Len Braund
Encyclopedia
Leonard Charles Braund, born October 18, 1875, at Clewer
, Berkshire
, and died December 23, 1955, Putney Common, London
, was a cricket
er who played for Surrey
, Somerset
and England
.
Len Braund was an all-rounder
, a versatile batsman who could defend or attack according to the needs of the game and a leg break
bowler who used variation more than accuracy to take wickets. He was also regarded by contemporaries as the best slip fielder of his time.
Braund played 21 times from 1896 for Surrey before joining Somerset, where he had to qualify for County Championship
games by residence. On his Somerset debut, he hit 82 against the 1899 Australians. The following year, he made his Championship debut for Somerset against Middlesex
at Lord's, in Andrew Stoddart
's last match; but this was also Braund's last match of the season for Somerset, as MCC
ruled that he was not properly qualified. To fill in the waiting, he played for W. G. Grace
's London County
side.
Braund's proper career starts from 1901, and in his first full season he scored more than 1,000 runs and took over 100 wickets. He scored 107 in a remarkable match at Headingley
when Somerset, 238 behind Yorkshire
on the first innings, put up 630 in the second innings and won the match by 279 runs, Braund taking four wickets as the home team collapsed to 113 all out in the second innings. It was Yorkshire's only defeat of the season, and Somerset repeated that feat in 1902, a closer match won by just 34 runs in which Braund took 15 wickets for 71 runs, including a career-best nine for 41 in the second innings.
In between these two county matches, Braund had become a Test
cricketer, selected for the 1901-02 England tour of Australia. He was an instant success in Tests, scoring 58 in his first Test innings and taking seven wickets, including five for 61 in the second innings, as England beat Australia by an innings at Sydney
. In the third Test, at Adelaide
, he scored an unbeaten 103 and in the series as a whole he took 21 wickets, the most by an English player in a squad that included Colin Blythe
and Sydney Barnes
(though Barnes only played three Tests).
Named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year
in 1902, Braund played all five matches in The Ashes
series that season and was involved in many of the crucial incidents in a very close contest. He caught Clem Hill
at Edgbaston
off George Herbert Hirst
by running from slip round to the leg side; Australia were all out for 36, their lowest Test total. At Old Trafford
, he came in with England at 44 for five wickets and scored 65, putting on 141 with Stanley Jackson
; in the same match, he was the bowler off whom Fred Tate
missed a skied catch from Joe Darling
that enabled Australia to win by three runs.
Braund's second tour to Australia in 1903-04 was also successful. He scored 102 at Sydney while Tip Foster
was scoring his then-record 287, and he took eight wickets for 81 runs in the first innings of the final Test at Melbourne. His third visit to Australia in 1907-08 was less of a success, but in between he had scored a third Test century, making 104 against the 1907 South African team that included the sensational googly
bowlers who had brought South Africa its first Test victories over England in 1905-06.
In all, he played 23 Tests, scoring 987 runs and taking 47 wickets.
In first-class cricket, Braund did the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in the season three times, in 1901, 1902, and 1903, and in a career that lasted until 1920 he scored 17,801 runs and took 1,114 wickets. In the later part of his career, he lost the ability to spin the ball and became very expensive; by 1910, he played for Somerset largely as a batsman. He took 546 catches in his career.
After retiring, Braund coached at Cambridge University
and was a first-class umpire
for 18 seasons to 1938, standing in three Test matches between 1926 and 1929.
A convivial man who enjoyed drinking and horse-racing, Braund was beset by ill-health in his later life and had both legs amputated during the Second World War. Despite this, he was a regular attender at Lord's right up to his death, and he was one of the first 26 former professionals to be granted honorary membership of MCC in 1949.
Clewer
Clewer is an ecclesiastical parish and region of Windsor making up three wards of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the English county of Berkshire.-History:...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, and died December 23, 1955, Putney Common, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, was a 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 for Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
, 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...
and England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
.
Len Braund was an all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
, a versatile batsman who could defend or attack according to the needs of the game and a leg break
Leg break
A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of...
bowler who used variation more than accuracy to take wickets. He was also regarded by contemporaries as the best slip fielder of his time.
Braund played 21 times from 1896 for Surrey before joining Somerset, where he had to qualify for County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
games by residence. On his Somerset debut, he hit 82 against the 1899 Australians. The following year, he made his Championship debut for Somerset 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...
at Lord's, in Andrew Stoddart
Andrew Stoddart
Andrew Ernest Stoddart was an English cricketer and rugby union player. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1893.-Cricket career:...
's last match; but this was also Braund's last match of the season for Somerset, as 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...
ruled that he was not properly qualified. To fill in the waiting, he played for W. G. Grace
W. G. Grace
William Gilbert Grace, MRCS, LRCP was an English amateur cricketer who is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest players of all time, having a special significance in terms of his importance to the development of the sport...
