Whitkirk-born Brian Bolus, who began an illustrious first-class career with Yorkshire before going on to play for Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and England, died on May 6, aged 86.
Brian had been an active member of the Yorkshire CCC Players’ Association since its formation over a decade ago.
An aggressive batsman, Bolus made his Yorkshire debut against MCC at Lord’s in 1954. He went on to play in 107 matches for his native county, scoring 4,712 runs with seven centuries and a top score of 146 not out against Hampshire at Portsmouth in 1960.
He helped them win the Championship three times and twice completed 1,000 runs in a season, his most prolific summer being in 1961 with 1,970 runs, but a year later he was not retained and he went on to join Nottinghamshire in 1963, making the first of his seven England Test appearances in the same season.
Brian was at Trent Bridge from 1963-72, playing in 269 matches and completing 1,000 runs in each season. He captained them in 1972 before moving on to Derbyshire where he was captain from 1973 up to his retirement at the end of the 1975 season.
He became the third player to represent three first-class counties and the first to captain different counties in consecutive seasons. While at Derbyshire he hit the headlines at Chesterfield by sending off team-mate and England fast bowler, Alan Ward, who had declined to resume bowling.
In 1994 he joined Raymond Illingworth’s England selection committee.
A popular cricketer with a cheery nature Brian was liked and respected throughout his career but it was during his time with Nottinghamshire that he will be best remembered.
Nottinghamshire chairman, Richard Tennant, said: “Brian was a great cricketer, a wonderful ambassador for the Club and a Nottinghamshire man through and through, despite his Yorkshire roots.
“We had seen little of Brian at Trent Bride in recent times but he will be sorely missed by everyone at the Club where he was also a committee member and past President.”
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