Ellon Gordon Cricket Club
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Ellon Gordon Cricket Club first saw the light of day one hundred and forty years ago in 1862.

We know this because the club celebrated its golden jubilee in 1912, a year which represents a high point in what has been a very up and down existence.  The supporters of the club put together an extremely up market set of celebrations with a cake and candy sale preceding a concert and dance.  A full scale orchestra and several other musical performers got through an extensive repertoire of a varied nature.  Several speeches kicked things off and the captain of the pervious four years, Alick Duguid, received a sovereign and a silver matchbox for his efforts.

Details of players, records, scores and results of the initial period are very limited due to its extreme antiquity, but we do know that two of the founder members of the Club were Dr Thomas Milne and Mr William Coutts, the local sanitary inspector, for they alone were still around to celebrate the fact fifty years later!

It is difficult to give readers a feel for the way cricket was playing in those first fifty years.  We are used to highly organised league cricket of the Aberdeenshire Cricket Association with limited overs, bonus points, sponsorship of the grades, and all the paraphernalia of the modern game.  Ellon Gordon played matches against local teams like Haddo House, New Deer Ythanbank or Pitfour.  If they wished to travel further afield they took the train to Aberdeen or Peterhead and matched themselves against the cricketing talent there.

There were no boundaries in those days, and the famous W G Grace was reported in the press as having injured spectators on several occasions by pursuing the ball after a long hit!  It is pleasing to read in early Association minutes of protests about crowds encroaching on the field of play.  Nowadays, three people walking their dogs would constitute a crowd record!

The afore-mentioned Association only came into being in 1884, and cricket on a league basis did not commence until the early 1893.  The prime competition organised by the association was the Aberdeenshire Cup or Challenge Trophy as it was known then, Closely followed by the Bon-Accord Cup for Junior teams, which was presented in 1890 when the competition was in its third year.

The terms "Senior" and "Junior" are a trifle confusing for they had very little to do with age and were purely about playing standards.  Teams and players were designated Senior or Junior, and the Association minutes tabulate several reinstatements from one section to another and protests about players who were thought to be in the wrong "list" were common.

The Senior and Junior Leagues which commenced in 1893 were not exactly what one would imagine either for it is certain that not all teams played each other, going by the number of sides involved.  From 1893 until 1912, when the Grades came into being, there were also rival leagues around like the Bon-Accord League (1898-1911), the Aberdeen and District League (1901 - 1907), and the Granite City League (1905 - 1910).  All these leagues had some element of autonomy but retained strong links with the Association who brought them all together for the cup contests.  The three leagues were mostly populated by Junior Teams while the top players competed in the Senior League and Challenge Trophy competitions.  Promotion and relegation between leagues was not employed at this time.

As early as 1887 the Association widened its frontiers and changed its name from the "Aberdeen Cricket Association" to the "Aberdeenshire Cricket Association", and Ellon Gordon was mentioned as one of the clubs which had been circulated but "would probably not join" the organisation.  No mention of cricket in Ellon could be found earlier than 1886, when the "Evening Express" carried the result of the Ellon Gordon/Pitfour game.  They Lost!

During 1887 to 1889, it is obvious that Ellon Gordon were highly rated opposition, for the "Express" gives accounts of several wins against Senior teams from the Association.  One highly interesting reports concerns the defeat of Trophy winners St Ronald by the Gordons exactly one week after the St Ronald team had won the 1888 competition before nearly "one thousand spectators at Duthie Park".  The newshound reporting tried to play down the not unnatural jubilation of "the natives" at defeating the Trophy winners by declaring that "it was more of a second eleven" that the St Ronald club had fielded!

1887 records the result of an Ellon Gordon second eleven trouncing a team representing 2nd Britannia by 87 runs to 39.  The "Brits" got revenge the following year when defeating an Ellon Gordon team "composed of "Bons", "Grammar scholars, St Crispins, and genuine Ellonites".  The "Bons" came from Bon-Accord, one of the crack teams of that era.

In 1889, Ellon Gordon had still not joined the Association's draw for the Challenge Trophy but fought "an open draw" with the "Pink Uns" from St Ronald.  This is one nickname that will probably not be resurrected!

Not much was thought of the Ellon wicket though, for when the Association decreed that Inverurie should play Peterhead in their cup-tie at Ellon, the "Evening Express" reported that "this is one of the last places a team would select to play an important game"!  It is worth recording until 1901 Ellon played in the Recreation Park, which lay where the Victoria Hall now stands, and not in the Gordon Park, our present home.

This also highlights the common misconception that the Ellon side derives its name from its playing venue.  The Gordon Park was not given to the burgh of Ellon until 1907, and the name Gordon probably derives from the local land-owning family of that name, highly regarded in the parish.

