Lives in Cricket No 27 - CB Llewellyn

102 than they had done in the Association. Radcliffe rose to second place in the league, while Buck reached a hundred wickets at 9.29, marginally less expensive than in 1929. Only one other bowler, Brown of Heaton, a professional, secured a century of victims. No outstanding performances came from his bat. He exceeded fifty only twice, played a number of useful lesser innings, but was dismissed eight times for ten or less. Yet with 413 runs, average 24.29, he still finished head of the team’s averages, and tenth in the League’s. Then came rain, rain and more rain. Buck continued to produce outstanding performances with the ball all through the season of 1931, and he held his own with the bat. He played his highest innings since 1928 – 73 in the away game with Egerton, though his bowling figures there, 11-0-55-2 were ‘horrendous’. Any thought of decline in the 54-year-old’s skills in attack was dispelled in the first home match, when eight of the Tonge side fell to him in 13 overs for only 34 runs. A fortnight later it was the turn of Westhoughton; he dismissed seven of them on their own pitch in 9.3 overs for 22 runs. Away at Kearsley, eight of the home side fell to him for only 14. A week later it was the turn of Bradshaw – seven of their heroes were tricked out for 42. Following several bags of five or six victims, he dismissed in successive games seven of Walkden at home for 60 runs, eight of Kearsley for 27, and nine for 32 when Radcliffe entertained Westhoughton in the return match. The climax to what was a hugely successful season came at Farnworth, where Radcliffe played Egerton in the final of the Cross Cup. In 14 overs he dismissed six of Egerton’s best for only 14 runs; one run an over in ‘a hard-fought’ cup final! When they played this match, Radcliffe were already winners of the League title, with 14 wins and only two losses in 22 games, resulting in their total of 48 points, figures even better than those of the previous season. Buck’s own statistics also improved upon those of the preceding year. In batting the improvement was only marginal, but in attack, for a man in his fifty-fifth year, his figures are for the season are extraordinary: 307.5-64-713-113-6.31. By now his pay had fallen to £5 5s 0d, plus 10s 0d for a night’s coaching and £1 for scoring fifty runs or taking five wickets. Jack Williams has suggested that this fall in pay since 1928 reflects a declining earnings potential as he aged. It has to be said that his bowling had declined little. In 1932, supporters of the Bolton and District League found that a once major figure in English cricket, and an old rival of Radcliffe