Jack Bryan
Encyclopedia
John Lindsay Bryan was a cricket
er who played for Cambridge University
and Kent
.
Jack Bryan was a left-handed opening batsman and an occasional bowler of highly-spun leg breaks and googlies. He played for Kent's second eleven before the First World War, and then again in 1919, before he went to Cambridge. So strong was the Cambridge side of 1920 that he was not picked for any first-class
matches. But he scored a century for Kent after the term ended, and in 1921, his most successful year, he scored more than 900 runs for the university and won a Blue. In the season as a whole he finished with 1,858 runs at an average of more than 50, with five centuries. This record led to him being selected as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in the 1922 edition of the almanack
.
1921 proved, though, to be the only full season of first-class cricket that Bryan played. Becoming a schoolmaster at St Andrew's School in Eastbourne, he was able to play for Kent only in the second half of each season from 1922, though he occasionally played earlier matches in the Gentlemen v Players
series. He never reached 1,000 runs in a season again, but he continued through the 1920s to make centuries and to average, in several seasons, around 35 runs per innings. He was very strong playing in front of the wicket, and tended to build his innings cautiously at first, though he could score very fast later in longer innings.
Bryan's nearest approach to Test cricket
came when he was picked for the 1924-25 MCC
tour to Australia, taking leave of absence from his teaching job. But with Jack Hobbs
and Herbert Sutcliffe
in the side, plus other opening batsmen available, he was not selected for any of the Test matches.
Bryan faded from the first-class cricket scene in the early 1930s, making his final appearance for Kent in 1932 and playing his last first-class match the following year. In all, he scored more than 8,000 first-class runs at an average of 36 runs per innings.
His brothers Ronald
and Godfrey
also played for Kent: all three Bryans played in the match against Lancashire
at Dover
in August 1925, with Jack captaining the Kent side.
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 for 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...
and 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...
.
Jack Bryan was a left-handed opening batsman and an occasional bowler of highly-spun leg breaks and googlies. He played for Kent's second eleven before the First World War, and then again in 1919, before he went to Cambridge. So strong was the Cambridge side of 1920 that he was not picked for any 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...
matches. But he scored a century for Kent after the term ended, and in 1921, his most successful year, he scored more than 900 runs for the university and won a Blue. In the season as a whole he finished with 1,858 runs at an average of more than 50, with five centuries. This record led to him being selected as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in the 1922 edition of the almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
.
1921 proved, though, to be the only full season of first-class cricket that Bryan played. Becoming a schoolmaster at St Andrew's School in Eastbourne, he was able to play for Kent only in the second half of each season from 1922, though he occasionally played earlier matches in the Gentlemen v Players
Gentlemen v Players
The Gentlemen v Players game was a first-class cricket match that was generally played on an annual basis between one team consisting of amateurs and one of professionals . The first two games took place in 1806 but the fixture was not revived until 1819. It was more or less annual thereafter...
series. He never reached 1,000 runs in a season again, but he continued through the 1920s to make centuries and to average, in several seasons, around 35 runs per innings. He was very strong playing in front of the wicket, and tended to build his innings cautiously at first, though he could score very fast later in longer innings.
Bryan's nearest approach to Test cricket
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...
came when he was picked for the 1924-25 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...
tour to Australia, taking leave of absence from his teaching job. But with Jack Hobbs
Jack Hobbs
Sir John Berry "Jack" Hobbs was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches from 1908 to 1930....
and Herbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe was an English professional cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England as an opening batsman. Apart from one match in 1945, his first-class career spanned the period between the two World Wars...
in the side, plus other opening batsmen available, he was not selected for any of the Test matches.
Bryan faded from the first-class cricket scene in the early 1930s, making his final appearance for Kent in 1932 and playing his last first-class match the following year. In all, he scored more than 8,000 first-class runs at an average of 36 runs per innings.
His brothers Ronald
Ronald Bryan
Ronald Thurston Bryan was an English cricketer.Bryan was born in Beckenham, Kent in 1898. He played first-class cricket for 17 years, appearing solely for Kent between 1920 to 1937, and was one of Kent's joint captains in 1937.He was one of three left-handed brothers who all played as amateurs...
and Godfrey
Godfrey Bryan
Godfrey James Bryan CBE was an English cricketer. A left-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler, he played first-class cricket between 1920 and 1935...
also played for Kent: all three Bryans played in the match against Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
at Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
in August 1925, with Jack captaining the Kent side.