Huntly applied to join the North of Scotland Cricket Association in October 1930 and no one tried harder on their behalf than Buckie's G R Coutts but despite his pleas their application was rejected.
To the right is part of a report in the Banffshire Avdertiser of the happenings at the 1931 AGM which is quite interesting.
The Rev Cocks proved his capabilities in the first game of the season taking 5 for 56 and scoring 63 in the 127-112 for 8 drawn game with Forres.
Buckie lost narrowly 103-100 at Nairn but should have done better since the last two wickets were lost without a run being scored.
Coutts and Kennedy combined to skittle out Auldearn for 24 and give Buckie their first win and with a strong side out had high hopes of beating old rivals Elgin in the next game. It was a big let down and the team's performance did not please some spectators as their letters to the local paper show.
A LESSON FOR BUCKIE CC Sir - I paid my first visit to Cluny Park for the season on Saturday and was delighted to see the pitch looking so well and such an attendance. My delight, I am sorry to say, ended there. Winning the toss, Buckie's captian actually gave Elgin the first lease of the wicket, and that on a good day when visibility was never good. Complaint two - why was Murray, who I know to be a good bowler, not put on at the north end after it was seen that "Bill" Kennedy was off form? And there was Johnston, who can bowl, to my mind, a good deal better than either Cocks or Longton. Buckie's captain could take a page out of Major Clarke's book in this respect. Complaint three - to my mind the order of batting of the Buckie side was all wrong. These complaints explain how a humiliating defeat could have been turned into a glorious success, for Buckie certainly had a good side, which might have been further improved by the inclusion of A Smith, one of the smartest young fielders in the north. - Yours etc |
BUCKIE CRICKET
Sir, - For some days before the Buckie v Elgin cricket match there was keen speculation as to the result, especially had a weakened team. On the day of the match we wandered up, still speculating, but when it came to reality, what a farce. It does not say much for Buckie's much lauded team that the first four Elgin batsmen amassed such a total. As one would naturally expect, Buckie bowlers dealt quite efficiently with the "rabbits". With such youthful bowling talent it surprised us that they never got a chance. COUNTER GOOGLY |
Elgin 153-9 (Coutts 7 for 46 )
Buckie 48
A plucky draw at home with Northern Counties was sandwiched between defeats away at Northern Counties and at home from the Kings Own Scottish Borders (KOSB). Major MacKay of KOSB bowled underhand and took 4 wickets for 28.
The newly formed Cairnfield team visited Cluny Park and were beaten 105-82 by the Buckie 2nd XI.
Auldearn again could not cope with the bowling of Rev Cocks, who took 5 wickets for 10 runs and G Coutts who took 5 for 20, and lost at home to Buckie 102-33.
The return game at Elgin was another disappointment with Buckie 53 to Elgin's 73 for 1. Despite the result the team did not head for the pub to drown their sorrows. Instead reports state that several members made for Woolworth's and gorged themselves with liquorice allsorts.
An improved performance against the KOSB with R Gordon-Duff scoring 60 out of a total of 128 but it was not enough and the soldiers replied with 137 for 5.
Buckie played a friendly against the strong Huntly side and lost, Huntly scoring 184 for 8 to Buckie's 99.
The final game at Forres was a low scoring match, Forres winning 55-30 although R H Palmer (6 for 20) and G Coutts (4 for 23) bowled well.
1932 began with G Coutts representing the NoSCA against Nairn County in a match to celebrate the opening of Nairn's new pavilion.
Buckie's first game of the season was against HMS York - a visiting warship who boasted a strong cricket side and Buckie strengthened their ranks by including 4 Huntly players. Buckie scored 100 for 6 and Coutts claimed 4 for 9 as the sailors were all out for 72.
The HMS York team included Lieut-Commander Grace, a son of Admiral Grace and a grandson of Dr W G Grace, the greatest personality in the history of the game.
When the league campaign got under way Buckie suffered heavy defeats at the hands of Nairn County, Forres St Lawrence and Elgin, although G Coutts was regularly among the wickets. After a crushing defeat from Northern Counties at Inverness 211-24 one supporter was prompted to write to the Banffshire Advertiser and suggest that Buckie should withdraw from the North of Scotland League for a year and enter the Banffshire League. This move he felt would be more beneficial to Buckie's promising youngsters than to be on the receiving end of severe beating each week. Another heavy defeat at Nairn followed with the home side knocking up 251 for 2 to which Buckie replied with 80.
In the midst of these defeats, Buckie played Banff in a friendly at Cluny Park and scored 209 for 4 with J Jones becoming the Club's first century maker scoring 116 retired. Banff had earlier been dismissed for 64.
In a close game with KOSB at home Buckie recorded their first win 82 to 98 and gave Elgin a good game going down 118 to 101.
It was back to old ways when Northern Counties came to Cluny Park with the home side losing 161 for 5 to 54.
There followed a series of friendly matches in which Buckie again beat Banff (62-107 for 6) and defeated Cairnfield twice (104 for 9 against 36 and 65 against 81). In the first game with Cairnfield I Sutherland scored 71 while J Jappy 4 for 2 and W Stewart 3 for 5 bowled well. Aberdeen University were on tour and scored 122 to which Buckie responded with 121 for 6. Coutts took 7 students wickets. The league season ended with defeats from KOSB 199-95 and Forres 91-76 and Coutts claimed 6 wickets in both matches. A match was arranged against the crew of another visiting ship, HMS Furious, but the game was abandoned after ½ hour due to rain. After all it was October.
