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

21 The weather was good, and perhaps a little too much beer had been drunk, but the problem seemed to be the lbw decision given against Strathmore’s professional Len Halstead, followed by the wicket of Forbes who was given out bowled, although some spectators claimed that it was the wicket keeper who had done it by, accidentally or otherwise, disturbing the bails with his pads. Smith and Brown were also given out to “catches” which were considered dubious. As Brechin won by only six runs, one could reasonably say that these decisions cost Strathie the game and the Brechin players had to run the gauntlet of angry Forfarians at the end. It has to be said as well that Strathmore’s professional Len Halstead did not help matters by making the ridiculous statement to all and sundry that his lbw decision was “a yard” outside the wicket! The Forfar Dispatch naturally plays it down a little, talking about “a little, unsportsmanlike demonstration on the part of a section of the spectators” and stresses that the Forfar players took no part in it. The Courier is a little more judgemental, talking about “a hostile demonstration”. Of course, this did not amount to much – in modern terms it would have been “handbags at 20 paces” (if that) – but such occasions were rare in cricket. In football at about this time, there are a surprising amount of stories about fights at the Market Muir in Forfar and even (incredibly) in the Cemetery in Brechin when Brechin City and Forfar Athletic met and the less educated of their supporters had had a little too much to drink. But that was football, and this was cricket! A few letters were exchanged of an apologetic nature, and the incident was forgotten, officially at least. But fisticuffs had nothing to do with the remarkable events at the end of the 1932 season. Brechin had played all their games and their record was played 14, won 9, drawn 2 and lost 3, making 20 points. Arbroath had been less lucky with the weather and had played 12 games for 18 points. The last Saturday of the season (10th September) was reached and Arbroath had games against Downfield at home and Mannofield XI at Mannofield outstanding. They made the astonishing decision to play both games on that day, Sievwright being keen to play up all the games rather than leaving one of them unplayed because of weather. If Arbroath won one of these games, they would have shared the Championship with Brechin, but if they won them both, they would be champions outright. The Union did not seem to have any clear rules to cover what would happen with a shared Championship – perhaps, on the