THE WORLD'S WORST BATSMAN

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 48, 12 March 1937, Page 7

THE WORLD'S WORST BATSMAN

-Own Correspondent.)

Walter Brearley Dies At 60 GREAT FAST BOWLER

(Air Mail-

LONDGN, Feb. 20. The death occurred in a London hospital yesterday of Mr Walter Brearley, the former Lancashire and Eogland fast bowler. Mr Brearley had been. ill for a few days. He underwent a serious operation on. Friday night. He was 60 years old. Brearley, writes a speeial correspondent, was the best amateur fast bewler of his day, He figured in a sensational incident in a Gloucester v. Lancashire match which was the cause of a. bresk in the fixtures between the two counties. Brearley was a fearsome bowler, and jn the match referred to he put down gome of his fastest.

In a Lon.don evening papor, Jessop, the Gloucester crack bataman, wrote: "Brearley to-day lost hie head and nearly found mine." He was probably the world' s worst batsman and proud of it. In a match. at Old Trafford, when bowlers were trundling the ball to mfih other before starting seriqusly, Brearley clouted the. ball to the boundary. Remonstrated with, he said; "I wanted to sea what it felt like to hit a four " He had a great qontempt, for modern fast bowlers, and only a year a@o deelared that he could still bowl as fast as the best of tbem. Altogether for Lancashire Brearley took 690 wicketg at a eqst of 18 runa apiece, and in first-clas§ cricket his record was 8-14 at 19,31, He irmt with speeial suceess in the great local struggles with York^hire, and in the matches played between these counties from 1903 to 1911 bo dismissed 125 batsmen at 16 runs each, his appearances for Lancashire in thia encounter dnring this period being 14. His best year came in 1'908 when 163 wiokets fell to him, but he v;as never in better form than in 1905 when ho enjoyed the distinction of playmg for JEhigiand against Australia at Old Traho.«d and the Oval. H > ici.nd a speeial pleasuro »n making extra efforts to dismiss some batsmen, and during that season he dis'posed of Victor. Trumper no fewer than six Lmes when playing for Fngland, ihe G'-. tlemen and Laneashne. AVrlter Brearley also played fer England against Australia at Leeds in 1909 and onc© against youth Africa duidng the triangular tournamettt in 191?