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

76 14 against Montrose at Union Park on 1st June, and Strathmore finished the League some 9 percentage points ahead of second placed Meigle. The Batting Award went to R Campbell of Gordonians, although the best average was recorded by Doug Greasley, now playing as professional with Arbroath, having moved from Brechin. The Union continued to have bad luck with Representative games which tended to be rained off; newcomers Errol who had done well enough in the 2nd Division, nevertheless were reprimanded about the state of their pitch and agreed to play all their games away from home next season, while there were the usual disputes about registration and “dilatory Match Returns”. If 1957 was looked upon as a bad year for weather, it was generally agreed that 1958 was worse. The AGM reported that nearly 12% of all fixtures had been cancelled, and that out of a possible 24 League games, Mannofield XI, for example, played only 13 games while Arbroath played more than anyone else with 18 – and that is allowing for a tremendous number of games re-arranged late in the season. The Championship, won by Perthshire XI, was secured on a farcical late date in September when Brechin, with no chance of winning the game, appealed against the light, apparently in way of conceding defeat! The bad weather was shared with England whose Test match series with New Zealand was badly disrupted. This did not stop England from winning with almost embarrassing ease, for a wet or damp pitch (pitches were uncovered in those days) meant that England’s spinners Laker and Lock were well-nigh unplayable. New Zealand had a player called Jack Alabaster, but one did not dare say his name, lest one’s mother might mishear! It was a season which did cricket few favours, and was no great preparation for the Ashes in Australia the following winter. Perthshire XI’s triumph in 1958 was well deserved, and as Perthshire’s first team had won the Scottish Counties as well, this represented a high water mark in the fortunes of the North Inchmen, for whomHA Bowman won the Batting award and J Campbell the Bowling. The 2nd XI Championship once again eluded the grasp of the previously almost unstoppable Strathmore XI, and went to Meigle XI instead, while the Three Counties Cup went to Aberdeen Grammar School FP and the Two Counties Cup to the NCR in Dundee.