Lives in Cricket No 27 - CB Llewellyn

37 Chapter Six ‘Not Quite As Sharp As He Used To Be’ Llewellyn may have carried his disappointment back to Southampton. Hampshire were under new management in 1903. Charles Robson, at the age of 45, resigned the captaincy in favour of E.M.Sprot, while his post of wicketkeeper was taken by a young professional, Jimmy Stone, who soon made his place secure and showed a strong defence with the bat. Off the pitch there was another major change. Dr Russell Bencraft, after 25 years’ service to the county – though he still had a further 35 years to go in various capacities – gave up his role as Honorary Secretary and was succeeded by Frank Bacon as full-time paid holder of that office. The season was not as arduous for Llewellyn as the two previous ones had been. It rained in torrents and the damp pitches made scoring much more difficult: in due course three Hampshire matches were to be abandoned without a ball bowled. He was gently eased back into county cricket because Hampshire were due to play only one fixture in May and, as it happened, he received much more support in attack. Hesketh-Prichard was usually available and his quickish deliveries often upset opponents’ early batsmen and Tom Soar, now 37, who had had fitness problems for years, enjoyed an Indian summer. In August a new professional, Langford, astonished Hampshire supporters with a succession of outstanding performances. In the prevailing conditions and with this support, Buck should have enjoyed another rewarding season, but he didn’t. It was not rewarding, as he achieved little with bat or ball. His early performances suggested normal progress. Playing for MCC – he was listed for the first time as one of the Club’s ground staff, of 59 – against London County in the match beginning on 18 May at Lord’s, he helped J.T.Hearne demolish W.G.’s team for 72. Hearne took six for 30, and Buck four for 37, though he made few runs. Earlier in the month he had played for MCC against Yorkshire in the only first-class match ever played on the Lord’s nursery ground when the main arena was waterlogged. Llewellyn seems not to have had an ‘understanding’ with London County for