George Brann
Encyclopedia
George Brann was an English
amateur
cricket
er and footballer who had a long career with Sussex County Cricket Club
at the end of the 19th century, and played three matches for the England national football team
.
, East Sussex
and was educated at Ardingly College
, near Haywards Heath
, West Sussex
, where he spent ten years and represented the school at football.
based in Slough
, who in 1890 merged with Slough Albion and Young Men's Friendly Society to form a new club, Slough F.C., who later became Slough Town
.
Being an amateur, Brann was free to play for more than one club, and he joined the famous amateur club Corinthian in 1885. He made his first appearance for them in a 3–1 defeat against Preston North End
on 28 November 1885. In the 1885-86 season
he played eight times for Corinthian, in all five forward
positions, scoring three goals.
In the 1885-86 FA Cup
tournament, Brann was part of the Swifts team, together with Charlie & Arthur Bambridge
who reached the sixth round stage, where they were eliminated by the Cup holders Blackburn Rovers
.
His first England
appearance came at Cathkin Park
, Glasgow
in a 1–1 draw against Scotland
on 27 March 1886 in the British Home Championship
. England's goal was scored by fellow Corinthian Tinsley Lindley
. Brann was retained for the next match against Wales
two days later, and scored in a 3–1 victory.
His Corinthian appearances over the next few seasons were fairly infrequent, and he ended his career in 1893, having made 32 appearances, with eight goals.
He made his third, and final, England appearance against Wales on 7 March 1891 when he played on the right wing alongside professionals including Johnny Goodall, Jack Southworth
, Alf Milward
and Edgar Chadwick
. England were too strong for the Welsh and won 4–1, with each of the other forwards scoring.
against Hampshire
in May 1883 although he made little impact scoring a duck
as Sussex won by an innings and 42 runs but his career really began in 1885.
His highest first class
score was 161 against Cambridge University
at Hove
in 1899, although he did score 219 against Hampshire in a non-first class match in June 1886. In 1899 he and C. B. Fry opened the two Sussex innings against Middlesex
at Lord's with partnerships of 135 and 148.
In 1892 he enjoyed what was then the rare distinction of scoring two centuries
in a match - 105 and 101 against Kent
. This had only been achieved previously by W. G. Grace
(three times) and William Lambert
, also of Sussex.
Brann went to Australia in 1887-88 as a member of Arthur Shrewsbury
's Team, visited South Africa under Walter Read
in 1891-92 and America in 1899 when K. S. Ranjitsinhji was captain.
According to his obituary in Wisden
, he was "originally a very free batsman and powerful hitter, (but) forsook his dashing methods during his last few years of county cricket, (and) although becoming a far more watchful type of batsman he continued to make many runs".
His last significant season was 1904, although his final first-class match for Sussex was against Cambridge University
in June 1905. In his first-class career, he scored a total of 11,205 runs at an average of 25.69, including twenty-five centuries for Sussex. Standing nearly six feet tall, he was also a fine fielder taking 145 catches during his career; as a fast bowler he claimed 69 wickets at an average of 44.31.
er and was secretary to the Home Park Golf Club in Surbiton for twenty years.
He was a career schoolteacher, teaching at his former school, Ardingly College
.
He died at his home at Surbiton
, Surrey
, on 14 June 1954, aged 89.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
amateur
Amateur sports
Amateur sports are sports in which participants engage largely or entirely without remuneration. Sporting amateurism was a zealously guarded ideal in the 19th century, especially among the upper classes, but faced steady erosion throughout the 20th century with the continuing growth of pro sports...
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 and footballer who had a long career with Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
at the end of the 19th century, and played three matches for the England national football team
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
.
Education
Brann was born in EastbourneEastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
, East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
and was educated at Ardingly College
Ardingly College
Ardingly College is a selective independent co-educational boarding and day school, founded in 1858 by Canon Nathaniel Woodard, included in the Tatler list of top public schools. The college is located in the village of Ardingly near Haywards Heath, West Sussex, England, having moved to its present...
, near Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath
-Climate:Haywards Heath experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Rail:Haywards Heath railway station is a major station on the Brighton Main Line...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, where he spent ten years and represented the school at football.
Football career
After leaving school he joined the SwiftsSwifts F.C.
Swifts Football Club were a football team based in Slough, England.The club were founded c.1868 and played their home matches on a ground near The Dolphin public house, Slough...
based in Slough
Slough
Slough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...
, who in 1890 merged with Slough Albion and Young Men's Friendly Society to form a new club, Slough F.C., who later became Slough Town
Slough Town F.C.
Slough Town F.C. is an English semi-professional football club. The club was officially founded in 1890 after the amalgamation of three local clubs, Swifts, Slough Albion and Young Men's Friendly Society, who between them forged a new club, Slough F.C....
.
Being an amateur, Brann was free to play for more than one club, and he joined the famous amateur club Corinthian in 1885. He made his first appearance for them in a 3–1 defeat against Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
on 28 November 1885. In the 1885-86 season
1885-86 in English football
The 1885–1886 season was the 15th season of competitive football in England.-National team:England were joint winners of the 1886 British Home Championship with Scotland.* England score given firstKey* A = Away match...
he played eight times for Corinthian, in all five forward
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
positions, scoring three goals.
