Buckinghamshire County Cricket Club
Encyclopedia
Buckinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the county
clubs which make up the Minor Counties
in the English
domestic cricket
structure, representing the historic county of Buckinghamshire
and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy
. The Minor Counties play three-day matches at a level below that of the first-class
game. At present, Buckinghamshire competes in the Eastern Division of the Minor Counties Championship.
The club has its administrative headquarters at Little Chalfont
and plays its matches around the county at various locations. Matche were played regularly at Ascott Park
, the home of the Rothschild family
which was prominent in the club's foundation. Matches were played regularly at there until 1979.
which is near Windsor
, is the first reference to cricket in Buckinghamshire. Note that Datchet is nowadays in Berkshire
but was historically part of Buckinghamshire.
In September 1740, a team called "Buckinghamshire, Berkshire & Hertfordshire" played two matches against the famous London Cricket Club
at Uxbridge
and the Artillery Ground
. London won the first "with great difficulty" but no post-match report was found of the second.
In 1759, an All-England team that played three matches against the noted Dartford Cricket Club
included a player called Gill of Buckinghamshire, who was the team's wicket keeper. The same player almost certainly featured in another All-England team in 1772.
A number of games involving Buckinghamshire teams are mentioned in newspapers of the late 18th century. Unlike neighbouring Berkshire
, Buckinghamshire was never considered first-class.
prominent in its formation. Family member Anthony Gustav de Rothschild
even represented the club.
in 1921 because of the lack of first-class facilities in the county at the time. It has won the Championship nine times, and also once shared the title. It won outright in 1922, 1923, 1925, 1932, 1938, 1952, 1969, 1987 and 2009. It shared the accolade in 1899 with Northamptonshire
. In 2006, it won the Eastern Division, but lost in the final to Devon
. Buckinghamshire has won the MCCA Knockout Trophy
once since its inception in 1983. It won in 1990, defeating Lincolnshire
in the competitions final at Lord's
The most successful period for the county came under the captaincy of Walter Franklin
, who led them to five Championships in the twenties and thirties.
The county first played List A cricket in the 1965 Gillette Cup
against Middlesex
. The county appeared in 32 List A matches from 1965 to 2005, winning eight and losing 24, the majority of which against first-class opponents. The county claimed a first-class scalp once, defeating Somerset
in the 1987 NatWest Trophy
. Buckinghamshire lost the right to play List A cricket when the Minor counties were excluded from the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy from the 2006 season
onward.
The following Buckinghamshire cricketers also made an impact on the first-class
game:
The club have no fixed home, but play their matches at various grounds across the county. Grounds used for the 2011 season
include:
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
clubs which make up the Minor Counties
Minor counties of English cricket
The Minor Counties are the cricketing counties of England and Wales that are not afforded first-class status. The game is administered by the Minor Counties Cricket Association which comes under the England and Wales Cricket Board...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
domestic cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
structure, representing the historic county of Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy
MCCA Knockout Trophy
The Minor Counties Cricket Association Knockout Cup was started in 1983 as a knockout one-day competition for the Minor Counties in English cricket...
. The Minor Counties play three-day matches at a level below that of the first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
game. At present, Buckinghamshire competes in the Eastern Division of the Minor Counties Championship.
The club has its administrative headquarters at Little Chalfont
Little Chalfont
Little Chalfont is a village and civil parish in Chiltern district in south east Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated in a small group of villages called The Chalfonts which also consists of Chalfont St Giles and Chalfont St Peter...
and plays its matches around the county at various locations. Matche were played regularly at Ascott Park
Ascott House
Ascott House, sometimes referred to as simply Ascott, is situated in the hamlet of Ascott near Wing in Buckinghamshire, England. It is set in a estate....
, the home of the Rothschild family
Rothschild family
The Rothschild family , known as The House of Rothschild, or more simply as the Rothschilds, is a Jewish-German family that established European banking and finance houses starting in the late 18th century...
which was prominent in the club's foundation. Matches were played regularly at there until 1979.
