History of Bucks CCC

Anthony played ten times for Bucks and served as president in 1912 and 1913. Another who was introduced to the joys of cricket by Harry Pitchford was Peter Stoddart, who went to Ascott Park for coaching in the late 1940s and who captained the county for seven years from 1959. “He was such a nice man,” he says, “he was the one who really got me going. And around that time he was producing just about the best batting wickets in England.” Whenever Harry Pitchford played for Bucks the Rothschilds saw to it that it was at no cost to the county, and in 1927 Bucks will have been especially grateful for his right-arm spinners that perfectly complemented Edwards and earned him 42 wickets at 8.12, form that led to an invitation to play for the Minor Counties against the West Indians the following summer. Pitchford had a few useful knocks for the county, but he never again repeated his golden year with the ball and he played his last match in 1929. A newcomer to the Bucks ranks in 1927 was 20-year-old JWA Stephenson. In later years his fast medium seamers brought him success in services cricket and for Essex. After taking nine for 46 for the Gentlemen against the Players at Lord’s in 1936, many considered him unlucky not to be picked for the tour to Australia that winter. However, when he and his brother, FMR Stephenson, played for Bucks both were regarded primarily as batsmen. This same summer saw the start of another career that would soon flower impressively when AG Skinner, a 16-year-old schoolboy from Oundle, made his debut against Kent. He took a little time to find his feet in minor counties cricket, but before long he had made the number three spot his own and his stylish batting in 66 matches brought him 2,515 runs at an average of 28.58. For several years Graham Skinner was lost to Bucks cricket when his business career took him to India, where he scored a century for Bengal against Nawanagar in the Ranji Trophy, but the county was always delighted to welcome him back. He played his last match for Bucks in 1952, thereafter remaining one of the county’s staunchest supporters until his death in 1997. Bucks cricketers of today continue to reap the benefit of his generous legacy to the county, which has provided funding for coaching and enabled interest-free loans to be made to clubs wishing to improve their facilities. In 1928 Bucks ended the season in fifth position. Needing only to draw their last two matches to earn the right to challenge Berkshire, the team contrived to lose both. There were two notable newcomers this year. The first played just once for Bucks: RJ Shaw was an officer in the Royal Navy, but he was the third of Bishop Shaw’s three sons to take the field for Bucks, stirring memories of his two older brothers who had both given their lives in the War. The other debutant was RH Rutter, who would play 82 times for the county. Educated at Tonbridge, Ronnie Rutter had played for the Public Schools at Lord’s earlier in the summer before making his Bucks debut against Hertfordshire at Broxbourne. A tall man with a beautiful rhythmic action, he took six for 93 against a strong Surrey Second Eleven at High Wycombe. Two years later he had taken over the mantle of Wyndham Hazelton as spearhead of the pace attack. A pillar of the Beaconsfield club, Rutter was a much valued and popular figure in Bucks cricket on and off the field. In a career that stretched on to one final post-war season in 1947, he took 366 wickets for the county. On occasions he could hit out to good effect, often being promoted when quick runs were needed. His one century for Bucks came in 1932 when he hit 106 against Oxfordshire at High Wycombe in just 45 minutes, believed to be the fastest three-figure score in Bucks’ history. Success continues 50 JWA Stephenson