Ted Brooks
Encyclopedia
Edward William John 'Ted' Brooks (born July 8, 1898 at Camberwell
, London
; died February 10, 1960 at Rustington
, Sussex
) was an English
cricket
er. A wicket-keeper
, he played first-class cricket
for Surrey
from 1925 to 1939, all but five of his first-class appearances being for the county. Only Herbert Strudwick
has exceeded his 810 dismissals for the county.
He originally joined the Surrey staff as a medium-paced bowler. In a minor match in 1923 he kept wicket when the regular wicketkeeper was injured, and did so well that he concentrated on his keeping from then on. When Strudwick retired after the 1927 season, Brooks succeeded him as the regular first team keeper, having already played in some matches from 1925 to 1927 when Strudwick was injured or away playing for England. He was notably acrobatic behind the stumps and kept particularly well to fast bowling. That he was regarded highly as a keeper is indicated by the fact that he played four times for the Players against the Gentlemen
between 1931 and 1935. He took six catches in an innings against Kent at Blackheath in 1935, which equalled the Surrey record.
Though no better than a useful tail-end batsman, when he made his highest score of 70, against Hampshire at the Oval in 1936, he shared a stand of 168 for the ninth wicket with Errol Holmes
in just 75 minutes. This remains the Surrey record partnership for that wicket.
He was noted as a humorist, both on and off the field. In one match he missed two stumpings off Freddie Brown in one over and another in Brown's next over, all from the same batsman. In the following over he held a fine diving catch off Alf Gover
to dismiss the batsman. Brooks walked up to Brown and said: "I can catch 'em if I can't stump 'em."
Camberwell
Camberwell is a district of south London, England, and forms part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is a built-up inner city district located southeast of Charing Cross. To the west it has a boundary with the London Borough of Lambeth.-Toponymy:...
, 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...
; died February 10, 1960 at Rustington
Rustington
Rustington is a seaside resort and civil parish near Littlehampton in West Sussex. Rustington is centrally situated on the West Sussex coast almost midway between the cathedral city of Chichester and Brighton. For local government purposes, it forms part of the Arun district of the administrative...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
) was an English
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...
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 wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
, 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...
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...
from 1925 to 1939, all but five of his first-class appearances being for the county. Only Herbert Strudwick
Herbert Strudwick
Herbert Strudwick was an English wicket-keeper...
has exceeded his 810 dismissals for the county.
He originally joined the Surrey staff as a medium-paced bowler. In a minor match in 1923 he kept wicket when the regular wicketkeeper was injured, and did so well that he concentrated on his keeping from then on. When Strudwick retired after the 1927 season, Brooks succeeded him as the regular first team keeper, having already played in some matches from 1925 to 1927 when Strudwick was injured or away playing for England. He was notably acrobatic behind the stumps and kept particularly well to fast bowling. That he was regarded highly as a keeper is indicated by the fact that he played four times for the Players against the Gentlemen
Gentlemen v Players
The Gentlemen v Players game was a first-class cricket match that was generally played on an annual basis between one team consisting of amateurs and one of professionals . The first two games took place in 1806 but the fixture was not revived until 1819. It was more or less annual thereafter...
between 1931 and 1935. He took six catches in an innings against Kent at Blackheath in 1935, which equalled the Surrey record.
Though no better than a useful tail-end batsman, when he made his highest score of 70, against Hampshire at the Oval in 1936, he shared a stand of 168 for the ninth wicket with Errol Holmes
Errol Holmes
Errol Reginald Thorold Holmes, born at Calcutta on 21 August 1905 and died in London on 16 August 1960, was a cricketer who played for Oxford University, Surrey and England....
in just 75 minutes. This remains the Surrey record partnership for that wicket.
He was noted as a humorist, both on and off the field. In one match he missed two stumpings off Freddie Brown in one over and another in Brown's next over, all from the same batsman. In the following over he held a fine diving catch off Alf Gover
Alf Gover
Alfred Richard Gover MBE was an English Test cricketer. He was the mainstay of the Surrey bowling attack during the 1930s and played four Tests before and after the Second World War...
to dismiss the batsman. Brooks walked up to Brown and said: "I can catch 'em if I can't stump 'em."