Brian Close - an inspiring Yorkshire figure
Michael Vaughan narrates how Brian Close's offbeat guidance helped him improve his game and what an inspiring figure he was
I remember one specific training session when I was struggling with an LBW problem. He said the only way I would learn is to use my bat and not my pad. He asked for my bat and gloves. I told him they were right handed gloves (he was a left-hander) but he did not care and he went into the net at the age of 60 wearing no pads on his legs. He said: "Bat without pads, son, because that way you learn to hit the ball. If you don't then you soon end up with a broken knee cap." In a way, it did work.
He would also watch nets and ask: "Why are you lads ducking and weaving?" He would say: "Let the ball hit you. It is only a bruise. Bruises disappear but when you are out it is over. You might not bat again for a week."
Yes, Closey was my first county captain. He made an immediate impact upon me at Somerset; it may have taken a little longer for me to impact upon him. Unwittingly Close had an enormous impact on all of the youngsters at Taunton, but most significantly on the young Ian Botham and Viv Richards. Talk to this be-knighted pair now and they will happily sing his praises into the early hours.