By Mike Latham
Visiting Manderston House in Berwickshire reminds one of the
elegant bygone era of Edwardian country house cricket.
This glorious setting in the Scottish Borders is the home
ground of Manderston Cricket Club who play a series of friendly games
throughout the summer months.
The club has a Play Cricket website that is regularly
updated with fixtures and results.
Welcome to Manderston
Manderston House and the adjoining cricket ground owes its magnificence
to Sir James Miller, a nouveau riche baronet who married into the traditional
aristocracy in the late 1800s.
Inheriting a fortune derived from the family business,
largely trading herring and hemp in Russia, he secured the services of John
Kinross, an up-and-coming architect, whose brief was to create a home to match
his wealth and status, money no object.
The pavilion, dating back to 1899
More importantly, so far as we are concerned, Sir James was also
a cricket lover and he insisted that a cricket ground be built amidst the
grounds.
It was here that Manderston CC came into existence in 1899.
The cricket ground shown on this 1906 map
Sadly, Sir James did not live long to see the fruits of his
labours. After volunteering and serving nobly in the Second Boer War in South
Africa, awarded the Distinguished Service Order and becoming a Major in the
Lothians and Berwickshire Imperial Yeomanry, he died of complications following
an attack of pneumonia shortly after his return.
His death in January 1906, at the tragically young age of 41,
was widely mourned in the tight-knit Borders community.
Sir James Miller, soldier, horseman and cricket lover
An expert horseman, he had a huge passion for horse-racing
and owned a string of racehorses, many picked up in selling plates owing to his
expert eye. Among his 161 race wins were two Derby successes, another in the St
Leger and in successive years, 1903 and 1904, he topped the list of winning
owners, based on prize money.
Fortunately for cricket lovers, his widow the Hon Lady
Miller was keen to carry on the club in which she took a great interest,
particularly in the annual game that raised funds for Edinburgh Infirmary and
in the lavish winter ball, held in the neighbouring town of Duns.
Oxford University Authentics, visitors in 1934
Manderston CC is hard to find, entry via a narrow track off Edrom
Mains to the north that by-passes the main house, which is hidden from the cricket ground by mature trees.
Manderston House these days is home to 4th Baron
Palmer, a descendent of the Huntly and Palmer biscuit manufacturers and an
elected peer who sits in the House of Lords. It is one of several magnificent
country houses in the area which include Paxton House, Marchmont, Bughtrig, The
Hirsel, Duns Castle and Ayton and among its claims to fame it has the world's largest collection of Huntly and Palmer biscuit tins.
The heavy roller at this beautiful ground
Back in the day several of those had a cricket team that would
have fixtures with Manderston, but these days the club flies the flag for a
great tradition that sadly has largely died away.
Some of their regular opponents are of long-standing,
Bamburgh Castle, Tillside, Chatton and the Borderers amongst them. Others have
fallen by the wayside including Chirnside, which was the only other cricket
club in Berwickshire at the time of its demise (Berwick CC, in case you are
wondering, is in Northumberland), Coldstream, Haggerston and Ayton.
A big hit in the evening sunshine
I was fortunate enough to visit on a glorious midweek
evening in July 2018, a 20-overs contest against the Borderers and was one of a
handful of spectators. This is friendly cricket, of a variable standard, played
in good spirit by all the participants. The most important thing is that the
traditions of the club are being maintained for future generations to enjoy.
Rolling fields: a glorious backdrop
Manderston CC has twice been honoured with club members reaching
the presidency of the Scottish Cricket Union, the long-serving player and secretary
Phil Wilson in 1961, Willie Swan in 1973. The Scotland rugby union and cricket
international halfback Ross Logan was club captain in the early 1950s.
The club’s greatest moment was in 1996 when they defeated
the Aberdeenshire club Cults in the final of the Small Clubs Cup Competition at
Lochside Park, Forfar. Duns born Richard Swan, son of Willie and 12 times a
Scotland international, top-scored with 48.
Careful planning is required to catch a match at this
glorious location, but it is well worth the effort. You could say it really takes the biscuit.
The end
1 comment:
What a lovely post!!
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