Lives in Cricket No 45 - Brief Candles 2

18 So close A slight recovery in his batting form followed in 1939 (295 runs at 29.50), and after the war he managed similar returns for the last five seasons of his playing career. His main achievement now was as captain of a, for once, successful Bedfordshire side. The county finished in commendable seventh in 1946 and 1947, and tenth (out of 31 sides) in 1949. But in both 1948 and 1950 they rose to the heights of second place - higher than any Bedfordshire side had ever reached in their 38 previous seasons in the Minor Counties competition. In both years they were unbeaten in their regular programme of matches, and exercised their right to challenge the top team for the overall championship. Sadly, that title was to elude them both times, as they lost by an innings to Lancashire second eleven in 1948 (for whom future Test players Malcolm Hilton and Roy Tattersall took 14 of the 20 wickets; Poole scored 30, the second-highest score in their total of 130, and two), and being denied the chance to press home their advantage against Surrey seconds in 1950 (Bedfordshire 250 all out - Poole 31; Surrey seconds 26 for three when rain ended the match at the end of day one). 10 In both seasons, Poole’s captaincy (and his longevity) received a particular mention in Wisden : ‘Ably led by A.B.Poole, in his 21st year with the club, Bedfordshire were a well-balanced side and batted enterprisingly when weather conditions allowed’ ( Wisden 1949); ‘A.B.Poole, who first appeared in the side 25 years ago and has been a regular member of the eleven since 1928, had much to do with the success, for he handled the team capably and made best use of the talent at his disposal’ ( Wisden 1951). It didn’t last, though, and in 1951 Bedfordshire fell back to finish 25th out of the 30 sides in the competition. At last, AB - now 44 - decided it was time to call it a day. He announced his retirement at the county’s AGM in December, saying that ‘he felt he could no longer hold his own in the field as a county cricketer should do’. The tribute paid to him in the Bedfordshire Times tells us more about Poole’s way of playing cricket: ‘No-one would describe him as a ‘pretty’ or stylish batsman, and yet Bedfordshire crowds over the past quarter of a century have always been pleased to see him at the crease. For ‘AB’ believes in the punitive method of treating a bowler. To see him in a subdued mood is to know that the attack is really menacing. He plays his strokes late, investing them with all the power of strong wrists, forearms and shoulders. 11 In his prime his fierce cutting and driving would make fielding an unenviable job on a hot day … as captain of Bedfordshire from 1945 10 It was to be another 20 years before Bedfordshire finally secured their first Minor Counties championship title, winning in 1970 (after finishing top of the table for the first time, and then drawing the challenge match against Lincolnshire) and again in 1972 (when they finished second and defeated Yorkshire II in the challenge match - the first time a challenging Minor County had defeated the second eleven of a major county to take the title). They also shared the title in 2004 when they won the Eastern Division of the championship, and drew the play-off against Western Division champions Devon. 11 No doubt this arm- and upper-body strength also contributed to his success as a hockey player. He regularly represented Bedfordshire as a full back in the later 1930s, following the path laid by his older brother Charles, who was Bedfordshire’s goalkeeper in the earlier years of the decade.