Franklin Browne

Franklin Doughty Browne (4 March 1873 – 12 August 1946) was an English cricketer. He played in ten first-class matches for Kent County Cricket Club between 1899 and 1903.

Early life Browne was born at Tufnell Park in London in 1873, the son of George and Mary Browne (née Hill). His father was a solicitor, originally from Sheringham in Norfolk. Browne was educated at the Abbey School in Beckenham before moving up to Dulwich College, where he played cricket in the First XI from 1889 to 1892, as captain in his final year, and rugby union.

Sporting and professional life After leaving school, Browne went up to Trinity College, Oxford to study law, graduating with a Third Class degree in 1895. He was described as a free scoring batsman who could play the cut shot well. He followed his father into the law, and was articled as solicitor in 1903 in FC Matthews, Browne and Company, his father's firm. He became a partner in Irvine, Borrowman and Brown in 1904 and worked in a variety of firms throughout his life, at times with his brother Montague as a partner. He served as a Justice of the Peace at Gravesend. He scored a total of 214 runs at a batting average of 23.7, including scores of 32 and 53 not out during a match against MCC, the former in a partnership of 104 runs with Jack Mason for the fifth-wicket. Other notable scores during the season included 31 not out against the touring South Africans at Beckenham and 42 against Essex at Leyton. He also played field hockey for Old Alleynians. Browne married twice. In 1905 to Mary Grenside, and, following her death, in 1918 he married Grace Russell at Putney. He lived at Cobham in 1946 and died there in a nursing home in 1946. He was aged 73.