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

17 The Earl of course was “nae sma drink” (as they say in Angus) in the highest circles. His daughter Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon had married the Duke of York in 1923, and although no-one could possibly have predicted the whirlwind course of events that would result in her becoming Queen in 1936, nevertheless the Earl was “well in” with the Royal Family with King George V and Queen Mary not unknown at Glamis Castle when, perhaps, they talked about cricket, the sport that both men loved. (Ramsay MacDonald, the Labour Prime Minister from Lossiemouth would often talk to the King about cricket as well.) In August 1930, the Duchess of York gave birth at Glamis Castle to her second daughter Margaret, the younger sister of Elizabeth who had been born in 1926. More seriously in 1930, following the successful appearance of Downfield, two other teams applied to join – Perthshire and Aberdeenshire (not Forfarshire, surprisingly). This was a clear sign of the success of the Union in its first two years. At this stage it is not entirely clear whether the two Counties meant their 1st XI or their 2nd XI, but one presumes it was their 2nd XIs. In any case, the application engendered a great deal of discussion, a lot of the objections seeming to centre on geography and problems of transport. This seems to be a specious argument, given the fact that both Perth and Aberdeen were well served by the very adequate railway system, and one suspects that the real reason was a fear that the 2nd XI of Perthshire might suddenly find itself strengthened by a few men who looked awfully like first team County players. In any event, when some teams withheld their vote “to consult their committee”, the motion to admit them was withdrawn. Montrose and Blairgowrie, however, were allowed to enter a team in the 2nd XI Championship. 1931was amomentous year in British history with the extraordinary events of late August not yet satisfactorily explained. The Labour Government of Ramsay MacDonald ran out of ideas of how to deal with the worldwide economic crisis which had simply spiralled totally out of control. The Government fell, andwas replaced by aNational Government but still led by the now discredited MacDonald. And of course, Germany grew even more bitter at the economic crises and was now ready to turn to the dangerous demagogue who promised to end all the poverty. Simultaneously, Spain began its long slide into the Civil War of 1936. Evidence of the growing stature of the Strathmore Union, however, was provided in 1931 when the Union were invited to provide opposition to a