Kirk Brae Cricket Club

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A brief history of Kirk Brae Cricket Club

The early years: 1980-83

The Club was founded in 1980, as the only 'left wing-real ale' cricket club in Scotland (for the information of the lager drinking conservatives among the present members), under the inspiration of Danny Blythe, and other 'Old Libertonians', who formed the nucleus of the original team. Although Danny is something of a folk-hero-rock-icon-legend in KBCC history, relatively few members have had the pleasure of playing cricket with him (though the number of people who have turned out for the team over the last 20 seasons certainly exceeds 100). However we were able to tempt him back to speak at the KBCC 15th Anniversary Dinner & Ceilidh in 1995, held at the Northumberland Hotel, Craigmillar Park, where he was introduced to a new generation of Kirk Brae cricketers, and was able to see the healthy team that had grown from the simple beginnings that he established.

Remarkably one KBCC founding member survives in the team to the present day, in the shape of leading run scorer and Life President, Peter Thomson. The original team was established with friendly fixtures, but joined Grade D of the East of Scotland Cricket Association in 1982 or 1983; it is not clear which was the first league year, but no doubt someone can tell us. [New research by SM confirms 1982, further statistical details being sought.]

The club emblem is a badger (yes honestly it is a badger), some people believing that stocky omnivorous mustelines of the sub-family Melinae were common around Kirk Brae during the early 1980s. Other less romantic explanations include the only stamp left over from Danny Blythe's sister's John Bull printing set and the label from a West Country brewery beer bottle, but the real truth is lost in the mists of time and alcohol.

Happy Days in Grade D: 1982-1989

There are several others still associated with the Club, such as Steve Morley and Steve Smith (lately emigrated to Oz, but still reading the web site) who were around in the early days of Grade D, and the family Binnie lives on in legend (five of them have played!). Ian Murdoch played in 1984 and 1985, left for a while, then came back (9-29 vs Musselburgh, 27.05.89), captained, played under subsequent captains, left again, and still makes occasional 'Old Boys' appearances.

While naming names we should not forget John Linnet (9-15 against Livingston, 14.08.82), and Ian 'Bigears' Purvis, who was captain in 1984, scourge to some and an inspiration to all with bat and ball. He is still to be seen in the record books notably scoring 78 out of 144-7 and returning bowling figures of 12.5-3-14-7 including a hat-trick (Morley 2 catches - he dared not drop them!!) in a crushing defeat of Westquarter, 88 all out (28.07.84).

The mid '80s teams won a few and lost a few, but generally finished mid-table. 1986 brought a hint of better things to come, when the team finished 4th, under Captains Thomson and John Binnie. The 1989 team had some outstanding players. Unfortunately, by then Ian Small (scored 90 vs St Modans 11.07.87) had left, but Chris Delves (average 28) remained, and the bowling attack of Murdoch, Smith and John Binnie, joined later by Julian Goy carried all before them. With the bat we could also rely on Thomson, John (W.G.) McDonald & Martin Binnie. This was KBCC's triumphant season, finishing top (90% record), just ahead of St Modans (89%), whereupon we were promoted to the dizzy heights of Grade C.

Grade C days: 1990-92

We did OK in Grade C, winning a few and losing a few, finishing lower-mid table for each of three seasons. It was not as difficult as some had feared, although the batting standard was a little higher. Some notable highlights included 3 Goy 8-wicket hauls in 1990-91 and the then record 139 opening partnership of McDonald (57*) & Dave Edwards (67) against Haddington (15.06.91). During this time we were joined by Andy Carver, later taking over from Ian Murdoch as Captain, and Steve Morley returning from a sojourn trying to teach cricket to the Hamburgers.

An active midweek team was established in 1992, initially under the guiding hand of Steve Morley and Iain McTaggart, to enable the nurturing of new talent and the drinking of quantities of beer, and to play such luminaries as the 'Old Contemptibles' and the 'Eccentric Flamingoes', though it all rapidly became a tad more serious as we began to compete with the likes of Scottish Widows and Standard Life.

At the end of 1992, the ESCA asked us to consider leaving the Grades to join the League Division 4. Some thought that this was too big a step, others thought it a great opportunity. KBCC's fate was sealed one autumn evening, in the Cafe Royal, when seven 'senior' members voted by a majority of 4 to 3 to join Division 4.

