Strathmore Cricket Union Handbook 2004

4 PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS Welcome to all our readers, new and old, to the first handbook of the Strathmore and Perthshire Cricket Union. I was going to open my address by saying how honoured I was to become only the second ‘parks’ cricketer to hold the post of Union President, but events of the last couple of years mean that I am now even more honoured to be the first ever president of the newly formed Union. The merger has been well documented in previous handbooks and at last it is here in reality. Whilst those teams in the Premier Division will see no immediate impact from the merger, it is hoped that within a few years, the leading clubs from the old Perthshire League will find themselves testing their mettle in the top flight. The impact on the lower divisions is more immediate with the Perthshire League teams merging with Strathmore Union sides in the middle two divisions. Those of you playing in Division 3 will no doubt be aware of the return of RAF Leuchars to the Union after a gap of several years. Their application to join the league was received after last years AGM, but the management committee accepted their application in principal with the proviso that they still need the Union’s approval at next years AGM. Providing there are no more wars, we expect them to complete a full programme of league fixtures and challenge for the division title. Whilst we welcome all our new clubs to the union, we also say farewell to a couple. I’m sure they will take it the right way when I say that I hope it is some time before we see St Modans 1’s in our midst again. We wish them all the best in their forthcoming adventure the National League. Sadly we once again have had to say farewell to Blairgowrie, who fought a