could strike the ball as hard as anyone and once hit a six into the Lord's Pavilion. His first-class centuries were noted for their plentiful boundaries and this was another reason why his was popular with the crowds. Like many amateur captains, Brown was happy to take advice from his senior professionals and O'Reilly says he "conferred with Len Hutton before he made a bowling change...there was little room for doubt...that Brown had tremendous respect for Hutton's advice on the cricket field". He was also one of the selectors who took the radical step of making Hutton England captain, the first professional to be appointed to the position since 1877. Brown's combative captaincy is best remembered for leading poor teams regardless of the odds, Northants in 1949–53 and England in 1950–51, where he laid the foundations for future success. Allen Synge wrote that Brown as captain in the field took "impressive charge" and it was noticeable that players obeyed his commanding gestures "at the double". On the 1950–51 tour, Brown allowed the team to socialize more than previous captains had done and saw no reason why he should insist that amateur undergraduates should mix awkwardly with working class professionals, or that veterans should accompany their younger teammates. This led to the usual stories of dissension in the ranks when a team performs badly and Brown hotly denied this. Personality There are widely contrasting views about Brown's personality. He was well-liked in Australia when he captained England there in 1950–51 as recorded by O'Reilly (see above). According to Kay, Brown had a hearty appetite for food and drink and was combative and forceful by nature, which endeared him to the Australian public. Jack Fingleton commented: "With his sun-hat on, a 'kerchief tied round his neck, and ambling jovially in the field, Freddie Brown lacked only a wisp of straw in his mouth to make him look like the original Farmer Brown". On the other hand, professional players viewed Brown's silk neckerchief with contempt as it "enhanced the impression of a bumptious windbag". Brown was considered "a bully who preyed on weakness or quirk of character". When the eighteen-year-old Brian Close was out to a poor stroke on his Ashes debut in 1950–51, Brown was extremely unsympathetic to Close who became distressed by his experiences on the tour. John Kay wrote Brown gave the youngsters Berry and Close "every encouragement and seldom