On the 6 December 1914 the Lancashire and England cricketer, Cyril Washbrook, CBE, was born in Barrow, Clitheroe, Lancashire. He played a total of 592 first-class matches, 37 of which were Tests, and was most famous for opening the batting for England with Len Hutton.

Educated at Bridgnorth Grammar School, he joined the Lancashire CCC aged 18, although it was not until two years later, in 1935, that he was fully established in the side, after scoring 1,724 runs and coming fifth in the national averages.

His first Test in against New Zealand at The Oval was in 1937, before the war interrupted his long career, when Washbrook became a physical training instructor in the Royal Air Force.

A strong leg side player, he was noted for his hooks and pulls, and was at his greatest in the late 1940s, when he was included in the 1946-47 Ashes series, and became a firm figure with cricket fans in Australia and England.

Named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1947, he was awarded a benefit by Lancashire in 1948.

An accomplished fielder, adored by the Old Trafford crowds. Washbrook was appointed Lancashire’s first ever professional captain in 1954. From 1989 to 1990, Washbrook was president of the Lancashire CCC.

Appointed a CBE in the 1991 Birthday Honours, he died in Sale, Greater Manchester, in 1999, aged 84.

6 December, 2019