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

118 Their exertions in the Scottish Cup had an effect on their League performances, and this was the year in which Strathmore struck back. Professional Naseer Malik was on song, topping the Bowling Averages and coming second in the Batting, as Strathie lost only one game in the Union. They also reached the final of the Three Counties Cup, but lost to Dundee High School. In the 2nd Division, Brechin XI gained some consolation for the failure of the 1st XI by winning the Championship while Strathmore XI lifted the Two Counties Cup. More and more attention was now being paid to youth development, and the Minute Book of the AGM in November declared that Strathmore had won the Under 18 League. There was also some apparently animated discussion about a rule change whereby “the side batting first” was to replace “either side” in earning only one point (as distinct from three) if they batted for more than 2 hours 45 minutes. The motion was won by 22 – 11 and Norman Chisholm of Arbroath, the Chairman, “declared the motion carried”. But Brechin, who had opposed the motion, demanded a recount, and this time it was 24 – 11, so Mr Chisholm “declared the motion even more carried”! Oh, the humour that can be extracted from apparently dry Minute Books! 1977 opened with cricket on a high. England had had a successful tour of India under Tony Greig, a man of Scottish ancestry but unpredictable behaviour. There had then been the Centenary Test in Melbourne, admittedly a 45 run defeat for England (by coincidence exactly the same result as in 1877), but it had been a good occasion, and now the Australians had arrived in England for the Ashes series. There was also the Queen’s Silver Jubilee to be looked forward to, and everything seemed lovely for the cricket fan. What a shame it was that the story then broke just at the start of this momentous season about Kerry Packer who had recruited virtually the whole Australian team to join his “circus” of players in opposition to traditional Test Match cricket! Worse still, England’s captain Tony Greig was one of his henchmen and had used his position to recruit English players! He had to be sacked as captain for that, of course, but still played as an ordinary player – and indeed the 1977 series was one of England’s better Ashes performances against Australia. Geoff Boycott, who had conspicuously not fallen to the Packer blandishments, returned and played a leading part. He had come up smelling of (white) roses, one might have said.