George Brook (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
George Wilfred Brook was an English
cricketer
who played for Worcestershire
in the 1930s.
Brook had appeared for Yorkshire
's Second XI as early as 1919,
and also played as the professional for Bacup Cricket Club
in the Lancashire League.
Moving south, he played for Kidderminster Cricket Club,
but it was not until 1930 that he made his first-class debut for Worcestershire, against the touring Australians at New Road
. The county side were crushed by an innings and 165 runs, but Brook took four good wickets: those of Woodfull
, Jackson
, Bradman and McCabe
.
Brook kept his place in the Worcestershire side throughout the remainder of the 1930 season, and produced a number of excellent performances: 6-80 against Nottinghamshire
in early June was followed by 5-40 and 7-50 (his career best) versus Leicestershire
a fortnight later. Indeed, he claimed five wickets in an innings on 12 occasions in total that summer, finishing with a fine season's return of 132 first-class wickets at 21.88 to top Worcestershire's bowling average
s ahead of Fred Root
.
From 1931 to 1934, Brook was a regular in the Worcestershire side, but he could never quite recapture his outstanding form of 1930: in those four years he took 81, 71, 82 and 87 wickets, with a total of 11 five-wicket hauls — one fewer than he had managed in a single season in his first summer at the county. His bowling average varied considerably, from an acceptable 24.34 in 1931 to an expensive 37.56 two years later. With the bat Brook was nothing special, but he did manage two half-centuries in 1932 and another (a career-best 56 in a high-scoring draw against Gloucestershire
) in 1933.
He played only three more games for Worcestershire, in May 1935, his final wicket being that of Yorkshire's Arthur Mitchell
. He then left the first-class arena for good to play for Keighley.
Winwood was born in Mirfield
, Yorkshire
; he died in Bournemouth
at the age of 77.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
who played for Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
in the 1930s.
Brook had appeared for Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
's Second XI as early as 1919,
and also played as the professional for Bacup Cricket Club
Bacup Cricket Club
Bacup Cricket Club, based at Lanehead in Bacup, Lancashire, are a cricket club in the Lancashire League.The club started in 1892 when the Lancashire League was formed. Their professional for the 2008 season was Chris Harris. Their captain for the 2011 season is David Warren and their professional...
in the Lancashire League.
Moving south, he played for Kidderminster Cricket Club,
but it was not until 1930 that he made his first-class debut for Worcestershire, against the touring Australians at New Road
New Road, Worcester
New Road, Worcester, England, has been the home cricket ground of Worcestershire County Cricket Club since 1896. Immediately to the northwest is a road called New Road, part of the A44, hence the name.- Overview :...
. The county side were crushed by an innings and 165 runs, but Brook took four good wickets: those of Woodfull
Bill Woodfull
William Maldon "Bill" Woodfull OBE was an Australian cricketer of the 1920s and 1930s. He captained both Victoria and Australia, and was best known for his dignified and moral conduct during the tumultuous bodyline series in 1932–33 that almost saw the end of Anglo-Australian cricketing ties...
, Jackson
Archie Jackson
Archibald "Archie" Jackson , occasionally known as Archibald Alexander Jackson, was an Australian cricketer who played eight Test matches as a specialist batsman between 1929 and 1931. A teenage prodigy, he played first grade cricket at only 15 years of age and was selected for New South Wales at 17...
, Bradman and McCabe
Stan McCabe
Stanley Joseph McCabe was an Australian cricketer who played 39 Test matches for Australia from 1930 to 1938. A short, stocky right-hander,...
.
Brook kept his place in the Worcestershire side throughout the remainder of the 1930 season, and produced a number of excellent performances: 6-80 against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
in early June was followed by 5-40 and 7-50 (his career best) versus Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
a fortnight later. Indeed, he claimed five wickets in an innings on 12 occasions in total that summer, finishing with a fine season's return of 132 first-class wickets at 21.88 to top Worcestershire's bowling average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
s ahead of Fred Root
Fred Root
Charles Frederick Root was an English cricketer who played for England in 1926 and for Derbyshire between 1910 to 1920 and for Worcestershire between 1921 and 1932.- Early career :...
.
From 1931 to 1934, Brook was a regular in the Worcestershire side, but he could never quite recapture his outstanding form of 1930: in those four years he took 81, 71, 82 and 87 wickets, with a total of 11 five-wicket hauls — one fewer than he had managed in a single season in his first summer at the county. His bowling average varied considerably, from an acceptable 24.34 in 1931 to an expensive 37.56 two years later. With the bat Brook was nothing special, but he did manage two half-centuries in 1932 and another (a career-best 56 in a high-scoring draw against Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
) in 1933.
He played only three more games for Worcestershire, in May 1935, his final wicket being that of Yorkshire's Arthur Mitchell
Arthur Mitchell (cricketer)
Arthur "Ticker" Mitchell was an English first-class cricketer, who played both for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England....
. He then left the first-class arena for good to play for Keighley.
Winwood was born in Mirfield
Mirfield
Mirfield is a small town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on the A644 road between Brighouse and Dewsbury...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
; he died in Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
at the age of 77.
External links
- Statistical summary from CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...