Buck back to best after deciding to downsize
Durham v Northants
June 2-5, Riverside Ground Chester-le-Street, 11:00
WHEN Nathan Buck turns up, he knows he will get a game for Northamptonshire.
And the bowler believes that is one of the reasons behind him rediscovering his best form since his move from Lancashire.
Buck, 26, spent two years at Old Trafford and was restricted to just 19 appearances during his time there.
And after coach Dave Ripley brought him to down to Wantage Road he bedded in well to the small, tight-knit squad and is reaping the rewards.
He has taken 21 wickets from his four County Championship games to date at an average of 17.76 – including two five-wicket hauls.
“It has been a bit of a change from Lancashire but I seem to have found my feet quite early on,” Buck said.
“Northants, like my former club Leicestershire, is a smaller club. Smaller squad, smaller ground, you are more familiar with everybody at the club. Whereas Lancashire is a huge business, things did not go too well there.
“But going into Northants there is a smaller bowling attack and I feel that we are a good unit and we work together and we all know that we will all be required to play our part during the season.
“There is a good group of us and we know that it will not just be three of us doing the hard work. We have a good understanding and it seems to be going okay so far.
“I’ve had a nice run so far this season. It has been nice turning up to the ground knowing that I am going to play.
“David Ripley has backed me and he was the one who signed me, so I just want to repay him.”
And while Buck’s main job is to strike with the ball, he says that hard work over the winter has made him handy with the bat as well.
A career best 43 earlier in the season against Derbyshire showed that he had the ability to contribute with both bat and ball.
He added: “I think that score was a bit overdue. I want to be able to contribute more with the bat.
“I’ll never be classed as an all-rounder but it is nice to be able to contribute and as a bowler it can be frustrating, I know that, so it can give you a nice boost if you score some runs at the bottom of the order.”
Northants are fourth in Division Two and travel to Durham today in confident mood, Buck says that if they get the basics right – something they didn’t do last time out against Worcestershire – then they will have a good chance up at Chester-le-Street.
“I have never played a fourday game up there. History suggests that it favours seamers more but looking at the scores this year there has been some good cricket played up there.
“We will have to go out and do the basics well. In four-day cricket if you have a bad session or a bad half an hour then the game is gone and three and a half days hard work could be gone.”
Durham remain rooted to the foot of the table, having started the season on minus 48 points. They are yet to win this season, losing in the final over against Glamorgan last time out.