History of Bucks CCC

For Bucks the top scorer in the first innings was Robert Marsham (or Ridley) with 59, an innings that earned fulsome praise in the Herald’s report. Another of the three Marsham brothers, the committee member Charles, scored 45. In the second innings a former Surrey player and double Oxford blue, for rowing and cricket, the Rev CG Lane made 55. Lane appeared only twice for Bucks; in the first innings he had had the misfortune to be dismissed cheaply - bowled by a shooter. It is, perhaps, a sign of the public perception that Bucks was to be regarded as one of the premier counties that the expectation had been for a three-day match, the Bucks Herald reporting: ‘The interest in the match subsided when it became known that only two days would be devoted to it, such a limit being entirely without precedent in a county match.’ Two months later Bucks supporters had a different cause for disappointment when the teams met for the return game at Islington. This time the match stretched across three days enabling Middlesex to record an amazing win by 138 runs after following on no fewer than 218 runs behind on first innings. The Bucks team lacked the services of its clergy stars and Robert Marsham was also unable to play, but an innings of 109 from E Austen Leigh, a great-nephew of Jane Austen, and 74 fromCharles Marsham helped the county to post a first-innings total of 294, after which Tom Hearne, with five for 26, was principally responsible for dismissing Middlesex for only 76. When the home team followed on no-one exceeded 78, but so consistent was the scoring down the order that Middlesex were able to reach 463, setting Bucks the formidable target of 246 to win. With a swollen knee preventing EG Sutton from batting and with two of their best batsmen run out, Bucks subsided for 107. A match that eluded Haygarth brought MCC to Newport Pagnell on 9, 10 May 1865. Though county matches were also played at Marlow in 1869 and 1870, the ground at Bury Field in Newport Pagnell was Bucks’ most favoured home venue, sometimes referred to as the county’s headquarters. Situated about four miles from Wolverton 15 A first County Club is formed A Bucks team at Shardeloes in 1869 Photograph courtesy County Archives