Godfrey Bryan
Encyclopedia
Godfrey James Bryan CBE
(29 December 1902-4 March 1991) was an English cricket
er. A left-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace
bowler, he played first-class cricket
between 1920 and 1935. His brothers Jack
and Ronnie
also played for Kent, though Godfrey was considered the most talented of the three.
, Kent
, Bryan showed an early talent for cricket when playing at school. After making a string of centuries whilst at school, he was referred to by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
as the public school batsman of the year and made his first-class debut for Kent
in a County Championship
match against Nottinghamshire
aged just 17. He made an immediate impact by scoring 124 in the second innings of the match.
, playing nine County Championship match in addition to a match against Australia. His top score of the year was the 179 he scored against Hampshire
. He played 13 County Championship matches for Kent the following year, after which his Army career meant that his availability for county cricket
was limited. The Army cricket team had first-class status at that time however, meaning that he was able to keep in touch with first-class cricket, playing for the Army against the Royal Navy
in 1923 in addition to four County Championship matches for Kent.
In 1924, he played in five County Championship matches for Kent, also playing first-class matches for the Army against Oxford University
and the Royal Navy. He also played for the Combined Services
that year, scoring 229 for them against South Africa, his highest first-class score. He played eight County Championship matches in 1925, including one against Lancashire
in which all three Bryan brothers played. He also played three first-class matches for the Army, against Cambridge University
, Oxford University and the Royal Navy.
His availability for Kent was even more curtailed in 1926, playing just one County Championship match against Middlesex
that season, also playing for them against Australia and the MCC
. He played a further three first-class matches for the Army, against the same opponents from the previous season. The following season, he played just once for Kent, against Somerset
in the County Championship, and played four matches for the Army, against their usual opponents in addition to New Zealand.
He played just three first-class matches in 1928, two for Kent against Middlesex and the West Indies, and one for the Army against the Royal Navy. He played three County Championship matches in 1929, passing 3,000 runs
in first-class cricket in the match against Sussex
. He also played first-class matches for the Army against the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force that year.
, where he played two matches for the Straits Settlements
against the Federated Malay States
in 1930 and 1932. Back in England, he played his final match for Kent in 1933 against Derbyshire
, also playing that year for the Army against the West Indies.
He played a non first-class match for the Army against Australia in 1934, and played his final first-class match for the Army in 1935 against Cambridge University. He continued cricket at a lower level, playing a third match for the Straits Settlements against the Federated Malay States in 1938. He played for the Army against the Minor Counties
in 1947, against Yorkshire
in 1949 and against Oxford University in 1951.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(29 December 1902-4 March 1991) 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. A left-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
bowler, he played first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
between 1920 and 1935. His brothers Jack
Jack Bryan
John Lindsay Bryan , was a cricketer who played for Cambridge University and Kent.Jack Bryan was a left-handed opening batsman and an occasional bowler of highly-spun leg breaks and googlies. He played for Kent's second eleven before the First World War, and then again in 1919, before he went to...
and Ronnie
Ronald Bryan
Ronald Thurston Bryan was an English cricketer.Bryan was born in Beckenham, Kent in 1898. He played first-class cricket for 17 years, appearing solely for Kent between 1920 to 1937, and was one of Kent's joint captains in 1937.He was one of three left-handed brothers who all played as amateurs...
also played for Kent, though Godfrey was considered the most talented of the three.
Early life
Born in BeckenhamBeckenham
Beckenham is a town in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is located 8.4 miles south east of Charing Cross and 1.75 miles west of Bromley town...
, 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...
, Bryan showed an early talent for cricket when playing at school. After making a string of centuries whilst at school, he was referred to by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
as the public school batsman of the year and made his first-class debut for Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
in a County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
match 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...
aged just 17. He made an immediate impact by scoring 124 in the second innings of the match.
Main cricket career
He became a regular member of the Kent team during the 1921 season1921 English cricket season
In the 1921 English cricket season, Australia emphasised a post-war superiority that it owed in particular to the pace duo of Gregory and McDonald...
, playing nine County Championship match in addition to a match against Australia. His top score of the year was the 179 he scored against Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
. He played 13 County Championship matches for Kent the following year, after which his Army career meant that his availability for county cricket
County cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
was limited. The Army cricket team had first-class status at that time however, meaning that he was able to keep in touch with first-class cricket, playing for the Army against the Royal Navy
Royal Navy Cricket Club
The Royal Navy Cricket Club is a cricket team representing the British Royal Navy and based at the United Services Recreation Ground, Portsmouth, Hampshire...
in 1923 in addition to four County Championship matches for Kent.
In 1924, he played in five County Championship matches for Kent, also playing first-class matches for the Army against Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
and the Royal Navy. He also played for the Combined Services
Combined Services cricket team
The Combined Services cricket team represents the British armed forces. The team played at first-class level in England for more than forty years in the mid-twentieth century. Their first first-class match was against Gentlemen of England at Lord's in 1920, while their last was against Oxford...
that year, scoring 229 for them against South Africa, his highest first-class score. He played eight County Championship matches in 1925, including one against Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
in which all three Bryan brothers played. He also played three first-class matches for the Army, against Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
, Oxford University and the Royal Navy.
His availability for Kent was even more curtailed in 1926, playing just one County Championship match against Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex 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 Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
that season, also playing for them against Australia and the MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
. He played a further three first-class matches for the Army, against the same opponents from the previous season. The following season, he played just once for Kent, against Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset 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 Somerset...
in the County Championship, and played four matches for the Army, against their usual opponents in addition to New Zealand.
He played just three first-class matches in 1928, two for Kent against Middlesex and the West Indies, and one for the Army against the Royal Navy. He played three County Championship matches in 1929, passing 3,000 runs
Run (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...
in first-class cricket in the match against Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
. He also played first-class matches for the Army against the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force that year.
Later cricket career
The first years of the 1930s saw a brief cessation in his cricket career in England as he was stationed in the Far EastFar East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
, where he played two matches for the Straits Settlements
Straits Settlements cricket team
The Straits Settlements cricket team was the team that represented the Straits Settlements in international cricket matches between 1890 and 1940.-History:...
against the Federated Malay States
Federated Malay States cricket team
The Federated Malay States cricket team was a team that represented the Federated Malay States in international cricket matches between 1905 and 1940. Cricket has been played in Peninsular Malaysia since the 1880s, and the Federated Malay States usually combined with the Straits Settlements cricket...
in 1930 and 1932. Back in England, he played his final match for Kent in 1933 against Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
, also playing that year for the Army against the West Indies.
He played a non first-class match for the Army against Australia in 1934, and played his final first-class match for the Army in 1935 against Cambridge University. He continued cricket at a lower level, playing a third match for the Straits Settlements against the Federated Malay States in 1938. He played for the Army against the Minor Counties
Minor counties of English cricket
The Minor Counties are the cricketing counties of England and Wales that are not afforded first-class status. The game is administered by the Minor Counties Cricket Association which comes under the England and Wales Cricket Board...
in 1947, against 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....
in 1949 and against Oxford University in 1951.