Frederick George Brooks (1 May 1883 – 5 September 1947) was a

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

n sportsman who represented his country as both a

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er and

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player. He also played a Test match for the

England national rugby union team The England national rugby union team represents England in men's international rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. England have won the championship on 29 occasion ...

Early life

Brooks, although born in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, was educated at

Bedford School :''Bedford School is not to be confused with Bedford Girls' School, Bedford High School, Bedford Modern School, Old Bedford School in Bedford, Texas or Bedford Academy in Bedford, Nova Scotia.'' Bedford School is a public school (English indep ...

in England. As well as captaining their cricket team and playing rugby, Brooks was also outstanding in athletics, becoming Public Schools champion in the 100-yard sprint, 110-yard hurdles,

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

and

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

. From 1900 to 1902, he played cricket for Bedfordshire in the Minor Counties Championship. At the age of 19, Brooks was offered a civil service job in Rhodesia by

William Henry Milton Sir William Henry Milton (3 December 1854 – 6 March 1930) was the third Administrator of Mashonaland, played rugby for England and was South Africa's second Test cricket captain. Born in Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire, and educated at Marlbo ...

, the Administrator of the British colony. He had found out about the sporting abilities of Brooks by his two sons, rugby players Cecil and Jumbo, who were also students at Bedford School.ESPNcricinfo: The remarkable Mr Brooks
/ref>

Cricket

After immigrating to

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

, he impressed enough in his first season of club cricket that he earned the praise of former South African

Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

captain and Rhodesian resident H. H. Castens, who believed that Brooks "was good enough to play for South Africa". Brooks also won a Rhodesian tennis title and became the national record holder in high jump. He took part in Rhodesia's inaugural first-class match, in 1905, against

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

in the

Currie Cup The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring (June to October), featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier ...

cricket competition. Batting at three, Brooks top scored in the first innings with 61 of his team's 115 runs. In the second innings he opened the batting but made just one before being bowled by

Richard Norden Richard Watts Norden (4 January 1879 – 20 February 1952) was a South African cricketer who played first-class cricket for Transvaal from 1904 to 1907. Norden was a left-arm spin bowler who played in the Transvaal teams that won the Currie Cup ...

, who claimed 12 wickets for the match. In 1906 he represented the Rhodesian rugby team in South Africa's

as a wing three-quarter. He was considered unlucky to miss selection in the Springbok team to tour England in 1906–07 as he didn't meet the five-year residential qualification period, albeit by only a few months. Springbok vice-captain

Paddy Carolin Harold "Paddy" Carolin (1881-1967) was a rugby union player who represented South Africa and is credited with conceiving both the 3-4-1 scrum formation and helping choose the name 'Springboks' for the South African national side. Carolin was th ...

had wanted Brooks in the team and told him to come with them to England, at which time he would send a telegram to the Rugby Board seeking permission to call up Brooks as a replacement player. While in England, Brooks again played rugby for

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

and was selected in the South vs North fixture, which was used as a trial for spots in the national team. He scored four tries and despite coming to the country to play for the Springboks, Brooks was named in the England team for a Test against the South Africans. The match, which was played at Crystal Palace, finished in a three-all draw, with Brooks scoring England's only points though a second half try. He got further opportunities to play for England, against both

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and England, but turned them down to get married back in Rhodesia. When HDG Leveson-Gower's XI toured Rhodesia in the 1909–10 cricket season, Brooks was picked to make his second and final first-class appearance. After managing just 10 in his first innings, Brooks was again promoted from three to open the batting in the second innings and made 51. His career in the civil service would see him made an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, having served as Master of the High Court and Chairman of the Public Service.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Freddie 1883 births British people in colonial India Rhodesia cricketers English cricketers Bedfordshire cricketers Bedford Blues players Rhodesian rugby union players English rugby union players England international rugby union players British emigrants to Southern Rhodesia Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Bedford School Cricketers from Mumbai 1947 deaths Rugby players from Mumbai People from Bombay Presidency