In the League: 1993-1997

In our first season in Division 4, we won two games, finishing above Newburgh. Our first ever league victory was against Dunfermline Carnegie. This came as a surprise to us and them as they were a strong team who became Champions the following year, while we were used to getting stuffed by their seconds in the Grades!

1993 also saw the instigation of a notable annual fixture in our calendar, namely our end-of-season 'Tour' to Riverdale Hall in Bellingham, Northumberland, latterly cemented by playing regular Saturday and Sunday fixtures against Hartlington CC. The Tour represents a welcome weekend of 'relaxation' for all and the many exploits in Bellingham, such as Paul Sutherland's 8-1 'umbrella' slip field on the 1997 Tour (that actually worked), have passed into KBCC legend to be recalled with ritual reverence on subsequent tours!

In 1994 we improved by winning 4 games, but still finished bottom. In 1995, when the evergreen Steve Smith took his 250th Saturday wicket, we finished 8th, with 5 wins and the famous losing draw against RAF Leuchars, featuring an unbroken opening stand of 101* off 50 overs between McDonald (27*) & Thomson (47*), plus 27 extras, many off the Thomson front pad, to stave off defeat (we were chasing 201!). In addition, with the Kirk Brae pitch on our side, Stewarts Melville represented a notable scalp in the Masterton Trophy. In 1996, we again registered 5 wins and a draw, to hang on to 8th position, but with our best ever points total.

Following league restructuring, we moved into the reorganised ESCA Division 3 at the beginning of the 1997 season. Also, having previously patronised the Braidburn Inn for several years, we also found a new sponsor and venue for Saturday night post-match entertainment - the Cambridge Bar, on Young Street, Edinburgh. 1997 was a season of consolidation, finishing eighth in Division 3, but illuminated by the advent of Colin Flower's wicket keeping and Martin Binnie's astonishing match winning debut bowling performance of 4.2-4-0-7 against Newburgh (26.04.97), which earned Martin the ESCA April Player of the Month Award and reports in several national newspapers Unfortunately, 1997 was also marred by the untimely death of John McDonald, single handed inspiration of Kirk Brae over many years with the bat and especially during his two years of Captaincy in 1995-96. Rest in peace John, and keep swinging across the line.

1997 had seen new Captains in the shape of Mike Huntington briefly, until felled by a broken ankle, and then Paul Sutherland, who by motivation, effort and a lot of shouting, drove us to our best ever position of sixth in Division 3 in 1998. This was abetted by match winning batting by Ian Young (90 vs Peebles 02.05.98), holding the KBCC batting record for all of one week, followed by the first ever century in the Club's history, as part of the then record stand for all wickets, by new recruit John Hobbs (111*, Thomson 51*; unbroken stand of 171 for 2nd wicket vs Preston Village 09.05.98). John tied for the Division 3 'Batsman of the Year' award with 409 runs at an average of 58.43.

Kirk Brae into the Millennium: 1999-2001

This period in KBCC history was marked by the first appearances of future Kirk Brae stars Richard Mort, George Futcher, Greg Moss and Scott Walker (1999), Dave Griffen (2000) and Steve Colvin (2001) and the increasingly influential contributions of Doug Russell and Simon Barnes, while Merlin Goldman succeed to the Club Captaincy by popular acclaim in 1999, his second season of membership. 1999 season highlights included John Hobbs' 73 out of 158 vs Preston Village (01.05.99); completion of a double vs Old Contemptibles, Paul Sutherland's 38 and Ian Young's 57 in a narrow loss to Musselburgh (21.07.99) and Gavin Ryan's tireless 6-29 vs Drummond (07.08.99) just failing to secure the points. Despite the now traditional Kirk Brae inconsistency, sixth position in the league was sufficient to see us move to the heady heights of the restructured ESCA League Division 6 for season 2000, our very own 'Annus Millennius', where a creditable mid-table position (6th) was achieved with the aid of the traditional KBCC strong bowling suit, by Andy Carver and MG (respectively 5th & 11th in League wicket aggregates). In this they were supported variously by rising stars Richard Mort (3-17 vs Falkland, 3-14 vs SMRH 3) and Dave Griffen (4-42 vs Peebles) and old lags Iain McTaggart (3-28 vs Musselburgh, 3-20 vs Dunnekier 2) and JH (5-18 vs Falkland 3, 3-42 vs Peebles), keeping the opposition batsmen on the hop throughout the season. However, under MG's continuing captaincy, the batting unexpectedly blossomed with three opening partnerships in excess of 100 and one of 96 between MG and the transfused Peter Thomson (respectively 4th and 2nd in League run aggregates) - riches indeed!

