Strathmore Cricket Union Handbook 1998

16 Cricket in Cupar - A brief history As newcomers to the Strathmore Union I have been invited to pen some deathless prose concerning Cupar CC. Hopefully the following covers all the salient points in our history. Although the modern Cupar CC was constituted in 1884, cricket in Cupar can be traced back further than that. It is likely that the gamewas introduced to the townsfolk by soldiers stationed in and around the town at the time of the NapoleonicWars in the early years of the 19th century. The Fife Herald records the formation of a club in 1836, playing in the Cart Haugh, the open space next to the River Eden just east of the town centre. This organ of the people records faithfully the ongoings of the Club, despite long periods when they were banned from playing in the Cart Haugh. Fixtures were arranged at short notice, many against scratch XIs but also against clubs such as Kirkcaldy and Carlton. The first mention of a match against a Strathmore Union side is in 1879 when Cupar played Arbroath United. In 1882 the Club failed to function properly although its members could be seen playing for half a dozen other clubs which performed within the town boundary. It is possible that the Club might have gone completely out of existence but for the diligence of one Fred Horsbrugh, who conducted an extensive search for a location for a cricket field in the town and at length, in early 1884, spotted a possibility in the cow pasture at the rear of Bonvil House. It was not very level, but certainly promisedmore than anything he had seen so far. A let of the ground was arranged and so it was that the new Cupar Cricket Club commenced their career in what is today known as Duffus Park. After an initial introductory season, a great deal of work was carried out over the 1884-85 winter to get the place properly fit for cricket. The grand opening was performed by Provost Hain on 16 May 1885 and was marked with a match against Forfarshire. Subsequently the Club enjoyed somewhat erratic form, with good years and bad. Like many other clubs they hired a professional each year but many of the hired hands failed to impress. The one man who did better than most of the others was G Taylor who was pro at Cupar from 1899 to