Bryan Valentine
Encyclopedia
Bryan Herbert Valentine (17 January 1908, Blackheath, London
– 2 February 1983, Otford
, Kent
) was an English cricket
er who played in 7 Tests
from 1933 to 1939.
Although he played only 7 tests, his Test batting average of 64.85, including 2 centuries and 1 fifty, is remarkable and dwarfs his overall first class record of 30.15 with 35 centuries and 90 fifties in 399 first class matches. He played in just 2 Test series, scoring 179 runs in two tests against India on the 1933/34 tour with a best of 136 in less than 3 hours on debut in Bombay. He amassed 275 runs in 5 matches against South Africa on the 1938/39 MCC tour, including a knock of 112 in 2 hours, 40 minutes in Cape Town in the Second Test of the series. His final Test was the famous 'timeless test' in Durban which saw England's last innings cut short at 654 - 5 when they were forced to catch the boat home after 10 days of cricket. Valentine ended the match on 4 not out.
Valentine represented Cambridge University in 1928 and 1929, where he also won a blue in soccer, and his long career at Kent as a right-handed batsman and occasional medium pacer spanned two decades from 1927 to 1948. He was awarded his Kent cap in 1931and captained the county on occasion during the 1930s in the absence of Percy Chapman. In 1937, shared the captaincy with R.T. Bryan. An attacking batsman whose defence improved with experience in the first class arena, he was particularly strong through the leg side but his Test appearances were limited by the strength of the England team at the time. His highest score, 242, was made for Kent against Leicestershire at Oakham in 1938. A bowler of limited pretensions in a side which relied on the tireless 'Tich' Freeman, he was an excellent all round fielder equally home in the covers or catching close to the wicket.
He won the M.C. during World War Two and returned to cricket despite being badly wounded during hostilities, captaining Kent from 1946 to 1948 as they rebuilt their team. He was President of Kent County Cricket Club in 1967 and served on the cricket committee for many years.
Blackheath, London
Blackheath is a district of South London, England. It is named from the large open public grassland which separates it from Greenwich to the north and Lewisham to the west...
– 2 February 1983, Otford
Otford
Otford is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent known for its classically British countryside. The village is located on the River Darent, flowing north down its valley from its source on the North Downs...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
) was an English cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played in 7 Tests
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
from 1933 to 1939.
Although he played only 7 tests, his Test batting average of 64.85, including 2 centuries and 1 fifty, is remarkable and dwarfs his overall first class record of 30.15 with 35 centuries and 90 fifties in 399 first class matches. He played in just 2 Test series, scoring 179 runs in two tests against India on the 1933/34 tour with a best of 136 in less than 3 hours on debut in Bombay. He amassed 275 runs in 5 matches against South Africa on the 1938/39 MCC tour, including a knock of 112 in 2 hours, 40 minutes in Cape Town in the Second Test of the series. His final Test was the famous 'timeless test' in Durban which saw England's last innings cut short at 654 - 5 when they were forced to catch the boat home after 10 days of cricket. Valentine ended the match on 4 not out.
Valentine represented Cambridge University in 1928 and 1929, where he also won a blue in soccer, and his long career at Kent as a right-handed batsman and occasional medium pacer spanned two decades from 1927 to 1948. He was awarded his Kent cap in 1931and captained the county on occasion during the 1930s in the absence of Percy Chapman. In 1937, shared the captaincy with R.T. Bryan. An attacking batsman whose defence improved with experience in the first class arena, he was particularly strong through the leg side but his Test appearances were limited by the strength of the England team at the time. His highest score, 242, was made for Kent against Leicestershire at Oakham in 1938. A bowler of limited pretensions in a side which relied on the tireless 'Tich' Freeman, he was an excellent all round fielder equally home in the covers or catching close to the wicket.
He won the M.C. during World War Two and returned to cricket despite being badly wounded during hostilities, captaining Kent from 1946 to 1948 as they rebuilt their team. He was President of Kent County Cricket Club in 1967 and served on the cricket committee for many years.