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	{{short description\|English cricketer and footballer}}		{{short description\|English cricketer and footballer}}
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	{{Use British English\|date=February ~~2022~~}}		{{Use British English\|date=February 2016}}
	{{Infobox cricketer		{{Infobox cricketer
	\| name = Brian Gomm		\| name = Brian Gomm

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{{short description|English cricketer and footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox cricketer
| name = Brian Gomm
| fullname = Brian Arthur Gomm
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1918|6|24|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Castle Cary]], England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1995|4|23|1918|6|24|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Peterborough]], England
| batting = Right-handed
| bowling = Left-arm medium pace
| club1 = Somerset
| year1 = 1939
| columns = 1
| column1 = [[First-class cricket|FC]]
| matches1 = 2
| runs1 = 7
| bat avg1 = 2.33
| 100s/50s1 = 0/0
| top score1 = 5
| deliveries1 = 24
| wickets1 = 0
| bowl avg1 = –
| fivefor1 = –
| tenfor1 = –
| best bowling1 = 0/21
| catches/stumpings1 = 2/–
| date = 22 December 2015
| source = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/3/3572/3572.html CricketArchive
}}
'''Brian Arthur Gomm''' (24 June 1918 – 23 April 1995) was a [[cricket]]er and [[association football|footballer]] who made two first-class cricket appearances for [[Somerset County Cricket Club|Somerset]] in 1939 and played football for [[Yeovil Town F. C.|Yeovil]] in 1936-39 and for [[West Bromwich Albion]] in 1939 and 1945/46. He had amateur status in both sports.

==Early life==
Born at [[Castle Cary]], Gomm attended [[Sexey's School]], [[Bruton]], where he distinguished himself as an athlete,<ref>''Somerset Standard'', 15 July 1932; ''Somerset Guardian'', 28 February 1936, p. 10.</ref> and subsequently studied physical education at Dudley Training College and [[City of Leeds Training College|Carnegie College]], [[Leeds]].<ref>''Western Gazette'', 14 August 1936, p. 7; ''Bradford Observer'', 3 December 1938, p. 10.</ref>

==Cricket career==
He played cricket for [[Frome]] and Men o’Mendip<ref>''[[Western Daily Press]]'', 23 July 1938, p. 5; ''Somerset Standard'', 14 July 1939, p. 8.</ref> and made “some substantial scores” as a right-handed batsman in the Somerset second team before being selected for the county’s first eleven.

He made his first-class debut against [[Essex County Cricket Club|Essex]] at [[Wells, Somerset|Wells]] in July 1939,<ref>''[[Birmingham Mail]]'', 29 July 1939, p. 12.</ref> batting at No. 8 in Somerset’s first innings and at No. 4 in their second. In a very low-scoring game, in which Somerset’s two innings only totalled 123 runs, he made 0 and 5,<ref>[https://wisden.com/matches/scorecard/168857/somerset-v-essex-at-wells-county-championship-26-27-jul-1939 Somerset v. Essex scorecard, 26 July 1939], retrieved 6 July 2021; ''[[Leeds Mercury]]'', 28 July 1939, p. 11.</ref> but he was effective in the field, attracting attention early on with a “lightning throw-in” that resulted in the run-out of the Essex opener [[Laurie Eastman]].<ref>''Birmingham Mail'', 29 July 1939, p. 12.</ref> In Somerset’s next match, against [[Northamptonshire County Cricket Club|Northamptonshire]] at Northampton, he batted at No. 9 and scored 2, but was not called upon in the second innings. A left-arm medium-pacer, he bowled three eight-ball overs without success.<ref>[http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1930S/1939/ENG_LOCAL/CC/NORTHANTS_SOMERSET_CC_29JUL-01AUG1939.html Northamptonshire v. Somerset scorecard, 29 July - 1 August 1939], retrieved 6 July 2021; ''[[The Sentinel (Staffordshire)|Evening Sentinel]]'' (Staffordshire), 29 July 1939, p. 10, and 1 August 1939, p. 10.</ref>

By the time of his selection for Somerset’s first eleven he was in training with the [[Militia (United Kingdom)|Militia]] at [[Catterick Garrison|Catterick]], having been [[conscripted]] after the [[Munich Crisis]]. He was released to play in the Essex and Northamptonshire matches at Somerset’s request, agreed to forfeit all other leave during his six months’ training, and received the accolade of being “the first Militiaman to play first-class cricket”.<ref>''Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser'', 29 July 1939, p. 16.</ref>

Following his return to England in 1945, he played for [[West Bromwich Dartmouth Cricket Club|West Bromwich Dartmouth]] when the club won the First Division championship in the [[Birmingham and District Premier League|Birmingham Cricket League]] for the fifth successive year. His unbeaten 63 made a key contribution to the club’s victory over [[Walsall Cricket Club|Walsall]] but was somewhat eclipsed by [[Eric Hollies]]’ bowling figures of 9 for 62.<ref>''[[Birmingham Gazette|Birmingham Daily Gazette]]'', 30 July 1945, p. 3.</ref>

In 1949 and 1950 he played in non-first class matches for The Army, as a batsman only, scoring 84 in one innings against the Royal Air Force at [[Lord's]].<ref>''[[The Courier (Dundee)|Dundee Courier]]'', 19 July 1949, p. 5.</ref>

==Football career==
In 1935-6 Gomm played centre-forward for Shepton Mallet Town Football Club. At the outset of the 1936-7 season, when due to proceed to Dudley Training College, he was signed by Yeovil Town (then called Yeovil and Petters United), subsequently playing in several [[Southern Football League|Southern]] and [[Western Football League|Western League]] games for the club.<ref>''Shepton Mallet Journal'', 7 April 1939, p. 3; ''[[Western Gazette]]'', 14 August 1936, p. 7; ''[[Central Somerset Gazette]]'', 1 January 1937, p. 2; ''Western Gazette'', 14 April 1939, p. 10.</ref>

