History of Bucks CCC

Archie Campbell from Chesham was another newcomer in 1950. His younger brother Robert had scored a century and shared in a record stand in his second match in 1935. Now Archie made it a family tradition with 130 at Lakenham on his maiden appearance, his first-wicket partnership of 217 with Busby equalling the Bucks record set by Sewell and Kent in 1913. As with his brother, this was to be Archie Campbell’s only century for Bucks. He was already 35 and further chances were denied by the demands of a distinguished civil service career that soon took him to a series of overseas postings. Archie Campbell’s son Andrew, a left-hand batsman, won a blue at Oxford in 1970 and played 14 matches for Bucks in the early 1970s. Dwarfing these other newcomers in 1950 was David Johns. One of the finest of all Bucks cricketers, he began with three fifties in his first four innings before making exactly 100 in his fifth, against Oxfordshire on his home ground at High Wycombe. When he finally retired in 1966 he was only the third man to have exceeded 4,000 runs for the county and no-one could match his eight centuries. Ben Barnett and another Championship The 1951 season was notable for the arrival of Ben Barnett. Australia’s wicket-keeper for the 1938 Test matches, he had qualified for the county after coming to work for Aspro in Slough. At last Bucks had a worthy successor to Franklin behind the stumps, and a man who matched him in ferocity of intent. John Cockett remembers how it manifested itself: “He would appeal for anything that was within a foot of the stumps, and if it was given not out he would look down at the chap’s pads, look up at the umpire then look down again as if to say, ‘Are you sure, umpire?’” His aggressive 63 Ben Barnett and another Championship The 1951 Team Back row (l to r): L Wickson (scorer) , KWA Butler, DFV Johns, DR Peppiatt, D Rickard, NV Butler, H Tyson Chambers (Hon. Secretary) Seated: AJ Hughes, JH Hastie, A Hayhurst, OG Battcock, P Isherwood, JA Cockett, BA Barnett