The outbreak of the First World War had put paid to the playing of cricket and it was 1919 before cricket was mentioned again. A meeting was called in the Masonic Hall on Thursday 15 with the purpose of re-starting Buckie CC but that is all that is recorded.
On July 10 1920 a team from Buckie visited Fochabers and played the local club. The result was a substantial win for Buckie.
Fochabers 47
Buckie 65-7 (F B Cranch 43no)
After the match the teams were entertained by Tom Jones (Larbert), Captain of Fochabers.
At a meeting on Friday 3 June 1921 in the Masonic Hall, it was again resolved to form a Cricket Club. The newly elected President T B Jones gifted a set of bats, wickets etc to the Club. The team again visited Fochabers and duly won:
Buckie 49 (C McDonald 7 for 25)
Fochabers 30 (G R Coutts 6 for 10, T Scrimgeour 3 for 8)
In 1922, a match at the School Playing Field between Buckie School and Milnes Institution which Buckie won by 35 runs was the only mention of cricket.
As seen from the newspaper report below a Club was formed for the 1923 season.
| CRICKET CLUB - Mr J C Johnson, Schoolhouse, Enzie presided at a meeting held in the Masonic Institute on Monday night, when it was agreed to form a cricket club. The appointment of officials was held over meantime. It was agreed to lay out a pitch in the Public Park and the excavations from the widening of the Toll Bar Road have been secured to form the sole of the pitch, which will be turfed if possible. A guarantee was given to the Park Committee to pay a share of the cost. It was agreed to hold a further meeting on Monday first, when it is hoped all young men interested in cricket will turn out. |
The pitch was indeed provided and the Club paid the Cluny Public Park Committee £25 as their share of the pitch which was 25 yards square.
The Club agreed to play friendly games and also entered the North of Scotland Cup Competition. There is no record of how they fared in the cup but they did play two friendly games:
Cullen 29 (G R Coutts took 5 wickets & W D Kennedy took 3)
Buckie 36 (T Davidson, P Hunter & G Findlay each took 3 wickets) at Cullen
Elgin 130
Buckie 47at Elgin
There was a large attendance at the AGM in March 1924 and a handsome donation from the "Mains's Wooin'" Committee had enabled the Club to pay off its debt and start the new season with a considerable credit balance.
The report below from the Banffshire Advertiser seems to indicate much enthusiasm for the future of the game in Buckie although one suspects that they were easier to please regarding the standard of pitches in those days than is the case at present:
| CRICKET - The Cricket Club has now commenced practice in the evenings in Cluny Public Park. The pitch is looking well and in the near future members can hope to play on really first class wickets. A number of attractive matches have been arranged. We understand that home and away matches with such well known clubs as Elgin, Forres and Huntly are included in the fixture list. For the youth of Buckie there will now be a fine opportunity of learning the game under good conditions. The club can count among its members experienced players who have played in good class cricket and who will only be too glad to help bring out the young player. The committee would like to see a large number of intending members putting in an appearance at practice, as Buckie match team will have to be selected at an early date. |