At Dudley he captained the college’s soccer team<ref>''Birmingham Daily Gazette'', 11 April 1938, p. 11.</ref> and, when later based at [[Smethwick]], began to play for West Bromwich Albion in [[Central League (football)|Central League]] matches.<ref>''Birmingham Mail'', 3 February 1939, p. 17; ''Evening Despatch'' (Warwickshire), 25 February 1939, p. 10.</ref> He was a member of [[Corinthian F.C.]] by 1938 and, after the merger with [[Casuals F.C.]], played for the club in the [[Isthmian League]].<ref>''Somerset County Herald'', 5 November 1938, p. 14; ''Surrey Advertiser'', 4 January 1939, p. 2.</ref> He was due to tour Greece with the club at Easter 1939 but the uncertain political situation resulted in the tour’s abandonment;<ref>''[[Wells Journal]]'', 7 April 1939, p. 6.</ref> had it proceeded he would not have played in Yeovil's match against [[Norwich City]] Reserves, during which he sustained a leg injury that terminated his football for the season.<ref>''[[Western Morning News]]'', 11 April 1939, p. 10.</ref>

He was first capped by the Somerset County Football Association in 1937 and in the following year recommended by its council for consideration when an English amateur international team was selected.<ref>''Western Daily Press and Bristol Mirror'', 8 January 1937, p. 3; ''Central Somerset Gazette'', 4 November 1938, p. 8.</ref> Probably as a consequence he was included in the Football Association Amateur XI which played the Royal Air Force at [[Cranwell]] in December that year.<ref>''Bradford Observer'', 3 December 1938, p. 10.</ref> In January 1939 he also played for [[Yorkshire Amateur A.F.C.]] in an [[FA Amateur Cup]] fixture.<ref>''Evening Despatch'' (Warwickshire), 31 January 1939, p. 14.</ref>

After a war-imposed interval he resumed football at Birmingham in the autumn of 1945 and had been “scoring freely for the reserves” (including a [[hat-trick]] against Derby) when he was promoted to lead West Bromwich’s first team as centre-forward against Luton in December.<ref>''Evening Despatch'' (Warwickshire), 28 December 1945, p. 4.</ref> He again opened the attack in the match against [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] in January 1946 but, after a disappointing start to the game, was moved to play outside-right after half-time.<ref>''Birmingham Daily Gazette'', 21 January 1946, p.3; ''The People'', 20 January 1946, p. 8.</ref> He was next due to play centre-forward in the [[FA Cup]] match against [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]] but had to withdraw due to an injury suffered while playing in an Army mid-week fixture (Southern Command v A.A.Command, in which he had scored all four of the victorious Southern’s goals).<ref>''Birmingham Daily Gazette'', 7 February 1946, p. 3, and 9 February 1946, p. 3.</ref> He last appeared for the West Bromwich first team against [[Plymouth Argyle]] in February, scoring once.<ref>''Birmingham Daily Gazette'', 25 February 1946, p. 3.</ref>

Playing for Army Crusaders against Cambridge University Falcons in February 1954, he delivered a hat-trick that failed to avert the Crusaders’ 3-6 defeat.<ref>''The Tatler'', 24 February 1954, p. 44.</ref>

==Military and business career==
Gomm was a Second Lieutenant in the [[Royal Corps of Signals]], attached to the Indian Signal Corps in 1941;<ref>''The London Gazette'' (Supplement), 7 October 1943, p. 4438, correcting entry in the ''[[London Gazette]]'', 30 December 1941.[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36198/supplement/4438]</ref> he was a Lieutenant, acting Captain, when [[mentioned in dispatches|mentioned in despatches]] in June 1942,<ref>''The London Gazette'' (Supplement), 30 June 1942, p. 2853.[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/35611/supplement/2853]</ref> but was a prisoner of war in Italy by the end of that year.<ref>''[[Coventry Telegraph|Coventry Evening Telegraph]]'', 20 November 1942, p. 8.</ref> Promoted substantive Captain in 1946 and Major in 1953, he retired in the latter rank in 1955.<ref>''The London Gazette'' (Supplement), 3 December 1946, p. 5853.[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37803/supplement/5893] ''The London Gazette'' (Supplement), 3 March 1953, p. 1222.[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/39789/supplement/1222] ''The London Gazette'' (Supplement), 12 April 1955, p. 2185.[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/40453/supplement/2185]</ref>

On leaving military service, he became one of several ex-Army officers recruited to work for [[Perkins Engines]] by its chairman, Sir Montague Prichard, who believed that experience in strategic planning and leadership were key credentials for success in commercial management. He was given charge of Perkins’ South African subsidiary in 1957<ref>''Peterborough Citizen and Advertiser'', 26 November 1957, p. 1.</ref> and was subsequently general sales manager for several of the Group’s European regions.<ref>''Peterborough Standard'', 28 December 1962, p. 10; ''[[Birmingham Daily Post]]'', 2 March 1968, p. 13.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gomm, Brian}}
[[Category:1918 births]]
[[Category:1995 deaths]]
[[Category:English cricketers]]
[[Category:Somerset cricketers]]
[[Category:English footballers]]
[[Category:West Bromwich Albion F.C. players]]
[[Category:Royal Corps of Signals officers]]
[[Category:Indian Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:British Indian Army officers]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Association footballers not categorized by position]]
[[Category:People from South Somerset (district)]]

Brian Gomm - Revision history

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