History of Bucks CCC

Cambridge team on account of his fielding, but it was with the ball as a fast medium bowler that he served Bucks most conspicuously. While Edwards took 69 wickets at 9.03 in 1924, Alan Payne was close on his heels in the averages with 32 at 10.75. There were 26 wickets for Hazelton in what was virtually a three man attack. Problems off the field Though these were years of outstanding success for Bucks, many of the problems that beset the county before the War remained. The constancy of Franklin, Edwards and Le Gros helped to compensate for a continuing stream of amateurs whose star shone briefly or whose services were only offered for a couple of seasons. For instance, the only century in 1924 came from WN Roe, yet his Bucks career comprised just four matches. Those in the services came and went, while others had long overseas postings at a time when it was fashionable to pursue careers that meant uprooting to far corners of the Empire. One of the more talented young men who promised much but was soon lost to Bucks was PN Durlacher, who played in the last five matches of the 1920 season when he still had a year to go at Wellington College. A fine sportsman who was in the winning pair at the Public Schools Rackets Championship the following winter, Patrick Durlacher opened his Bucks career with innings of 80 and 46 not out against Berkshire at Reading, ending the season with an average of 33.14. Next year, when the school holidays arrived, Bucks eagerly awaited the return of young Durlacher, who had accepted an invitation to play in all the county’s fixtures. Two days before the first match at Bletchley Park Walter Franklin received a telephone call from Durlacher’s father seeking to withdraw his son’s acceptance as he had been asked to play for Middlesex. First-class play, Mr Durlacher would later contend, would be more beneficial to his son’s development and improve his prospects of winning a blue. Such pleas cut little ice with Franklin, who nevertheless reluctantly agreed to the withdrawal. However, far from letting the matter rest, the Bucks captain persuaded the committee that it should be brought up at the next meeting of the Minor Counties Association and drawn to the attention of MCC. ‘The Durlacher Case’ became a cause celebre as other minor counties were persuaded to register their indignation at the practice of first-class counties poaching their players. Years later Durlacher senior was still a member of the County Club. His son played five matches for Middlesex without any notable success. In the autumn of that fateful year of 1921 he went up to Cambridge, where he won a half blue for cross country but he never took the field for the cricket team, and never again did he play for Bucks. In contrast to this nationally publicised case the committee was soon embroiled in a more parochial storm in a teacup. There had long been a tradition that players who had made three appearances for the county should be awarded their cap, though the rules declared that such awards were at the discretion of the captain. In 1921 H Thorpe of Slough CC played in six matches averaging 18.71 with the bat and taking a couple of expensive wickets. He had not received a cap and his club saw fit to raise the matter. There was some support for their plea in committee, but Franklin was not a man to be 46 Problems off the field PN Durlacher