Thanks for all your messages. The only time you need to take your shoes off at Chateau Brian is if it's raining or if you have muddy boots. I've done some more research on Nick Browne's feet (sic!) and the only other batsman to carry his bat for undefeated hundreds in the same match is South African Jimmy Cook for Somerset againmst Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 1989. Incidentally Cook and his son Stephen are the only father and son to score triple centuries. Nick Browne is the only Essex batsman to carry his bat in a Championship match, however Jack Freeman did the same feat against Oxford University at Chelmsford in 1926. Peter Bowler carried his bat against Essex at the Queen's Park in 1988. Someone mentioned John Stephenson's two hunderds in a match against Somerset at Taunton in 1992. John did carry his bat in the first innings but Essex declared with two wickets down in the second. Hope all this may help to solve everything but I'm always interested if writers know anything I don't or anything that isn't recorded. The latter does happen.
