History of Bucks CCC

The County Ground Around this time the committee had been much engaged with the laying out of a county ground at Aylesbury. Grounds elsewhere were felt to fall short of the standard required for playing county matches and it was decided that the County Club should have a single ground that could become the venue for all home fixtures. Aylesbury was favoured owing to its relatively central position in the awkwardly long and thin county, and it was an asset that there were three railway lines running into the town. Few worked harder than Charles Cobb to see the new ground to fruition. He lived close by at Weedon and in 1895 assumed the office of treasurer of the County Club, a post he was to hold for ten years. After scouring the area for a suitable site he was grateful to be able to inform the committee of an offer from Lord Rothschild for the lease of 14 acres of land off the Wendover Road at the nominal rent of £2 an acre. Tenders were invited for laying the square and levelling the rest of the ground. From the three individuals who responded the committee chose George Nash, a cricket coach at Eton College who was already well known to the members as he had been playing for the county since 1892. Nash was felt to bring the right experience to the task and his tender of £300 to cover an area of 150 yards square compared favourably with the estimate of George Hearne, the Kent professional and son of the cricketer of the same name who had played for Bucks in 1864. Together with the cost of fencing and the building of a pavilion, as well as laying a football pitch, the total cost of constructing the ground was estimated at £1500. On top of this were anticipated annual running costs of £200, which included the groundsman’s wage of £1 a week and the assistance of a boy, who would receive five shillings a week for 20 weeks’ work during the summer. Such sums were quite daunting for the treasurer of the day, and appeals, bazaars and other fund-raising events were successfully undertaken to launch the project. The post of groundsman was filled by George Nash. It was agreed that he should still be released to Eton for his more lucrative coaching assignment in the summer term, and he could further augment his income frommatch fees when playing for the county and from coaching engagements with other clubs. Start of the Minor Counties Championship It was a disappointment that the new ground could not be ready for the 1895 season, falling victim of a harsh winter followed by a drought in spring, so when Bucks met opponents who were participating in the new championship they had to entertain Oxfordshire at Wolverton, playing on The Big Field belonging to Mr Richard, and the Bedfordshire match took place on the London Road Ground at High Wycombe. Bucks’ first match of the season was against Oxfordshire on the County School Ground at Thame, where there was a contentious opening when the start was delayed as the pitch had been over-watered in a very dry spell, enabling the South Bucks Free Press to describe it as ‘having the appearance of a bright green oasis in a desert of arid turf’. Bucks won this match by 65 runs and the return game by 51 runs. There was then a narrow loss, by three wickets, to Bedfordshire at Leighton Buzzard followed by a 72-run victory at High Wycombe. Friendly matches brought a win against MCC and two draws with Northamptonshire. These successes meant that when it came to making plans for the 1896 season Bucks’ position was unambiguous and Percy de Paravicini and George Ward were sent to the meeting at Lord’s with a clear mandate to arrange the necessary fixtures to ensure that 21 Start of the Minor Counties Championship