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

167 wore on, cricketing talk began to be dominated by the possibility of an amalgamation of the Strathmore Union with the Perthshire League which was now in a state of apparently irreversible decline. The merger was agreed at a meeting held on the eve of the 2003 season, but it would only of course take effect from the 2004 season, and places in the new Strathmore and Perthshire Union would be given in the various divisions depending on how teams did in the 2003 season. It was hoped that this would be a strong Union, even though the Strathmore Union was now a long, long way from the ideas of the founding fathers 75 years ago. It had already expanded northwards, but with Cupar and particularly St Modans now on board, they had moved southwards. Now they were making inroads to the west! In the event StModans avoided the newamalgamated structure altogether, for they were promoted to the Scottish National Cricket League after winning the Premier Division. They played 14 games and won 12, losing 2 – it was no longer possible to draw games in the Premier Division – and owed a great deal of their success to their two overseas players Surtis and Rogers. They also won the Three Counties Cup, beating Strathmore in the final, while Norwood and Forthill XI picked up the trophies for the First and Second Divisions. Perth won the Two Counties Cup against Brechin XI in the final while in the youth tournaments, Forfarshire were successful at the under 17 and under 13 level and Arbroath won the under 15 trophy. 19th July 2003 was chastening for Stoneywood Dyce as they ran up against Brad Murphy, Forthill’s young Australian. Reaching his century in 90 minutes, he carried on to the Union’s all-time record of 261, almost fifty more than the previous mark. Sadly, Blairgowrie who had come back for the 2002 season folded yet again after only two seasons, ironically at the time when the Leagues were being amalgamated, but the hope was expressed that they could rise again. So what did the Perthshire Union bring to the table? The time was when they were a very robust League, and in 2003, they still contained old favourites like Coupar Angus, Luncarty and Kingsway. The 2003 League had been won by Rossie Priory, and of course there were several teams based at that very atmospheric ground called Doo’cot Park in Perth. 2004 promised to be a very interesting season for the teams which were now stretched over a very vast geographical area.