Strathmore Cricket Union: the first 90 years a history 1928-2018

114 brigade, were swept up in the enthusiasm of it all. It did not quite reach the hysteria of four years later in Argentina, but the World Cup in Germany did affect everyone. There may even have been a political point in all this as well, for the Scottish Nationalists had made their introduction in the two General Elections, winning 7 and then 11 seats, and it was no accident that the song “Flower of Scotland” (that most dreary and maudlin of dirges) made its appearance at about this time. Yet cricket kept going. The Test series against India and Pakistan failed to impress, but it was often a relief to get away to Mannofield or Victory Park or Guthrie Park to a more sedate game of cricket, even though, as always, the cricket season was not without its fireworks. The weather was not always of the best, particularly in the early part of the season, but in the same way as Arbroath’s return to winning ways was much lauded in 1973, so was the long overdue triumph of Brechin in 1974. The Guthrie Park side, without having very many stellar performers (with all due respect to Arvind Panchasara, Gordon Morton, Gordon Smith, Bill Duthie and Fergie Reid who had their moments) simply all clubbed together and played consistently well, winning 15 out of their 17 games played and losing only one. That was Championship winning form. The 2nd XI Championship was won, for the first time, by Norwood by the narrowest of margins (66.67 to 65.63), for whomGordon Galloway, Graham Spalding, Sandy Brown and Tommy Thain were consistent performers. Blairgowrie and Strathmore XI respectively won the Three and the Two Counties Cups. Strathmore who had come a fairly distant second to Brechin in the League nevertheless won the Batting Averages through Don Crighton and produced the 1st and the 2nd in the Bowling through George Myles (enjoying an Indian summer) and Gavin McKiddie. Charlie McPherson of Blairgowrie had the best performances however with 165 not out against Forthill XI and an astonishing 9 for 22 against Mannofield XI. Two Representative games were played – a narrow defeat at the hands of the Scottish Counties at Dunfermline and a tame draw at Mannofield against the North of Scotland, neither game really exciting the cricketing public. Other instances of note that season included the Second Division match in which the fielding side walked off the field in disgust at the square leg Umpire calling one of their bowlers for “throwing”. Hardly surprisingly, they forfeited all their points in that game. Less dramatically but maybe more controversially, a game was declared null and void after, the original