Ramesh Vithaldas 'Buck' Divecha (18 October 1927 – 19 February 2003) was an Indian

Test cricket Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last fo ...

er. Divecha was a right-arm bowler who bowled fast-medium or off-breaks, and a useful batsman. In 1942 while studying in Wilson College he was arrested in connection with the

Quit India movement The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Kranti Movement, was a movement launched at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi on 8th August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British rule in ...

. He was not charged, and he took no active part in politics after that. His father V.J. Divecha was a club cricketer, President of the Bombay Cricket Association and the Vice President of the

Board of Control for Cricket in India The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the national governing body for cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at Cricket centre, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The BCCI is the richest governing body of cricket in the world ...

. While studying at

Worcester College, Oxford Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms w ...

, Divecha played four seasons of cricket for

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and earned

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in 1950 and 1951. He appeared for

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against the

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in 1948 and played

Minor Counties The National Counties, known as the Minor Counties before 2020, are the cricketing counties of England and Wales that do not have first-class status. The game is administered by the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA), which comes unde ...

cricket for

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

. Divecha toured England in 1952 and took 50 wickets. He took a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

against

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and a career best 8 for 74 against Glamorgan County Cricket Club, Glamorganbr>
in the next match. He played Tests against English cricket team, England in 1951–52 and 1952, and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

in 1952–53 but achieved little. Divecha's career in Indian domestic cricket was far shorter than that in England. He played one

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match for

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

in 1951–52, one for Madhya Pradesh in 1954–55 and four for Saurashtra in 1962–63. In these six matches he took 22 wickets at 27.50. After his early retirement from cricket, he became a prominent golf player. Divecha took an M.A. from

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. He was an executive with

Burmah Shell The Burmah Oil Company was a leading British oil company which was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. In 1966, Castrol was acquired by Burmah, which was renamed "Burmah-Castrol". BP Amoco (now BP) purchased the company in 2000. Histor ...

and

Mahindra & Mahindra Mahindra & Mahindra Limited (M&M) is an Indian multinational automotive manufacturing corporation headquartered in Mumbai. It was established in 1945 as Mahindra & Mohammed and later renamed as Mahindra & Mahindra. Part of the Mahindra Group, ...

. His death came after a prolonged illness. He suffered from

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References

* Richard Cashman, ''Patrons, Players and the Crowd'' (1980), p. 87 * Obituary in Wisden Cricketer's Almanack 2004 * Obituary in Indian Cricket 2004 * Christopher Martin-Jenkins, ''The Complete Who's Who of Test Cricketers''

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Divecha India Test cricketers Indian cricketers Mumbai cricketers Saurashtra cricketers Madhya Pradesh cricketers Northamptonshire cricketers 1927 births 2003 deaths Burmah-Castrol BP people Oxford University cricketers Oxfordshire cricketers Minor Counties cricketers Gentlemen cricketers Alumni of Worcester College, Oxford Cricketers from Maharashtra