Francis Browning
Encyclopedia
Francis Henry Browning was an Irish cricket
er and President of the Irish Rugby Football Union
. He was a right-handed batsman and a wicket-keeper.
Browning was born in Dublin, Ireland
. He made his debut for Ireland
in August 1888 against Scotland
, and went onto play for Ireland 38 times, his last game coming against Philadelphia
in September 1909. Eleven of his games for Ireland had first-class
status.
Outside cricket, he was a barrister-at-law
. He became president of the Irish Rugby Football Union
in 1912. Browning raised and commanded the Irish Rugby Football Union Volunteer Corps and was second in command of the Irish Association of Volunteer Training Corps. He was killed in the Easter Rising
of 1916 by the rebels whilst serving with the Volunteer Training Corps.
On Easter Monday 1916, his VTC unit (a form of Home Guard) were returning to Dublin from a route march when they were fired on at Beggars Bush
, Dublin. The men of the 1 (Dublin) battalion were in civilian clothes with arm-bands and were carrying rifles but not ammunition; seven were wounded, four fatally, including Browning. He thus became the only first class cricketer to die in the Easter Rising.
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 and President of the Irish Rugby Football Union
Irish Rugby Football Union
The Irish Rugby Football Union is the body managing rugby union in Ireland. The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and home ground at Aviva Stadium, where Irish rugby union international matches are played...
. He was a right-handed batsman and a wicket-keeper.
Browning was born in Dublin, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. He made his debut for Ireland
Irish cricket team
The Ireland cricket team is the cricket team representing all of Ireland. Because of political difficulties, the Irish Cricket Union was not elected to the International Cricket Council until 1993, and qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 2007. The Irish Cricket Union is the...
in August 1888 against Scotland
Scottish cricket team
The Scotland national cricket team represents Scotland in the game of cricket. They compete in the Clydesdale Bank 40 as the Scottish Saltires...
, and went onto play for Ireland 38 times, his last game coming against Philadelphia
Philadelphian cricket team
The Philadelphian cricket team was a team that represented Philadelphia in first-class cricket between 1878 and 1913. Even with the United States having played the first ever international cricket match against Canada in 1844, the sport began a slow decline in the country. This decline was...
in September 1909. Eleven of his games for Ireland had first-class
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...
status.
Outside cricket, he was a barrister-at-law
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
. He became president of the Irish Rugby Football Union
Irish Rugby Football Union
The Irish Rugby Football Union is the body managing rugby union in Ireland. The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and home ground at Aviva Stadium, where Irish rugby union international matches are played...
in 1912. Browning raised and commanded the Irish Rugby Football Union Volunteer Corps and was second in command of the Irish Association of Volunteer Training Corps. He was killed in the Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
of 1916 by the rebels whilst serving with the Volunteer Training Corps.
On Easter Monday 1916, his VTC unit (a form of Home Guard) were returning to Dublin from a route march when they were fired on at Beggars Bush
Beggars Bush (Dublin)
Beggars Bush is the name of a former barracks on Haddington Road in Dublin, Ireland, as well the surrounding area and a nearby pub.The barracks dates from 1827 and is bordered to the east by Shelbourne Road, which used to be the western bank of the River Dodder.-History:The British Army used the...
, Dublin. The men of the 1 (Dublin) battalion were in civilian clothes with arm-bands and were carrying rifles but not ammunition; seven were wounded, four fatally, including Browning. He thus became the only first class cricketer to die in the Easter Rising.
See also
- List of Irish cricket and rugby union players