Paul Brooks (cricketer)
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paul Wilson Brooks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 28 May 1921 Marylebone, London, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 26 January 1946 (aged 24) Paddington, London, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Mr[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Left-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Left-arm fast-medium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1939 | Middlesex | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 14 April 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Paul Wilson Brooks (28 May 1921 – 26 January 1946) was an English cricketer. Brooks was a left-handed batsman who bowled left-arm fast-medium. The son of William James Brooks and Mabel Brooks,[2] he was born at Marylebone, London.
Prior to appearing in first-class cricket, Wilson had played Second XI cricket for Middlesex,[3] and on one notable occasion he bowled the Australian Don Bradman in a practice session at Lord's before the 1938 season began, making him a celebrity for a short time.[4][5][6] The following year he made what was to be his only first-class appearance for Middlesex against Warwickshire in the County Championship at Lord's.[7] This was the final first-class match played by Middlesex that season, and Brooks was drafted into the team after a number of regular players had been drafted into the armed services due to rising tensions with Germany.[8] In a match which Middlesex won by an innings and 200 runs, Brooks batted once, scoring an unbeaten 44.[9]
Military career and death[edit]
During the early part of World War II he served in London and Coventry with the National Fire Service during the height of The Blitz.[6][8] He later served in the Coldstream Guards, reaching the rank of lance corporal.[2] While fighting in Italy in April 1945, Brooks was wounded in the spine by a sniper.[8] He never recovered and was bedridden ever after, eventually dying of his injury at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, on the night of 26 January 1946.[6] He was laid to rest at Brompton Cemetery.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ "Time Never Stands Still". 25 May 2010. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
- ^ a b c "Brooks, Paul Wilson". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
- ^ "Teams Paul Brooks played for". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
- ^ "BOWLED BRADMAN". Goulburn Evening Penny Post (NSW : 1881 – 1940). NSW. 11 May 1938. p. 5 Edition: DAILY. Retrieved 6 April 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Wisden – Obituaries in 1946". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
- ^ a b c ""Boy Who Bowled Bradman" Dies of War Injuries". The Advocate. 29 January 1946. p. 1. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
- ^ "First-Class Matches played by Paul Brooks". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
- ^ a b c "Player profile: Paul Brooks". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
- ^ "Middlesex v Warwickshire, 1939 County Championship". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
External links[edit]
- Paul Brooks at ESPNcricinfo
- Paul Brooks at CricketArchive
- 1921 births
- 1946 deaths
- Cricketers from the City of Westminster
- People from Marylebone
- English cricketers
- Middlesex cricketers
- British Army personnel killed in World War II
- Coldstream Guards soldiers
- Burials at Brompton Cemetery
- British firefighters
- Civil Defence Service personnel
- Military personnel from London