score England's first goal and scored England's second via a twenty-five yard free-kick. England came second that year to Wales. In a 4–1 victory against France in December 1933, Brook scored from a left-footed free-kick into the corner of the goal and also set up Tom Grosvenor to score England's fourth goal. Brook struck the ball from his free kick 'so hard that the ball rebounded from the net back on to the field'. Brook also scored once for the 'Rest of England' in a 7–1 victory in a trial match against the England team at Roker Park in March 1934. In Sunderland 'the scoreline became more popularly known as England 1 Sunderland 6' as six of the rest's goals were scored by Sunderland players. In a 2–1 defeat to Czechoslovakia, in May 1934, Brook was described as 'the pick of the English forwards'. In October 1934, Brook scored twice for The Football League XI in a 2–1 victory against the Scottish Football League XI. In the same year, Brook was involved in the famous Battle of Highbury international against the world champions Italy. The England team had not competed in the 1934 FIFA World Cup and were considered, in England, to be the real world champions. Seven of the eleven who played for England that day played for Arsenal. Jack Barker purportedly commented to Brook before the game 'You've got to take off your hats to these Arsenal players. If one of us were to drop out, another Arsenal man would step in'. In the match Brook and Bastin caused the Italians 'an infinite amount of trouble by their passing and quick shooting'. Brook missed a penalty early in the match but redeemed himself by scoring two goals to help England to a 3–2 victory. He scored his first goal by heading the ball past Carlo Ceresoli after a precise cross from Stanley Matthews, and his second from a free kick which Matthews described as being like a 'thunderbolt'. Matthews remembered the game as the most violent in which he had been involved during his long career. Matthews stated that the behaviour of the Italians affected him, but that 'fortunately we had two real hard nuts in the England side that day in Eric Brook and Wilf Copping who started to dish out as good as they got and more'. Brook finished the first half with a shoulder injury