Honours
- Minor Counties Championship (8) - 1922, 1923, 1925, 1932, 1938, 1952, 1969, 1987, 2009; shared (1) - 1899
- MCCA Knockout Trophy (1) - 1990
Earliest cricket
A match in October 1730 on Datchet Heath (a.k.a. Datchet Common), outside the village of DatchetDatchet
Datchet is an English Thameside village and civil parish situated in the unitary authority of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire. It was transferred to Berkshire from Buckinghamshire in 1974....
which is near Windsor
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
, is the first reference to cricket in Buckinghamshire. Note that Datchet is nowadays in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
but was historically part of Buckinghamshire.
In September 1740, a team called "Buckinghamshire, Berkshire & Hertfordshire" played two matches against the famous London Cricket Club
London Cricket Club
The original London Cricket Club was formed by 1722 and was one of the foremost clubs in English cricket over the next four decades. It is closely associated with the Artillery Ground, where it played most of its home matches.-Early history of London cricket:...
at Uxbridge
Uxbridge
Uxbridge is a large town located in north west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres...
and the Artillery Ground
Artillery Ground
The Artillery Ground in Finsbury is one of London's most centrally located cricket grounds, situated just off the City Road immediately north of the City of London...
. London won the first "with great difficulty" but no post-match report was found of the second.
In 1759, an All-England team that played three matches against the noted Dartford Cricket Club
Dartford Cricket Club
Dartford Cricket Club is one of the oldest in England and its origins go back to the early 18th century, perhaps earlier.See also: Dartford Brent...
included a player called Gill of Buckinghamshire, who was the team's wicket keeper. The same player almost certainly featured in another All-England team in 1772.
A number of games involving Buckinghamshire teams are mentioned in newspapers of the late 18th century. Unlike neighbouring Berkshire
Berkshire county cricket teams
Berkshire county cricket teams have been traced back to the 18th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that...
, Buckinghamshire was never considered first-class.
Origin of club
The present Buckinghamshire CCC was founded on 15 January 1891 as "Bucks County Cricket Club" with the Rothschild familyRothschild banking family of England
The Rothschild banking family of England was founded in 1798 by Nathan Mayer von Rothschild who first settled in Manchester but then moved to London. Nathan was sent there from his home in Frankfurt by his father, Mayer Amschel Rothschild...
prominent in its formation. Family member Anthony Gustav de Rothschild
Anthony Gustav de Rothschild
Anthony Gustav de Rothschild was a British banker and member of the Rothschild banking family. Born in London, England, he was the third and youngest of the three sons of Leopold de Rothschild and Marie Perugia...
even represented the club.
Club history
Buckinghamshire joined the Minor Counties Championship in the competition's second season, 1896. Buckinghamshire later declined an invitation to join the first-class County ChampionshipCounty Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
in 1921 because of the lack of first-class facilities in the county at the time. It has won the Championship nine times, and also once shared the title. It won outright in 1922, 1923, 1925, 1932, 1938, 1952, 1969, 1987 and 2009. It shared the accolade in 1899 with Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
. In 2006, it won the Eastern Division, but lost in the final to Devon
Devon County Cricket Club
Devon County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Devon and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy....
. Buckinghamshire has won the MCCA Knockout Trophy
MCCA Knockout Trophy
The Minor Counties Cricket Association Knockout Cup was started in 1983 as a knockout one-day competition for the Minor Counties in English cricket...
once since its inception in 1983. It won in 1990, defeating Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire County Cricket Club
Lincolnshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs, which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Lincolnshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
in the competitions final at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
The most successful period for the county came under the captaincy of Walter Franklin
Walter Franklin
Walter Bell Franklin was an English cricketer. Franklin was a right-handed batsman who fielded as a wicket-keeper. He was considered the best amateur wicket-keeper of his time.-Early career:...
, who led them to five Championships in the twenties and thirties.
The county first played List A cricket in the 1965 Gillette Cup
1965 Gillette Cup
The 1965 Gillette Cup was the third Gillette Cup, an English limited overs county cricket tournament. It was held between 23 April and 4 September 1965. The tournament was won by Yorkshire, following Geoff Boycott's 146 runs in the final at Lord's...
against Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
. The county appeared in 32 List A matches from 1965 to 2005, winning eight and losing 24, the majority of which against first-class opponents. The county claimed a first-class scalp once, defeating Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
in the 1987 NatWest Trophy
1987 NatWest Trophy
The 1987 NatWest Trophy was the 7th NatWest Trophy. It was an English limited overs county cricket tournament which was held between 24 June and 5 September 1987...
