1960. The only heraldic banners normally on display in the chapel are those of the Sovereign of the Order of the British Empire and of the Grand Master of the Order of
49946-419: Was responsible for the debacle. This is the best instance I know of the bowler at the other end getting wickets for his colleague." The England side for this match was later described by some critics as the greatest England team in history. Rain prevented the match from being completed and saved Australia from almost certain defeat. The Australian team's next game was against Yorkshire. Hirst took four for 35 in
50172-502: Was sacked for disciplinary reasons. Burnet, aided by Close, was successful in 1959, when Yorkshire at last won the county championship. At the end of that season, as Close later heard, Burnet was told that, having just won the championship, he could have another season as captain, but, if he did, Close would then take over. If Burnet resigned immediately, Vic Wilson could take over as captain in preference to Close. Burnet chose to step down straight-away. Once Wilson took over, with Close as
50398-541: Was safe. However, Close offended the Lancashire president, the Honourable Lionel Lister, when Lister entered the away captain's changing room to speak to Close after Lancashire, Yorkshire's archrivals, had beaten them at Old Trafford to retain the one-day John Player League trophy. Close, who may not have known who Lister was, offered Lister some choice words. Lister immediately told Brian Sellers,
50624-433: Was substantially higher than he had achieved previously. With the ball he took 104 wickets, at the more expensive average of 21.61, to complete the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets for the first time. However, some critics in Yorkshire were unhappy that his batting had improved, believing that the extra effort involved would diminish his effectiveness as a bowler. They considered a powerful bowling attack to be vital to
50850-400: Was the second highest wicket-taker in the season and came fifth in the bowling averages, with 183 wickets at 15.29. Hirst remained a first-choice member of the Test team, playing all three matches against South Africa that summer in a series which England won 1–0, with the other two games drawn. Although unsuccessful with the bat, achieving 46 runs in five innings with a top-score of 17, in
51076-456: Was to bat aggressively. Although he could play defensively if required, he preferred to attack when his team were in difficulties. He played a variety of strokes, but he favoured the on drive and particularly the pull and hook shots . He was able to pull and hook almost any ball delivered to him, making it difficult to place fielders effectively while he was batting. Only in Australia did this approach prove less successful. He also established
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