Ellon first joined the Association in 1890, entering the draw for the Senior Trophy competition only to lose to Britannia in the first round.  This contest was "a humdrum affair" according to the "Evening Express", and although the whole team worked hard and Shand and Kirkby did good work with the ball, they were beaten 93 to 24.

Ties with the Association broke down soon after that in 1892 when the Gordons are reported as refusing to play their cup-tie with Kittybrewster Mechanics at he Links.  Exactly why Ellon did this is not recorded, although it might have a connection with the often minuted problems of "firearms being discharged on the Links on Saturday afternoons"!

Apart from the above mentioned stars, Robertson and Harding must have been fair bowlers, and Cairns, Shand and Watt are mentioned with the bat.  Mr Andrew Cairns was connected with the club for many years for he, the local Esslemont schoolmaster, gave the opening remarks at the jubilee in 1912.  He went on to even greater things for he became Provost of Ellon from 1927 until 1935.

Ellon gained their first representative honour in 1891 when a man from Ellon Gordon was picked for the County side in the popular City V County matches organised by the Association.  His name is not recorded.

Ellon continued in this vein, playing matches against Association teams until 1904 when they joined the draw for the Bon-Accord Cup competition.  From 1900 onwards, the Ellon side figures several times in reports of matches against Association teams, and the earliest recorded Ellon team list comes in the "evening Express" of 6th August, 1900, against Junior Side St. Andrews who beat them 18 to 48.  For the record, Ellon Gordon's team was: A Raeburn, A Cairns, H Alexander, J Watt, W McGregor, A Wood, W Hepburn, J McKenzie, J P Rae and G Duncan.  That same Mr Alexander John Raeburn, the first Town clerk in 1912, played for the Aberdeenshire team at some time in his career, for he was reinstated to Ellon from the 'Shire in 1905.  John P Rae was the first provost of the burgh of Ellon.

Cricket was bigtime stuff in those days before all the modern leisure pursuits that we now take for granted and from the 1880's until the Great War the "Evening Express" carried extensive columns on local cricket on a Friday and Monday, with "Cricket Notes" following later in the week.  The attraction of the game can be gauged from the fact that the inter-league game with the Northern League at Duthie Park in 1903 drew between two and three thousand spectators!

The star of the Aberdeenshire team of that era was an unlikely named doctor from Colombo.  J A Scharenguival, whose exploits filled the pages with purple prose.  Perhaps he availed himself of the advertised benefits of "Dr Williams Pink Pills" which "enriched the blood", cured all manner of ailments and made the old young again!  Bats cost sixpence to ten and six and the place to buy them was Davidson's in Bridge Street, Aberdeen.

Ellon Gordon figured in the Bon-Accord Cup draw from 1904 until 1909, reaching the semi-final in 1908, losing to Cornwall's from Aberdeen, this defeat being their only one for that season.  This heralded a period when Ellon were right at the peak of Junior cricket as it was called in those days.  Although they did not figure in any of the league cricket under the Association's auspices at that time, Harold J Milne, the hard-working Ellon GOrdon secretary, won a barometer by heading the Junior section's batting average with an average of 18.5 from 10 innings.  This feat was emulated by his club mate Jim Roberts (W J Roberts) who won in 1909.

This apparent paradox can probably be explained by Ellon submitting their club averages in games against the many Junior teams from the various leagues in operation in the Aberdeen area at the time.  Certainly Ellon Gordon did not join the City and Suburban League - the name given to the Junior League from 1906 until 1911 - until the year 1910 and promptly won it at their first attempt!

Several names appear against Ellon Gordon match reports of the 1904-09 pre-league period with the lengthy pen-pictures of the team appearing in the pre-season "Evening Express" columns.  IT is easy to pick out the best players in the Gordons' side.  Mr A Cairns figures predominately with 8 for 21 against 2nd Crescent in 1905 for example, but there is no doubt that the  giants of that time were the local grocer, Alick Duguid, and A Pirie and latterly George Coutts.

Duguid was reported as one of the fastest bowlers around in those days and with firstly Pirie and then Coutts produced some really fantastic bowling analyses.  All of them could handle the bat as well, and alongside people like Jim Roberts and Harold Milne, kept Ellon Gordon well to the fore in that aspect.  The name McRae keeps cropping up too, but as four McRaes seemed to have turned out for Ellon a one time or another, it is difficult to know which one was doing what.

Delving into the newspapers of that time one comes across references to Fraserburgh League and the Buchan League as well as an advert for having "your teeth extracted carefully - sixpence each"!  Ellon Quoiting Club ran concurrently with the cricketers for their quoits match with thistle was quoted in 1906.

