Strathmore Cricket Union Handbook 1998

18 1906, and they also got decent service from the man who followed him, E Nixon from 1907 till 1910. The amateur support included such names as D Lees, a fast bowler, Harry Ashton an all-rounder, WS Birrell who played from 1884 until 1926 and DS Cooper, a batsman who in 1905 made 207 against Forfarshire at Forthill, still a Club record. Although the Club played only friendly cricket the matches involving the other Fife Clubs such as Kirkcaldy, Burntisland and Kennoway, and also Forfarshire and Arbroath, were always keenly contested. In the years just prior to the Great War, batsmen such at WC Coulter and WG Innes were making their mark and another fast bowler JO Ramsay was unearthed. TheWar robbed many of the players of some of their best years, but Coulter and Innes played right through the 1920s. After Ramsay lost his fire, the 17-year old HL Stewart came on the scene in 1924, a quick bowler who was also an elegant batsman. Colonel NE Linsday was captain about this time and introduced three of his sons to the Club. One of these, WO’Brien Lindsay, was capped for Scotland against South Africa in 1929. Stewart eventually also attracted the attention of the national selectors, gaining two caps in 1932 and two more three years later. It is believed that he was selected primarily as a bowler although he was a considerable batsman in 1932. Cupar had gone professional-hunting again in 1925 and the third of the subsequent series of pros was Jack Clowes who in 1930 took all tenwickets against Clackmannan at the Arns. Two years later he was involved in a shocking accident in the practice nets and died a few hours later. Following himcame Syd Copley who enjoyed six very happy and successful seasons at Duffus Park. Dave Bell had now come on the scene as a hard-hitting batsman and J Garland was an accurate left armmedium pacer who took any number of wickets in the years leading up to the Second War. When peace returned, some of the pre-war players such as Stewart and Bell took up where they had left off and Bert Houston became the leading strike bowler. In season 1955 he took 94 wickets which is still an amateur record. Other players to begin their careers during this period were WY Bell and Peter McLaren as batsmen and Jimmy Garland as a medium paced right arm bowler. The Club had no professional in the period 1950-