| One Hundred Years of Cricket in the Strath |
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Flannelled fools In 1902 a note in this publication may have read: “Cricket club formed in village”, no doubt much to the astonishment and scepticism of the readers. “Cricket?”, one might have quizzed another, “What do they want playing that Sassenach game round here? It’ll never last!”. Well, those readers would be all the more bemused to know that, 100 years on, Ross County Cricket Club is still going strong, and has enjoyed a fascinating journey through it’s century. Perhaps it’s greatest claim to fame, ironically, is Ross County’s entry in the Guinness Book of Records: as the only club to be dismissed for 0. Yes 0…the whole lot of them! And yes, they lost the game. That was in the 1960s and for a large part of it’s career, the club had to be content with a place in the lower echelons of the Highland League, while the likes of Huntly and Northern Counties took the honours. From the mid-1970s onwards, however, Ross County began to prosper. The introduction of a new all-weather playing surface enabled better skills to be nurtured and some players of high calibre appeared at Castle Leod. Great contributors to the clubs success have included John Bachelor, Stewart Torrie, Geordie Mundell (one of the very few bowlers to take all 10 wickets in an innings) and Graham Watson, the latter still one of the most prolific run-scorers ever in North cricket. Tom Fraser, the club President, is one of the longest serving, having been a playing member for about 75 years (although, mysteriously, he claims to have been absent during the 1960’s debacle)! With this wealth of talent, the Senior Cup title was won in 1981 and from that time on the club has regularly picked up silverware. Local interest in cricket has grown in proportion to the team’s record and the birth of a County Reserve eleven was followed up with a Junior section also coming into being. Currently there are a multitude of juniors registered: the seedcorn of the club’s future. At all levels the club has enjoyed success, with some of our present squad likely to be considered to represent the North. Joffey Bowen and Dario Belli are just two of County’s most promising players. None of this progress would have been possible without a huge amount of input from numerous club members. Staunch among these have been Pete and Fran Bowen, who in this Centenary year in particular have been instrumental in the success of all the special events that the club have undertaken. From supplying and manning the barbecue to transporting people and equipment all over the country they have always been ready to do more than could be expected of them. This year, among others, a Scottish XI played at Castle Leod, featuring some international-level players. Castle Leod must have a strong claim to be one of the most scenic of cricket grounds in Scotland: with it’s ring of ancient trees, Ben Wyvis looking down from on high and the sun shining in on the happy scene, a more idyllic sight is difficult to conceive. Time does not stand still for the club however, and plans are afoot for a new pavilion in the near future. So watch out for more action at Castle Leod each time you pass, on the field of play or around the boundary. If nothing else, you’ll probably see Pete or Fran, laying a new sewer or re-painting something. |
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