's London County
London County Cricket Club
London County Cricket Club was a short-lived cricket club founded by the Crystal Palace Company. In 1898 they invited WG Grace to help them form a first-class cricket club. Grace accepted the offer and became the club's secretary, manager and captain. As a result, he severed his connection with...
side.
Braund's proper career starts from 1901, and in his first full season he scored more than 1,000 runs and took over 100 wickets. He scored 107 in a remarkable match at Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
when Somerset, 238 behind 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....
on the first innings, put up 630 in the second innings and won the match by 279 runs, Braund taking four wickets as the home team collapsed to 113 all out in the second innings. It was Yorkshire's only defeat of the season, and Somerset repeated that feat in 1902, a closer match won by just 34 runs in which Braund took 15 wickets for 71 runs, including a career-best nine for 41 in the second innings.
In between these two county matches, Braund had become a Test
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...
cricketer, selected for the 1901-02 England tour of Australia. He was an instant success in Tests, scoring 58 in his first Test innings and taking seven wickets, including five for 61 in the second innings, as England beat Australia by an innings at Sydney
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
. In the third Test, at Adelaide
Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
, he scored an unbeaten 103 and in the series as a whole he took 21 wickets, the most by an English player in a squad that included Colin Blythe
Colin Blythe
Colin Blythe , also known as Charlie Blythe, was a Kent and England left arm spinner who is regarded as one of the finest bowlers of the period between 1900 and 1914 - sometimes referred to as the "Golden Age" of cricket.-Career:Blythe first played...
and Sydney Barnes
Sydney Barnes
Sydney Francis Barnes was an English professional cricketer who is generally regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the sport's history...
(though Barnes only played three Tests).
Named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
The Wisden Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season"...
in 1902, Braund played all five matches in The Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
series that season and was involved in many of the crucial incidents in a very close contest. He caught Clem Hill
Clem Hill
Clement "Clem" Hill was an Australian cricketer who played 49 Test matches as a specialist batsman between 1896 and 1912. He captained the Australian team in ten Tests, winning five and losing five...
at Edgbaston
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
off George Herbert Hirst
George Herbert Hirst
George Herbert Hirst 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. He played in 24 Test matches for England between 1897 and 1909, touring Australia twice...
by running from slip round to the leg side; Australia were all out for 36, their lowest Test total. At Old Trafford
Old Trafford (cricket)
Old Trafford is a cricket ground situated on Talbot Road in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester. It has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since its foundation in 1864, having been the ground of Manchester Cricket Club from 1857...
, he came in with England at 44 for five wickets and scored 65, putting on 141 with Stanley Jackson
Stanley Jackson
Sir Francis Stanley Jackson, GCSI, GCIE, PC, KStJ , known as the Honourable Stanley Jackson during his playing career, was an English cricketer, soldier and Conservative Party politician.-Early life:...
; in the same match, he was the bowler off whom Fred Tate
Fred Tate
Frederick William Tate was an English cricketer who played in one Test in 1902. This was the famous match at Old Trafford which England lost by 3 runs, and with it the series...
missed a skied catch from Joe Darling
Joe Darling
Joseph "Joe" Darling CBE was an Australian cricketer who played 34 Test matches as a specialist batsman between 1894 and 1905. As captain, he led Australia in a total of 21 Tests, winning seven and losing four. In Test cricket, he scored 1657 runs at an average of 28.56 per innings, including...
that enabled Australia to win by three runs.
Braund's second tour to Australia in 1903-04 was also successful. He scored 102 at Sydney while Tip Foster
Tip Foster
Reginald Erskine Foster, nicknamed Tip Foster, commonly designated R. E. Foster in sporting literature was an English cricketer and football player...
was scoring his then-record 287, and he took eight wickets for 81 runs in the first innings of the final Test at Melbourne. His third visit to Australia in 1907-08 was less of a success, but in between he had scored a third Test century, making 104 against the 1907 South African team that included the sensational googly
Googly
In cricket, a googly is a type of delivery bowled by a right-arm leg spin bowler. It is occasionally referred to as a Bosie , an eponym in honour of its inventor Bernard Bosanquet.- Explanation :...
bowlers who had brought South Africa its first Test victories over England in 1905-06.
In all, he played 23 Tests, scoring 987 runs and taking 47 wickets.
In first-class cricket, Braund did the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in the season three times, in 1901, 1902, and 1903, and in a career that lasted until 1920 he scored 17,801 runs and took 1,114 wickets. In the later part of his career, he lost the ability to spin the ball and became very expensive; by 1910, he played for Somerset largely as a batsman. He took 546 catches in his career.
After retiring, Braund coached at 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...
and was a first-class umpire
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
for 18 seasons to 1938, standing in three Test matches between 1926 and 1929.
A convivial man who enjoyed drinking and horse-racing, Braund was beset by ill-health in his later life and had both legs amputated during the Second World War. Despite this, he was a regular attender at Lord's right up to his death, and he was one of the first 26 former professionals to be granted honorary membership of MCC in 1949.