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

50 in running the club “We understand that the ‘boxie’ frequently contained as much as some of their rivals drew from the entire gate. And no pro to draw the crowd either. Well done, Forfar!” (“The boxie” was a collection box passed round the ground, sometimes to ease the conscience of some of those who had “swicked in” – something that was of course very easy to do). Several players are singled out – Dave Chapman, Jack Howie, Jim Young (sometimes called “sunny Jim” in conscious imitation of the famous footballer of a previous generation), Jim Samson, Jock Farquharson “always good for a death or glory innings” and wicketkeeper Jim Forbes – but there was no doubt who the local hero was. JD Henderson’s statistics throughout the season were astonishing. He took 74 wickets in only 12 games, an average of 6.17 wickets per game, and in 10 of the games he took 5 or more wickets. He took his wickets at an average of 4.42 and took a wicket every 16.91 balls. His best figures were 9 for 2 against Montrose at Union Park, closely followed by 8 for 13 against Arbroath and 8 for 17 against Brechin, both at Lochside. And in these three games already mentioned he took a hat-trick. In all games (including friendlies) he took 108 wickets in 20 games at an average of 5.39. He took Jim Urquhart with the Meigle ‘boxie’, still doing the rounds in 1988