Norman Sidney John Burrell (17 September 1900 — 7 November 1986) was an English first-class

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 an important figure in colonial cricket in Lahore. Burrell was born at Chelmsford in September 1900 and was educated at Brentwood School. He served as a

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

in the nascent Royal Air Force in the closing stages of the First World War. Following the war, he worked as a clerk in the insurance industry. His career took him to British India, where he resided at Lahore. Burrell was an important figure in the

Lahore Gymkhana Club The Lahore Gymkhana Club is a sports club founded in 1878 in Lahore, Pakistan. It offers sports facilities, including golf, swimming, cricket, squash, tennis, billiards, and a gymnasium, and organizes family concerts, lectures, and seminar A se ...

, becoming its cricket secretary in 1927. Whilst in Lahore, he featured twice in first-class cricket, firstly for the Punjab Governor's XI against Northern India in March 1928, and later for the

Europeans cricket team The Europeans cricket team was an Indian first-class cricket team which took part in the annual Bombay tournament and Lahore tournament. The team was founded by members of the European community in Bombay who played cricket at the Bombay Gymkhan ...

against the Muslims in the 1929–30

Lahore Tournament Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

. In these matches, he scored 7 runs and went wicketless. Burrell played club cricket in Northern India, and alongside

Roland Ingram-Johnson Roland Edward Sydney Ingram-Johnson (28 March 1899 – 17 June 1967) was an English first-class cricketer and an officer in the British Indian Army. Ingram-Johnson was born in March 1899 at Lanchester, County Durham. He was educated at Rossall ...

, he was the only club cricketer to pass 1,000 runs for the season in 1927. He married Mary Gillert in April 1934 at

All Saints Church, Srinagar All Saints Church, also known as All Hallows Church, is a historical Protestant church in Srinagar that is part of the Church of North India, a province of the worldwide Anglican Communion. All Saints Church falls within the Diocese of Amrits ...

. Following the

Partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

, he played a role alongside George Abell in getting the newly-formed Pakistan national cricket team recognised by the Imperial Cricket Conference, with their elevation to

Test status Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last f ...

coming in 1952. Having left Lahore in 1946, Burrell returned to Essex, where he became bursar at Brentwood School until his retirement in 1968. He died at Havering in November 1986.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burrell, Norman 1900 births 1986 deaths Cricketers from Chelmsford People educated at Brentwood School, Essex Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Royal Air Force airmen English cricketers Europeans cricketers Military personnel from Chelmsford