History of Bucks CCC

attended, and his invariable practice of pressing the claims for county selection of those who had been to ‘good’ schools caused murmurs of complaint. One former grammar school pupil spoke of the Young Amateurs’ captaincy going to a boy from one of the major schools “although he had no character whatsoever.” Another very capable teenage cricketer could recall how, as a labourer, he found no-one making him welcome in the dressing room - middle-class gaucheness and teenage shyness probably cost the county a cricketer of talent. After seven years in charge, Peter Stoddart was happy to hand over the reins; but with the committee finding no willing successor, he was persuaded to carry on and, as their choice, he was expected to be elected for an eighth year. But, without the knowledge of the Bucks hierarchy, others had been planning a coup. Leading the rebellion were members of the High Wycombe club, one where the public school ethos counted for little. ‘The factory side,’ as they had been unkindly dubbed, found support at Chesham and Slough. The rebels packed the AGM and, as the constitution of the day allowed, without any prior warning they presented the meeting with an alternative skipper for the forthcoming season. Their chosen man was Brian Janes, unrelated to the Marlburian David Janes. Though he was not at the centre of the mutiny, many felt it was disloyal of Janes to allow his name to go forward as he was a member of the committee whose choice had been Stoddart. However, as a successful captain of High Wycombe and a powerful figure in the club, Brian Janes was in many ways a logical alternative around whom the rebels could rally. He had played 25 times for Bucks with one day of glory in 1958 when he and Rex Avery had dismissed Berkshire for 39 at Slough. His return of six for 16 that day was the first of three six-wicket hauls. However, afflicted with back problems, he was now bowling very little, while the runs that flowed from his bat in club cricket – he had made over a thousand for High Wycombe in 1965 - had seldom done so for the county. He had never held down a regular place in the county side, and had made only two appearances in the previous two years. The Janes ticket was for more representation of club cricketers, whereas Stoddart epitomised the wandering player who favoured matches with such teams as the Eton Ramblers, the Butterflies or MCC. Moreover, he lived in the north of the county, adding fuel to his critics’ complaint that he knew little of the ability of players in the south, where the strongest clubs competed. Stoddart was certainly well liked within his own team, but he was an easy target for the rebels and Janes was duly elected by 17 votes to 14. Whatever the merits of the argument, after all he had done for Bucks cricket, it must have been deeply disappointing for Stoddart to lose the captaincy in this way. It was certainly no fault of his that Brian Janes had a difficult season. Several leading players – most notably Johns in his final season – underperformed, others were not available and the captain himself enjoyed little personal success. Without a win in ten matches, the team sank to twenty-second place in the table. Only once before, in 1910, had a season passed without a single championship success. To the secretary, writing in the yearbook, the county’s fortunes were ‘at their lowest ebb within living memory.’ 71 The coup Brian Janes