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

128 Strathie!”) lbw early on, and from then on they never looked back, simply keeping winning. Forthill 2nd XI won both the 2nd Division and the Two Counties Cup, and the Under 18 League was also won by Forthill. By 1980, there were 13 teams in the 1st Division, Telecoms having been promoted, and 11 in the 2nd Division. In terms of numerical strength, the Union was as strong as at any time in its history. It was not a great season however as far as weather went – something that the historian seems to say quite often! It would appear too that not all clubs were particularly enthusiastic about attending AGMs and other meetings, for around about this time we find stern reminders about clubs being required to attend the AGM, for an important aspect of the AGM was the arrangement of next year’s fixtures and “chaos” might ensue (possibly a slight over-statement) if even one club was not there. The stir caused to the world of cricket by the Packer Revolution had settled down, although South Africa, now in virtual sporting isolation, was still causing trouble for the cricketing world when some countries refused to allow players into their country because they had played in South Africa. It was an issue that would not go away. “Rebel” tours were also a recurrent issue of the decade, although one has to say that the word “rebel” is a misnomer. A “rebel” is someone who objects to injustice and repression; this was sheer, undisguised, money making! Greed, in fact. 1981 is generally reckoned to have been one of the best in cricketing history for the breath-taking way in which England, inspired by Botham, took the Ashes when all seemed lost at Headingley and Edgbaston. Botham had earlier been sacked as captain – a job for which he was clearly temperamentally totally unsuited – and replaced by Mike Brearley, no great player, it has to be said, but a captain extraordinaire. It is usually true that an interesting Test series has a beneficial effect on local cricket, and this seems to have been the case in the Strathmore Union in 1981. Meigle were sadly unable to reproduce their form of 1980 and ended up a miserable ninth, whereas the Championship went to Strathmore, hotly pursued by Forthill XI. Strathmore XI also did well, winning the 2nd Division Championship, but both Cups went to the city of Dundee with Forthill XI winning the Three Counties Cup and Dundee High School FP winning the Two Counties. A large part of Forthill’s success was due to the performance of the County’s professional for that year, Andrew