Former England, Yorkshire and Somerset cricket captain BRIAN CLOSE died, aged 84. The Yorkshireman "is the youngest player to have won a Test cap for England, making his debut as an 18-year-old against New Zealand in 1949." Close "captained his country seven times in 22 Tests, and led Yorkshire to four County Championship titles" (BBC, 9/14). ... CHRIS GAYLE "is known for his party lifestyle off the cricket field, but the West Indian has gone to a whole new level" by showing off the new "strip club" he has installed inside his Jamaican home. His latest Instagram post "could be his most outrageous." The 35-year-old, whose Instagram biography describes him as "World Boss," uploaded a photo of a stripper pole in a room in his house for his 309,000 followers to see. The caption is Gayle at his party-boy best: "From the pool to the strip club...if u don't have a strip club at home, U ain't a cricket 'Player' .. I always make sure my guest well entertained and feel like they are at home #LifeIsForLiving#DreamBig" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 9/14).
