Strathmore and Perthshire Cricket Union Handbook 2009

2 INTRODUCTION Welcome to the thirty-first issue of the handbook and the twenty-fifth edition of my tenure as editor. In the half-a-lifetime which I have spent producing this annual record of the doings of the Union, I have witnessed many changes, both happy and sad but there is hardly a more distressing way to introduce the 2009 season than by recording the demise of one of Scotland’s oldest and most prestigious clubs, Perthshire. When Percival King produced his initial Scottish Cricketers’ Annual and Guide in 1871, he wrote “The Perth Cricket Club ranks first in point of seniority of all the clubs in Scotland” and gave their records for the 1870 season ahead of all the others, including Grange and Clydesdale. Over the next century, the club maintained its position not only as the oldest (or one of) but also as one of the most accomplished. Scottish Counties titles piled up, including 17 in twenty seasons between 1953 and 1972. A glance at The Union records will reveal a sprinkling of wins there as well. Now, after 183 years, the senior teams have been put into abeyance. What wouldAK Bell have thought about it? It rather looks, too, as if Scottish domestic cricket is about to see another upheaval with the likely abandonment of the National League structure and a return to more localised competitions. Those of us who toiled long to persuade the SCU and some of the major clubs of the benefits of widening competition are left somewhat bemused. Hopefully, any change in the structure will bring benefits to the Union and the Committee is certainly dedicated to making this happen. This handbook owes a debt of gratitude to numerous people. Ian Chisholm does a power of work maintaining the Union’s statistics and without Lindsay Ancell’s work on the fixtures, the booklet would be worthless. Ian Potts, as usual, has provided a variety of excellent photographs for me to choose from. Special mention must also go to Gavin McKiddie whose work on the historical records of the Union has been utilised over the years to good effect. I have taken the opportunity this year to update and publish a far more comprehensive selection of Gavin’s work. Finally, I would like to thank our sponsors and advertisers for all the support they have given us over the years. In particular I would like to express our gratitude to Monitor as the new sponsors of the Cup competitions. Richard Miller