[1] Brearley was a fast bowler with what Wisden described as "a rolling gait"[2] who put his full – and substantial – weight into achieving pace and swing.

However, having established himself as the best fast bowler in the world, at the end of the season Brearley announced that business claims would prevent him playing again.

In 1907, Brearley only played a handful of first-class games for the Gentlemen and a couple of privately raised teams, but was still thought good enough to only just miss out on a Test place at Lord's against South Africa.

In 1909 he was even more impressive so long as he could play, but failed in his only Test, and in the following two years business and a major accident limited him to just fourteen of Lancashire's fifty eight Championship games.

Brearley made one late first-class appearance in 1921 at the age of 45 when he was picked for Archie MacLaren's amateur team that took on, and beat, Warwick Armstrong's previously invincible Australians.