by Mayukh Ghosh
September 1961.
Essex's Gordon Barker, being a friend of Doug Padgett, attends the Scarborough festival.
One day he meets Brian Bolus.
"You've got too many runs this year, Bolly."
"What? How can anyone score too many runs?", exclaims an astonished Bolus.
"No, you've got too many....because they'll expect that every year now. When I get to 1500, I call it off."
Bolus ends the season with 1970 runs.
Next year he fails to score runs and, in July, Yorkshire management tells him that is it. His time is up.
Brian Bolus' batting was once described as 'utter rubbish'. On the basis of the three games he played for Yorkshire Amateurs.
Once they moved to Headingley, he joined Leeds who played in the Yorkshire League.
He had two seasons. Two very ordinary seasons.
Then National Service in Egypt and Cyprus came to the rescue of his cricket career.
He tried to think what he was doing wrong. He used to attend the winter practice under the watchful eyes of Arthur Booth, Maurice Leyland and Arthur Mitchell.
He became consumed with theory. The more attention he paid to his hands and feet doing the right thing, the more he ignored the ball coming down the wicket.
He came back and joined Bradford. And batted with lot more freedom.
Then that coveted chance came. Ken Taylor was away playing football. Frank Lowson was injured.
He faced his first ball in FC cricket on April 30, 1956.
From Edwin Smith. And he managed to hit it for four.
He didn't get much chance till the second half of the 1959 season.
And then a score of 12 not out changed it all.
They were bowled out for 35 against Gloucestershire.
No one else scored in double figures.
91 in the second innings.
Ronnie Burnett saw enough potential.
He decided that the man in form must open the batting.
Two good years and then he realised that a young Boycott or a young Hampshire would bring more to the Yorkshire team.
"Don't sign for anyone south of the Trent", said Brian Sellers.
So, he chose Nottinghamshire.
He was then chosen to play for England.
"Wasn't good enough for Yorkshire." , Sellers said when he heard the news.
He did pretty well in the Tests he played but there too Boycott took his place.
He returned to the county circuit to give his best for Notts. He led them towards the end of his career there and as soon as he was released, he got a call from Derbyshire.
The next day he enjoyed the distinction of being the captain of two county sides!
It was a welcome change for him. They were like a family and the players enjoyed their cricket.
There, though, he became only the third captain to send off one of his own players.
Alan Ward had refused to bowl on multiple occasions and Bolus had enough of it.
Much later, they did become good friends.
He kept on playing in the leagues. Till he was 52.
And then went into administration.
He played a role behind the introduction of player contracts and was one of the men who appointed Duncan Fletcher as the coach of England.
One of those unsung heroes who contributed to the game they loved.
With all they had.
And, once they realised that their time was up, they left the scene quietly.
In 2002, one morning at the London-bound platform at Nottingham he saw there was no one who looked to be 60+.
Young ladies with briefcases and laptops.
"What am I doing here? I have been at it long enough."
And he had no regrets.
Barring one.
" I wish I could sing really well."
Brian Bolus passed away on May 7, 2020.