Richard Brooke (cricketer)
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Richard Hubert John Brooke (6 June 1909 – 3 May 1973) was an English
cricket
er and clergyman. Brooke was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace
. He was born in Eton
, Buckinghamshire
.
He was educated at St Edward's School, Oxford, where he played for the school cricket team. Brooke had made his debut for Buckinghamshire
in the Minor Counties Championship in 1929 against the Surrey Second XI
. He later undertook studies at Oxford University,. It was for Gloucestershire
that he made his first-class
debut for, incidentally against Oxford University Cricket Club
. He batted once in this match, scoring 37 runs before being dismissed by Tuppy Owen-Smith
. Immediately following this match, he made his only first-class appearance for the Free Foresters
against Oxford University. Once more he batted just once in the match, scoring 27 runs before having his innings ended by Evelyn Wellings
. He also took his maiden first-class wicket in this match, that of future South African Test
cricketers Alan Melville
. Having played against the university in 1931, he proceeded to make 2 appearances for the university in that same season, against the Army
and Surrey
. He played 11 further first-class matches for the university, all in 1932, with the last of them coming against Cambridge University
. A prolific batsman for the university, he scored 810 runs at an average
of 45.00, with a high score of 140. This score, one of four centuries
he made, came against the Marylebone Cricket Club
. With the ball, he took 9 wickets at a bowling average
of 25.11, with best figures of 3/7.
While at Oxford, Brooke continued to play Minor counties cricket for Buckinghamshire, which was the case after he left Oxford. Playing for Buckinghamshire allowed him to play first-class cricket for the Minor Counties cricket team, who he made his debut for against Oxford University in 1933. He made 2 further first-class appearances for the team, against the touring West Indians in 1933, and the touring South Africans in 1935. In his 3 first-class matches for the team, he scored 169 runs at an average of 28.16, with a high score of 125. This score came against Oxford University in 1933, meaning all his first-class centuries came either for or against Oxford University. He also took 4 wickets for the Minor Counties, which came at an average of 9.50, with best figures of 3/11. Brooke continued to play for Buckinghamshire until 1939, making a total of 51 Minor Counties Championship appearances.
During his life he served as a master at Shrewsbury School
for over 30 years, as well as a Rector at Great Canfield
, Essex
, a position he held from 1969 to his death in 1973.
The Reverend
The Reverend is a style most often used as a prefix to the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. The Reverend is correctly called a style but is often and in some dictionaries called a...
Richard Hubert John Brooke (6 June 1909 – 3 May 1973) was an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
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 and clergyman. Brooke was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace
Seam bowling
Seam bowling is a phrase used for a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation. Practitioners are known as seam bowlers or seamers....
. He was born in Eton
Eton, Berkshire
Eton is a town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, lying on the opposite bank of the River Thames to Windsor and connected to it by Windsor Bridge. The parish also includes the large village of Eton Wick, 2 miles west of the town, and has a population of 4,980. Eton was in Buckinghamshire until...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
.
He was educated at St Edward's School, Oxford, where he played for the school cricket team. Brooke had made his debut for Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire County Cricket Club
Buckinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Buckinghamshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy. The Minor Counties play...
in the Minor Counties Championship in 1929 against the Surrey Second XI
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...
. He later undertook studies at Oxford University,. It was for 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....
that he made his first-class
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...
debut for, incidentally against Oxford University Cricket Club
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...
. He batted once in this match, scoring 37 runs before being dismissed by Tuppy Owen-Smith
Tuppy Owen-Smith
Harold Geoffrey Owen Owen-Smith was a South African cricketer and English rugby player. He played cricket in 5 Tests in 1929 and was capped 10 times by England from 1934 to 1937. He was captain throughout the 1937 Home Nations championship, thus he captained England three times...
. Immediately following this match, he made his only first-class appearance for the Free Foresters
Free Foresters Cricket Club
Free Foresters Cricket Club is an English amateur cricket club, established in 1856 for players from the Midland counties of England. It is a 'wandering' club, having no home ground....
against Oxford University. Once more he batted just once in the match, scoring 27 runs before having his innings ended by Evelyn Wellings
Evelyn Wellings
Evelyn Maitland "Lyn" Wellings was an Egyptian-born English cricketer and journalist, who played for Oxford University and Surrey....
. He also took his maiden first-class wicket in this match, that of future South African 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...
cricketers Alan Melville
Alan Melville
Alan Melville was a South African cricketer who played in 11 Tests from 1938 to 1949. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year ....
. Having played against the university in 1931, he proceeded to make 2 appearances for the university in that same season, against the Army
British Army cricket team
The Army cricket team is a cricket side representing the British Army. The team played a number of first-class matches between 1912 and 1939, although a combined "Army and Navy" side had played two games against a combined Oxford and Cambridge team in 1910 and 1911...
and 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...
. He played 11 further first-class matches for the university, all in 1932, with the last of them coming 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...
. A prolific batsman for the university, he scored 810 runs at an average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 45.00, with a high score of 140. This score, one of four centuries
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
he made, came against the Marylebone Cricket Club
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...
. With the ball, he took 9 wickets at a 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...
of 25.11, with best figures of 3/7.
While at Oxford, Brooke continued to play Minor counties cricket for Buckinghamshire, which was the case after he left Oxford. Playing for Buckinghamshire allowed him to play first-class cricket for the Minor Counties cricket team, who he made his debut for against Oxford University in 1933. He made 2 further first-class appearances for the team, against the touring West Indians in 1933, and the touring South Africans in 1935. In his 3 first-class matches for the team, he scored 169 runs at an average of 28.16, with a high score of 125. This score came against Oxford University in 1933, meaning all his first-class centuries came either for or against Oxford University. He also took 4 wickets for the Minor Counties, which came at an average of 9.50, with best figures of 3/11. Brooke continued to play for Buckinghamshire until 1939, making a total of 51 Minor Counties Championship appearances.
During his life he served as a master at Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 13 to 18, founded by Royal Charter in 1552. The present campus to which the school moved in 1882 is located on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England...
for over 30 years, as well as a Rector at Great Canfield
Great Canfield
Great Canfield is a village and a civil parish in the Uttlesford District, in the English county of Essex. It is near the small town of Great Dunmow.- References :A-Z Essex...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, a position he held from 1969 to his death in 1973.
External links
- Richard Brooke at ESPNcricinfo
- Richard Brooke at 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...