. Buckinghamshire lost the right to play List A cricket when the Minor counties were excluded from the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy from the 2006 season
2006 English cricket season
The 2006 English cricket season includes home international series for England against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. England are coming off a winter with more Test losses than wins, for the first time since 2002-03, but still attained their best series result in India since 1985...
onward.
Famous players
- See List of Buckinghamshire CCC List A players and :Category:Buckinghamshire cricketers
The following Buckinghamshire cricketers also made an impact on the first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
game:
- Ben BarnettBen BarnettBenjamin Arthur Barnett was an Australian cricketer who played in 4 Tests in 1938....
- Hartley AlleyneHartley AlleyneHartley Leroy Alleyne is a former Barbadian cricketer: a right-handed batsman and right-arm fast bowler who played for Barbados, Worcestershire, Kent and Natal between 1978-79 and 1989-90...
- Wilf SlackWilf SlackWilfred Norris "Wilf" Slack was an English cricketer, who played in three Test matches and two One Day Internationals for England in 1986....
- Phil NewportPhil NewportPhilip John Newport is a former English cricketer, who played primarily as a seam and swing bowler. Newport was a stalwart of Worcestershire County Cricket Club for most of the 1980s and 1990s, and played a key part in the county's triumphs in the late 1980s...
- Keith MedlycottKeith MedlycottKeith Thomas Medlycott is an English former cricketer, a left-arm spinner and middle order batsman for Surrey and Northern Transvaal...
- Alex Hales
Grounds
- See also: List of cricket grounds in England and Wales: Buckinghamshire
The club have no fixed home, but play their matches at various grounds across the county. Grounds used for the 2011 season
2011 English cricket season
The 2011 English cricket season began on 2 April with a round of university matches, and will continue until the final of the Clydesdale Bank 40 on 17 September. Three major domestic competitions are contested: the 2011 County Championship, the 2011 Clydesdale Bank 40 and the 2011 Friends Life t20...
include:
- Gerrards Cross Cricket Club Ground, Gerrards CrossGerrards CrossGerrards Cross is a village in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the south of the county, near the border with Greater London, south of Chalfont St Peter. Gerrards Cross is also a civil parish within South Bucks district, which was known as the Beaconsfield district from 1974 to 1980...
- London RoadLondon Road, High WycombeLondon Road is a cricket ground in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1891, when High Wycombe played the House of Commons. The first Minor Counties Championship match held on the ground came in 1895 when Buckinghamshire played Bedfordshire...
, High WycombeHigh WycombeHigh Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town... - Upton Court Road, SloughSloughSlough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...
- Pound LanePound Lane Cricket GroundPound Lane is a cricket ground in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1909, when Buckinghamshire played Dorset in the Minor Counties Championship. The county next used the ground for a Minor Counties match in 1913, when it played Berkshire...
, MarlowMarlow, BuckinghamshireMarlow is a town and civil parish within Wycombe district in south Buckinghamshire, England... - Tring Park Cricket Club GroundTring Park Cricket Club GroundTring Park Cricket Club Ground is a cricket ground in Tring, Hertfordshire. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1874. Hertfordshire played Buckinghamshire in the grounds first Minor Counties Championship match in 1959. From 1959 to 1999, the ground played host to 12 Minor Counties...
, TringTringTring is a small market town and also a civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire, England. Situated north-west of London and linked to London by the old Roman road of Akeman Street, by the modern A41, by the Grand Union Canal and by rail lines to Euston Station, Tring is now largely a...
(which is located in neighbouring HertfordshireHertfordshireHertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
)
External sources
Further reading
- Rowland BowenRowland BowenMajor Rowland Francis Bowen was a cricket researcher, historian and writer....
, Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development, Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1970 - E W Swanton (editor), Barclays World of Cricket, Guild, 1986
- Playfair Cricket AnnualPlayfair Cricket AnnualPlayfair Cricket Annual is a compact annual about cricket that is published in the United Kingdom each April, just before the English cricket season is due to begin. Its main purposes are to review the previous English season and to provide detailed career records and potted biographies of current...
– various editions - Wisden Cricketers Almanack – various editions