Blain and Thompson inducted into Scottish Cricket’s Hall of Fame
John Blain and Eric Thompson were both inducted into the Cricket Scotland Hall of Fame at the weekend.
The first Scotland versus Sri Lanka One-day International was called off at 3.30pm on Saturday after rain throughout the day at The Grange in Edinburgh.
While there was no play on the field it allowed Blain, 40, currently Mazars G range player/ coach, and his family along with relatives of Thompson, who passed away in 1992, to mark the duo’ s entry into the Hall of Fame.
Raised in Penicuik, where he first played the game, se am bowler B lain moved as a teenager to Heriot’s and came under the tutelage of then national coach Jim Love.
He made his Scotland debut aged 17 and in 1999 B lain marked his World Cup debut by claiming the notable scalp of Australia’s Ricky Ponting. He finished the tournament with the best strike-rate of any bowler in the competition.
He also helped his country to win the inaugural ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2004 and, a year later, claimed a win - ner’s medal at the ICC Trophy.
Blain played county cricket for Northants and Yorkshire and has gone on to be a top quality-coach.
One of only two Orkneyborn Scotland players, Thompson was one of the country’s best-ever seamers. He made his international de but in 1965 and took 107 wickets. Thompson passed away 27 years ago, aged 53.
The second ODI b et ween Scotland and Sri Lanka is due to take place tomorrow at The Grange.