History of Bucks CCC

High Wycombe, would have brought the chance to challenge Lancashire Second Eleven for the title, but Battcock’s men were comprehensively beaten by nine wickets. Behind the upturn in Bucks’ fortunes lay the arrival of new players who would make a major contribution to the side over the next ten years and beyond. John Cockett, who played his local cricket at Amersham and was to win a blue in his last year at Cambridge in 1951, brought useful quick runs to the middle order and the athleticism that befitted a future Olympic hockey player to the fielding. After becoming a schoolmaster at Felsted, he was able to play with great regularity each August, amassing 81 appearances for Bucks. Another important newcomer was the ever competitive Chris Pickett, whose left-arm swing brought variety to the opening attack, where the captain was still bowling the bulk of the overs. Alf Hughes now came into his own, his off-breaks bringing him 41 wickets. With a ring of leg-side catchers in support, twice that summer he exploited wearing pitches to take seven wickets in an innings. A Welshman, sometimes described as a cussed soul and not the easiest man to captain, Hughes was another whose competitive spirit knew no bounds. “He’d appeal for anything – and expect to get it!” says Jack Tomlin, who played several years of club cricket with him at High Wycombe. In 1949 hundreds were hit by Isherwood and Busby, for whom there was a new opening partner for many of the matches, RFB O’Callaghan, who had last played for Bucks in 1939. “Bush O’Callaghan,” says Robin Peppiatt, “he had an enormous moustache and he played more wandering cricket than anyone could ever imagine. Extraordinary character, he had either a Rolls Royce or a Bentley and he travelled round to all the matches in it.” John Cockett remembers “an enormous bag with every cap known to man in it.” With endless games for all these teams, O’Callaghan was the antithesis of the player whose loyalty lay to a local club. Such players were not always welcome in Bucks sides and after this one season he was not seen again. Bucks slipped back a bit in 1950, finishing twelfth with only two wins from their ten matches. Despite his advancing age Battcock still had his customary clutch of inexpensive wickets, 47 at 12.04; Hughes was close behind and Pickett confirmed his early promise. Tony Prince’s career came to a sadly early end through illness. “He was a very good player,” says Robin Peppiatt, “and he held the finest catch I can remember seeing – at long on against Norfolk at Kings Lynn.” But this popular figure was not lost to the county, taking over as secretary in 1954 and serving until 1968. Prince apart, the old guard played its part on the batting front, while the Colts programme was beginning to pay dividends as more players graduated to the full county team. The Butler brothers, Norman and Ken, both made their debuts and played in most of the matches, there was a first appearance for fast bowler Rex Avery and Charles Robins, son of RWV, played a couple of times. “Do you bowl the same sort of stuff as your father?” a teammate remembers him being asked, to which the self-assured reply was, “Yes, but you can spot father’s googly!” Young Robins played only five times for Bucks before moving into the first-class game where, whether his googly was spotted or not, he was conspicuously less successful than his Test-playing father had been. A longer impact on Bucks cricket would be felt from the batting of Norman Butler from Burnham. There was a modest start in 1950, but by 1968 he had amassed 4,735 runs with six centuries, while brother Ken played 53 times, capturing 121 wickets with his medium-pacers and enjoying one moment of glory with the bat when he reached 96 against Oxfordshire on the Morris Motors ground in 1955. 62 Battcock takes over Alf Hughes