Remembering Tony Buss | 1939-2026

Tony Buss was one of the finest fast-medium bowlers produced by Sussex since the war.

It was his misfortune to be overshadowed by two outstanding opening bowlers who would go on to play for England. First came the tireless Ian Thomson, ten years his senior, who was well established in the Sussex side before Buss joined the club. Then came John Snow, two years his junior, who would become one of England’s greatest fast bowlers.

Tony played for the county between 1958-74 and took 958 first-class wickets at 25.04. Three times, between 1965-67, he took 100 wickets in a season and is the last Sussex bowler to perform the feat. Twice, in 1965, he performed the hat-trick, against Cambridge University at Fenner’s and against Derbyshire at Hove. He also managed one in the John Player League, against Warwickshire at Hastings in 1973. His best return was 8-23 against Notts at Hove in 1966.

Sussex waited 119 years for a Buss to come along and then another one arrived almost immediately. Mike Buss, a little over four years Tony’s junior, became an effective all-rounder for the club, who put in some eye-catching performances in one-day cricket.

Both were born in the East Sussex village of Brightling, whose cricket club’s long history reads like a Buss timetable. But Tony “Omni” Buss had a more substantial career than his kid brother, “Mini” Buss.

John Wallace, in his indispensable book 100 Greats of Sussex County Cricket Club, tells us that Alan Oakman spotted Tony playing for Bexhill Grammar School and brought him to Hove for coaching when he was only 14.

When he left school in 1955 he became more strongly associated with the club, though he was regarded as an off-spinner in those days. But Sussex already had three spinners in Robin Marlar, Ron Bell and Oakman, so Buss converted to medium pace, then fast-medium.

He first played for Sussex in 1958 and in 1960 took 50 wickets in a season for the first time. But his cricket career stalled when he did National Service with the Royal Air Force.

When he returned to Sussex he was stronger and a little faster and really established himself in county cricket in 1963, when he won his county cap. In that season, and the following four, he took 515 first-class wickets.

As well as being a prolific wicket-taker he was an accurate and economical bowler. Sussex’s early success in the Gillette Cup, winning the trophy in its first two years, 1963 and 1964, is often attributed to the dashing batting of captain Ted Dexter and Jim Parks.

But just as important, even more so, was the tight bowling from Buss, Snow, Thomson and Don Bates. Crucially, Dexter was the first county captain to realise that one-day cricket was essentially a defensive game and set his fielders deep.

Like many opening bowlers Tony fancied himself as a batsman and had a top score of 83, against Northants at Hove in 1969. He often played the night-watchman role, “Many times I went in as night-watchman and stayed there next morning,” he said.

Towards the end of his career he captained Sussex on occasions, when Tony Greig was playing for England. When he retired from playing, in 1974, he became the club’s coach, and then manager, finally leaving Hove in 1980.

By Paul Weaver