This celebration of season 2000 on-field success was mirrored by the 20th Anniversary KBCC vs Old Boys game at the Meadows, marking the continued survival of KBCC against all odds, in which the Old Boys, led by Ex-KBCC Captain Ian Murdoch, just failed to squeak home (still some life in the Old Boys then!). As IM said at the subsequent Dinner (held at the Carriage House Bistro), survival of a small Club like KBCC is a success in itself, while the gradual improvement in Kirk Brae's on and off field performance every year, climbing the leagues, represents a huge achievement. Finally, that evening, the 20th Anniversary Ceilidh (held appropriately enough at the Merlin Bar and Function Rooms in Morningside) saw the John McDonald Trophy awarded to Steve Smith for long term administrative and cricketing contributions to KBCC culminating in his 300th league wicket this year. Steve wisely announced his immediate retirement on grounds of being 'knackered', maintaining the KBCC tradition of retiring on a good round number of wickets (mark Ian Murdoch's 200 league wickets for the club) and will presumably feature, in spirit at least, for the 'Old Boys' in 2005.

Unfortunately, Ian Murdoch's words proved fateful, in that the 2001 season turned out to be one of the most difficult on record, with incoming Captain Colin Flower, struggling with work commitments and player availability, until an influx of bodies and a three match unbeaten run under stand-in Captain Steve Morley in the second half of the season, saw a comfortable finish in 7th position with only 9th & 10th being relegated. Committed batting from Merlin Goldman and Steve Colvin kept heads above water, while 3 five wicket hauls for Richard Mort, 3 four wicket hauls for Andy Carver and killer bowling from MG and Iain McTaggart at the death carried the day. Suddenly everything in the Kirk Brae garden seemed rosy again as the increasing contribution of new members enabled existing officers, including long-serving secretary Steve Morley, who more or less ran the Club single-handedly in 2001, to 'take a rest' in favour of 'new blood' and new ideas.

The Modern Era: 2002-2005

The team has developed dramatically in the last four years with an influx of fresh talent and this has been highlighted by individual performances. Steve Colvin and David Sangster have shared the ESCA batting award between them since 2002 to the present day. David Sangster this year also claimed the ESCA bowling award, previously won last year by Richard Mort who has been as reliable as ever. Angus Ogilvy has proved an invaluable addition with both bat and ball, and David Macleod has made the wicket keeping position all his own. Colin Seditas, now a regular, made his mark on Scottish cricket when on his very first ball in the field for Kirk Brae he took a blinder that no one who witnessed it will ever forget.

As well as the new additions, Kirk Brae has as ever also relied heavily on its senior players such as Steve Morley and Colin Flower who often forfeited their Saturdays without getting a bat or bowl. It is this commitment to the club that has helped Kirk Brae improve and benefit in recent years. Peter Thomson’s 25 year dedication to this club has been truly great, and in 2003 he showed just how much left he has to give as a batsmen when he and David Sangster put on 229 for the 2nd wicket, breaking many club records along the way. The previous record partnership of 175 was held by Thomson himself along with John Hobbs in 1998. Both Steve Colvin and David Sangster have now joined John Hobbs as Badger centurions, David achieving this feat three times in the same season!

Greg Moss and Scott Walker, have both become Dads in the last few years, and although appearances may have reduced, they have remained as committed as always, and both proved to be match winners on numerous occasions. The club’s current Secretary George Futcher has also put a massive effort into the running of Kirk Brae during the last three years and due to his organisation, the club has benefited greatly. Professionalism has begun to creep in with regular EGM’s to resolve matters that affect all, and the introduction of baggy caps has without question put the fear of God into the opposition. Long sessions in our sponsors pub has helped to fine tune the teams development and individual match tactics.

Extensive winter nets at the Scottish Cricket Academy has also had a role to play and the results have been visible to all. It has been partly responsible for the difference between a mid table team and a top table team, and now that Kirk Brae is moving in the right direction we will hopefully be able to attract more and more players throughout the winter.

Gaining promotion in 2005, our 25th Anniversary year, is so very fitting. Kirk Brae has spent far too long in Division 6 maintaining a mid table position. Let us hope that Kirk Brae can keep on improving and attracting new players so that we will be challenging for promotion next season. Who knows where we will be in another 25 years?