The life and career of England great Brian Close will be celebrated at the next meeting of Nottingham Cricket Lovers’ Society, which will be held on Thursday 13 November in the Derek Randall Suite at Trent Bridge (7pm start).
Cricket writer Stephen Chalke will join the meeting to share the story of one of the most remarkable, charismatic and controversial cricketers of his era.
Close enjoyed a long career, stretching 30 seasons from 1948 to 1977. He was known for his great bravery against fast bowling and fearless close fielding, and also led Yorkshire and England with great success, before being sacked from the captaincy of both in controversial circumstances.
Stephen Chalke’s recent biography of Close One Hell of a Life won him the award for Wisden Book of the Year 2024, the third occasion he has won this accolade for biographies of cricketers.
In the first part of the meeting there will be a presentation about Nottinghamshire cricketer, Billy Barnes, by his great-grandson Andy Barnes. Billy played over 450 times for the County between 1875 and 1894 and 21 times for England. He was another cricketer who sometimes courted controversy, especially with the Notts committee of the day.
Access to the meeting will be available via the Hound Road Gate at Trent Bridge.
Membership of the Society costs £20 per year for individuals, £30 for a couple and £5 for juniors.
Non-members are very welcome to attend an individual meeting at a cost of £10 in cash on the door.
Further details are available at https://nottinghamcricketlovers.co.uk/
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