In the 1885-86 FA Cup
FA Cup 1885-86
The Football Association Challenge Cup 1885–86 was the fifteenth staging of the FA Cup, England's oldest football tournament. One hundred and thirty teams entered, sixteen more than last season, although seven of the one hundred and thirty never actually played a match.-First round:-First Round...
tournament, Brann was part of the Swifts team, together with Charlie & Arthur Bambridge
Arthur Bambridge
Arthur Leopold Bambridge was an English footballer who made three appearances either as a full back or as a right winger for England between 1881 and 1884...
who reached the sixth round stage, where they were eliminated by the Cup holders Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
.
His first England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
appearance came at Cathkin Park
Cathkin Park
Cathkin Park is a municipal park in Glasgow, Scotland. The park is maintained by the city's parks department, and it is a public place where football is still played...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in a 1–1 draw against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
on 27 March 1886 in the British Home Championship
1886 British Home Championship
The 1886 British Home Championship was the third annual international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. As common for the time, the matches were punctuated by some high scorelines and for the first time two teams finished level on points at the top of the table, thus...
. England's goal was scored by fellow Corinthian Tinsley Lindley
Tinsley Lindley
Tinsley Lindley was an English footballer. He was considered one of the 19th century's great centre forwards. His passes and shots at goal were very precise, he was very clever and an excellent team player. An elegant and technically superb player.He was the son of Leonard Lindley who was a lace...
. Brann was retained for the next match against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
two days later, and scored in a 3–1 victory.
His Corinthian appearances over the next few seasons were fairly infrequent, and he ended his career in 1893, having made 32 appearances, with eight goals.
He made his third, and final, England appearance against Wales on 7 March 1891 when he played on the right wing alongside professionals including Johnny Goodall, Jack Southworth
Jack Southworth
John Southworth , was a footballer who played in the early days of professional football for Blackburn Rovers and Everton as well as being capped three times for England...
, Alf Milward
Alf Milward
Alfred Weatherell Milward was a professional footballer who played in the 1893 and 1897 FA Cup Finals for Everton and in the 1900 FA Cup Final for Southampton.-Playing career:...
and Edgar Chadwick
Edgar Chadwick
Edgar Wallace Chadwick was a left-sided footballer who had a long and distinguished career with Everton during the 1890s...
. England were too strong for the Welsh and won 4–1, with each of the other forwards scoring.
Cricket career
He made his debut for SussexSussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
against Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
in May 1883 although he made little impact scoring a duck
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
as Sussex won by an innings and 42 runs but his career really began in 1885.
His highest 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...
score was 161 against Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
at Hove
County Cricket Ground, Hove
The County Cricket Ground, also known as the Probiz County Ground for sponsorship reasons, is a cricket venue in Hove, England. It is home to Sussex County Cricket Club. It is one of the few county grounds to have deckchairs for spectators - which are in the colours of Sussex CCC - blue and white....
in 1899, although he did score 219 against Hampshire in a non-first class match in June 1886. In 1899 he and C. B. Fry opened the two Sussex innings against Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
at Lord's with partnerships of 135 and 148.
In 1892 he enjoyed what was then the rare distinction of scoring two centuries
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
in a match - 105 and 101 against Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
. This had only been achieved previously by W. G. Grace
W. G. Grace
William Gilbert Grace, MRCS, LRCP was an English amateur cricketer who is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest players of all time, having a special significance in terms of his importance to the development of the sport...
(three times) and William Lambert
William Lambert (cricketer)
William Lambert was an English professional cricketer in the first two decades of the 19th century...
, also of Sussex.
Brann went to Australia in 1887-88 as a member of Arthur Shrewsbury
Arthur Shrewsbury
Arthur Shrewsbury was an English cricketer, and rugby football administrator, who organised the first British Isles rugby tour to Australasia in 1888, and who was widely rated as competing with W. G...
's Team, visited South Africa under Walter Read
Walter Read
Walter William Read was an English cricketer, who was a fluent right hand bat. An occasional bowler of lobs, he sometimes switched to quick overarm deliveries. He captained England in two Test matches, winning them both...
in 1891-92 and America in 1899 when K. S. Ranjitsinhji was captain.
According to his obituary in Wisden
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
, he was "originally a very free batsman and powerful hitter, (but) forsook his dashing methods during his last few years of county cricket, (and) although becoming a far more watchful type of batsman he continued to make many runs".
His last significant season was 1904, although his final first-class match for Sussex was against Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
in June 1905. In his first-class career, he scored a total of 11,205 runs at an average of 25.69, including twenty-five centuries for Sussex. Standing nearly six feet tall, he was also a fine fielder taking 145 catches during his career; as a fast bowler he claimed 69 wickets at an average of 44.31.
Life outside sport
After retiring from cricket he became a good golfGolf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er and was secretary to the Home Park Golf Club in Surbiton for twenty years.
He was a career schoolteacher, teaching at his former school, Ardingly College
Ardingly College
Ardingly College is a selective independent co-educational boarding and day school, founded in 1858 by Canon Nathaniel Woodard, included in the Tatler list of top public schools. The college is located in the village of Ardingly near Haywards Heath, West Sussex, England, having moved to its present...
.
He died at his home at Surbiton
Surbiton
Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is situated next to the River Thames, with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, more recent residential blocks and grand, spacious 19th century townhouses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, on 14 June 1954, aged 89.