Birmingham Mail

No fanfares as Dougie bows outAug 31 2007

DOUGIE BROWN has expressed his disappointment that he will not be allowed to make his farewell appearance for Warwickshire in a competitive match.

The 37-year-old Scotland international has been overlooked for most of the season and was stretchered from the field at Edgbaston with an Achilles injury on his only first team appearance against Northants in the Twenty20 Cup in June.

Brown, who has been told that he will not be offered a new contract next season, is fit again.

He had hoped to be able to make a proper farewell appearance at Edgbaston before he flies off to South Africa to play for Scotland in the Twenty20 World Cup next week.

But Warwickshire have told Brown that he will not be required for tomorrow's NatWest Pro-40 League game against Lancashire at Edgbaston.
It leaves the long-serving all-rounder to say his farewells in today's lower-profile game between Warwickshire Legends XI and the PCA Masters in a Twenty20 game.

"I would have liked the opportunity to play in one last final competitive game for Warwickshire at Edgbaston," said Brown..

"Nick Knight did that last season and he knew that when he walked out against Kent he would be playing his final innings and people had the chance to say their farewells

"But I have already been told that I will not be playing against Lancashire on Saturday, instead I will be playing for Barnt Green.

"It does fill with me with massive sadness that, after so long at the club, my last competitive appearance at Edgbaston ended with me being stretchered off.

"I will enjoy playing in a game to celebrate the club's 125th anniversary and to be involved with some of the players that made Warwickshire successful in the 1990s.

"But I still feel that I can make a contribution to helping to keep Warwickshire up.

"Perhaps a bit of enthusiasm and fighting spirit are what we need at the moment."

(I THINK THIS IS SAD)

Very sad not just that Dougie was denied a farewell game but that his great career ended with him so unfairly marginalised for the last two seasons.