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

136 Arbroath played only 11 League games that year, exactly half what they should have played. Gordonians only managed 10 games while the “best” were Perthshire XI with 16. Arbroath also won the Under 18 League, and were runners up in the 2nd Division, won this year by Norwood. Meigle XI won the Two Counties Cup, and they also lifted the Six-A-Side tournament. The individual trophies tended to be won by “what might be described as the older generation” in the tactful words of the Secretary, with particular praise being given to Frank Robertson of Gordonians for winning the Bowling Award. Ewan Massie of Brechin won the Batting Award, while the 2nd Division Awards went to Gordon Morton and David Torrie who had now spent a considerable part of their cricketing lives working hard for Brechin and Kirriemuir respectively. Some high scores were recorded – Derick Kallicharran, brother of Test Match playing Alvin played for Strathmore that season and hit 194 not out for Strathmore XI against Dundee High School FP on 23rd June, while the great Desmond Haynes of the West Indies, playing for Arbroath scored 121 against Aberdeen Grammar School FPs and then took six wickets in the second half. It would have been nice if these players had been more locally based, and indeed the mighty Desmond Haynes suffered the indignity of being dropped the next day; for the man that he had been deputising for, returned! This year also saw the first pitch invasion recorded in the Union’s history. On 17th August, at Dawson Park, Dundee HIgh were playing Brechin. High’s opening bat, John Mitchell, was hit in the face by a bouncer from Brechin’s Indian Test quickie, Raju Kulkarni. As the players rushed to his aid, John’s wife, who had been watching from the boundary, ran on to the field and began berating Kulkarni. The story was reported on Page 3 of The Sun, not it’s usual fare for that location! It was decided at the AGM in 1985 that for the following season Wides and No Balls would count against the bowler in the scorebook and analysis. This comes as a surprise to the historian, for more than 30 years down the line it seems self-evident that Wides and No Balls must be the bowler’s fault, but before then, they were simply recorded as Extras. Attempts were made to change the playing conditions. A motion from Dundee High School FPs to end the “draw” in cricket and make all games,