The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Game’s hazy Angus origins
Craigie’s recent focus on Arbroath’s shortlived Albion Cricket Club threw open the debate on when the sport was first played in the Angus town.
Arbroath United CC’S own page on the Strathmore and Perthshire Cricket Union website suggests that the first sound of willow on leather in the Seaforth environs could have been as far back as 1825, but cricket historian Richard Miller, of Broughty Ferry, begs to differ with that view.
Referring to the belief that a rudimentary form of the game was first played in Arbroath at least 20 years before United’s formation, he writes: “This is, I’m afraid, something of a myth but one which has been repeated many times over the years.
“It was first suggested in the correspondence columns of the Arbroath papers in the late 1880s but was pretty well debunked by the article on the history of the Arbroath United Cricket Club which appeared in the bazaar album of the club which appeared in April 1889.
“The writer dismissed the 1825 date as fanciful and, instead, placed the origin of the sport in the town at around 1840. This date, too, wasn’t quite accurate but was certainly much closer to the actual start point.
“The Arbroath Guide newspaper of April 25 1847 noted: ‘We are glad to observe that the “Arbroath Cricket Club” has commenced playing this season,’ before commenting on the healthy nature of the sport and wishing the members well.
“There are a few other mentions of cricket in the local press during the season including a report of a match between club members on the Common in July.
“The real clincher as far as documentary evidence goes came in the Arbroath Guide of September 11 1847 which reported a match on the Common between ‘the Cricket Club of this place’ and the Dundee Club, although as only six visitors turned up the sides were mixed and a friendly game was played.
“The longish report also notes, ‘the match excited considerable interest, being the first display of the kind which ever took place here.’
“Quite soon there was more than one club in the town, with the St Thomas club starting playing in 1849. The game also spread quickly within Angus – Montrose starting a team in 1848 and Brechin in 1849.
“The Arbroath club remodelled itself in 1853 and was renamed as Arbroath United. Apart from a short hiatus during the mid1860s this club has been a permanent fixture in the town and over the years has risen to a prominent place in Scottish cricket, producing many fine players who have graced the national team.
“As the club can trace a direct lineage back to the first club in the town in 1847, Arbroath United would be well justified in celebrating its 175th anniversary this year.”