150 years of cricket at Philiphaugh

 By Mike Latham

Selkirk are celebrating 150 years of cricket at their glorious Philiphaugh ground this season and their informative club website has more details of several events they have planned to mark the anniversary.

The cricket ground is part of a sporting hub in this lovely Borders town, with the rugby union club and football club adjoining.

The club’s formation dates to 1851 and William Anderson wrote a splendid centenary history covering the period to 1951, copies of which can still be sourced from cricket booksellers or on eBay.

The book covers each season in fascinating detail, not only chronicling the deeds of the cricketers but forming a fascinating social history of the town.

Cricket was first introduced to Selkirk, Mr Anderson tells us, by two Yorkshiremen named Humber and Newbury who came north to fix up new looms in the tweed mills. With the enthusiastic support of several local gentlemen, they got the cricket club up and running.

Looking across to the Philiphaugh pavilion

The present ground at Philiphaugh was inaugurated on 8 June 1872 with a game against the prestigious Edinburgh-based Grange CC, meaning that this is a special year indeed.

As cricket grew in popularity in the Borders, Selkirk employed a professional player each season to play, coach and also be the club groundskeeper.

Dan Broddy, from Armley, was a successful pro and during his three-year stint at the club was credited with greatly improving the batting of the local players. His last year (in 1896) coincided with the appointment at local rivals Gala of an up-and-coming lad from the Huddersfield area, by the name of Wilfred Rhodes.

A view over the gate

Rhodes stayed at Gala for two years, taking a total of 169 wickets at an average of 7.21 and paving the way for a stellar county and international career with Yorkshire and England. But in a total of five games against Selkirk he was on the winning side only once.

Broddy’s replacement was Owen Firth of Redcar who eclipsed Rhodes’s average, taking 167 wickets in two seasons at a combined average of 6.21.

In the past Selkirk competed in the Border Cricket League, meaning a series of competitive derby games. These days the new structure in the East of Scotland pyramid means the opposition is mainly drawn from Edinburgh and surrounding towns and villages.

Tranent & Preston Village were the visitors and struggled to 101 in exactly 40 overs, A Ganti making more than half their total with an unbeaten 54 despite requiring the assistance of a runner for most of his innings.

Glorious views beyond the adjoining football ground

The locals fancied their chances at tea, but they were to be disappointed as the Souters (as Selkirk are known) were bowled out for 78 in reply.

I'm writing a book on Kent's tour of Scotland in 1925. The opening match, a two-day affair, was against South of Scotland at Selkirk in which the great Frank Woolley was among the participants. Dual cricket and football international Wally Hardinge and the prolific leg-break bowler Tich Freeman were also in the Kent side.

The South side included Willie Bryce, Selkirk’s Scottish international halfback, a serving MP (Lord Dalkeith) and a future Prime Minister (Sir Alec Douglas-Home, then known as Lord Dunglass).

Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, then known as Earl Haig, the commander of the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front during the first world war, was among the spectators.

Over the wall

Having spent three years researching the events and personalities of the tour, in conjunction with my Norfolk based author and historian friend Mike Davage, it was great to visit the cricket ground while play was in progress.

I’d previously seen football and rugby union at Philiphaugh and so I completed a ‘hat-trick.’

Selkirk have only nine home league games per season, so you have to take the chance when it presents itself.

I'm glad I did, it's a historic and wonderful ground.