Arthur Briscoe
Encyclopedia
Captain Arthur Wellesley "Dooley" Briscoe MC
(6 February 1911 - 22 April 1941) was a South Africa
n cricket
er who played in two Tests
, one in 1935 and the other in 1938.
Briscoe was born at Johannesburg
, Transvaal
, and was educated at King Edward VII School. A batsman, he played domestic First-Class cricket
for Transvaal
from 1931/2 to 1939/40, scoring six centuries.
He played in two Test matches, making his début in the second Test against the touring Australian cricket team
at his home ground, Old Wanderers
in Johannesburg, in December 1935. Despite having achieved some success in domestic cricket, he scored only 15 and 16, and he was dropped for the remainder of the five-match series. He played his second Test against the touring MCC
team in the drawn second Test at Newlands
, Cape Town
in December 1938/January 1939. He was out for two, and was dropped again.
He played his last First-Class match in January 1940. He joined 1st Battalion of the Transvaal Scottish Regiment
, and served in East Africa alongside fellow cricketers Bruce Mitchell
and Ronnie Grieveson, fighting the Italians in Somaliland
and Abyssinia
. He was awarded the Military Cross for his actions in Huberta
and Ionte (Yoontoy) in Italian Somaliland
, and was killed in action near Dessie
in Ethiopia
.
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(6 February 1911 - 22 April 1941) was a South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n 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 who played in two Tests
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...
, one in 1935 and the other in 1938.
Briscoe was born at Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, Transvaal
Transvaal Province
Transvaal Province was a province of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1961, and of its successor, the Republic of South Africa, from 1961 until the end of apartheid in 1994 when a new constitution subdivided it.-History:...
, and was educated at King Edward VII School. A batsman, he played domestic 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 Transvaal
Transvaal cricket team
Gauteng cricket team is the first-class cricket team of the province of Gauteng in South Africa....
from 1931/2 to 1939/40, scoring six centuries.
He played in two Test matches, making his début in the second Test against the touring Australian cricket team
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
at his home ground, Old Wanderers
Old Wanderers
Old Wanderers was a cricket ground in Johannesburg, South Africa. The ground hosted 22 Test matches from 1895 to 1939, before being rebuilt as Johannesburg's Park Station in 1946...
in Johannesburg, in December 1935. Despite having achieved some success in domestic cricket, he scored only 15 and 16, and he was dropped for the remainder of the five-match series. He played his second Test against the touring MCC
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...
team in the drawn second Test at Newlands
Newlands Cricket Ground
Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town is a South African cricket ground. It's the home of the Cape Cobras, who play in the SuperSport Series, MTN Domestic Championship and Standard Bank Pro20 competitions. It is also a venue for Test matches. Newlands is regarded as one of the most beautiful cricket...
, Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
in December 1938/January 1939. He was out for two, and was dropped again.
He played his last First-Class match in January 1940. He joined 1st Battalion of the Transvaal Scottish Regiment
Transvaal Scottish Regiment
The Transvaal Scottish Regiment is an infantry regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Territorial Army or United States Army National Guard unit.-History:...
, and served in East Africa alongside fellow cricketers Bruce Mitchell
Bruce Mitchell (cricketer)
Bruce Mitchell was a South African cricketer who played in 42 Tests from 1929 to 1949. He was a right-handed opening batsman and played in every Test South Africa played in that period.By the end of his career he had 3471 Test runs to his name which at the time was a national record...
and Ronnie Grieveson, fighting the Italians in Somaliland
Somaliland
Somaliland is an unrecognised self-declared sovereign state that is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia. The government of Somaliland regards itself as the successor state to the British Somaliland protectorate, which was independent for a few days in 1960 as the State of...
and Abyssinia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. He was awarded the Military Cross for his actions in Huberta
Huberta
Huberta may refer to:* Huberta , South African hippopotamus* 260 Huberta, asteroid...
and Ionte (Yoontoy) in Italian Somaliland
Italian Somaliland
Italian Somaliland , also known as Italian Somalia, was a colony of the Kingdom of Italy from the 1880s until 1936 in the region of modern-day Somalia. Ruled in the 19th century by the Somali Sultanate of Hobyo and the Majeerteen Sultanate, the territory was later acquired by Italy through various...
, and was killed in action near Dessie
Dessie
Dessie is a city and a woreda in north-central Ethiopia. Located on the Addis Ababa - Asmara highway in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region, this city has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation between 2,470 and 2,550 meters above sea level.Dessie has postal service , and telephone...
in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
.
External links
- Profile from 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...