In 1907, " a young rising player, G Coutts" made 26 against Westburn, and an R Bain must have demoralised the Gordons somewhat with his 9 for 11 against them for Shinnie's Employees.  Also in 1907, Alex Duguid ha amazing analysis of 8 for 0 in a local game for Ythanbank against Udny, who were dismissed for one run!

The first recorded fifty for an Ellon player was scored by Ellon West End's Frank Duguid (57) versus Ythanbank in another local match in 1908.  In the Junior Cup, the Bon-Accord, Coutts took 8 wickets against 2nd University, a feat he repeated the following year against Grammar School.  Described in one report as a local athlete, Coutts no doubt was a member of Ellon Athletic Association which also flourished around that time.

In 1909, Ellon recorded their sadness at the departure of one james Scott, shoemaker, who was leaving the area after quarter of a century as a "trusted and impartial umpire and faithful and zealous supporter of the club".  This stalwart of the game was minuted as recalling "many strenuous matches at Holburn, Pitfour, Haddo House, Slains Castle or on the old pitch where Victoria Hall now stands".

The 1909 batting and bowling averages are the earliest yet found recorded for the club and the winners were Jim Roberts for the batting (average 20.7) and G R Coutts (Bowling average 4.58).  In winning the City and Suburban League in 1910, Alex Duguid won the League's bowling average with 36 wickets for 91 runs for an average of 2.5, but was pipped for the award for all Junior matches by his clubmate George Coutts (56 wickets for 143 runs)

Ellon Gordon repeated their City and Suburban League win in 1911 and made three in a row when the leagues were amalgamated into the Grades in 1912 and they took the Grade 2 after a playoff with Shinnie's.  Duguid and Coutts were still well to the fore, with the former stepping down as captain to be replaced by the latter in the jubilee season of 1912.  in 1911, harold Milne won the Association Juniors batting award and in 1912 repeated the dose with Coutts a close second.  The McRaes, Roy, John and Alf also figured strongly in the Ellon batting and bowling analyses of these years.  Duguid too, is recorded as winning the Association's bowling award (for league matches only) in 1912.

At this time, all the games had a time limit, but teams batting second would often bat on after the winning runs had been hit.  This gives rise to some, of our eyes strange-looking results like that of the playoff match where Shinnie's Employees scored 42 all out and Ellon Gordon 54 for 3.  A league was run on Wednesdays and Ellon also annexed the Stephenson Cup for that contest in 1911.

At the 1911 presentation dinner in the Junction Buffet, G R Coutts gave an interesting speech reminiscent of "former members".  From it we can quote "the doings of several ex-crack players like the Cowles of Cromleybank, Dr Thomas Milne, ex-Provost Rae, and Mr William Coutts."  Coutts went on to praise Mr A J Raeburn "who was the most distinguished player ever to have gone out of Ellon".  He Spoke of the excellent services of Mr Lewis Gavin, who was recognised as the "father of the Ellon Gordon Club".  Mention was also made of "the Thomsons of Beechlea, Moirs of Tarty, Mr Cairns, Jim Philip, Joe Fraser and the Rev. J A Coullie, who had all done excellent work in keeping up the reputation of cricket in Ellon".

1912 proved a disapointing session for Ellon after their exploits in the earlier years and season 1914 saw an abrupt end to all Grades cricket when the Association went off to fight a match with the Hun at the Start of the First World War.  So quick were the Association to cease activity that the replay of the Senior Trophy Final between St Ronald and Huntly for that year never took place.

After the Great War, which the Association won, Ellon were represented at the first meeting on the 21st March 1919, no doubt by their Association Vice-President James Doig.  Doig thus became the longest serving Vice-President ever, for he was elected in 1913.  One week later however Ellon had withdrawn from the Association.

In 1921, Ellon Gordon appeared in the Bon-Accord Cup, losing to John Knox Church, but do not figure in the list of Grade teams.  A similarly unsuccessful Bon-Accord Cup appearance took place against 2nd Crescent in 1922, and in 1923 Ellon Gordon were re-admitted, but to Grade 3.

1923 saw the return to the fray of the popular Dugald who had semi-retired in 1913, but there was no Coutts for he had left the district in 1914 for new employment in Buckie.  Ellon's team on 26th May 1923 in the Reid Cup was: A Duguid, A G Johnston, D Duncan, G Anderson, F Duguid, J Robb, J McRae, A B Johnston, J Whiteley, A Mortimer and E Johnston.

In 1924, Ellon reached the Reid Cup Final only to lose to Inverurie Loco Works Mechanics by 21 to 49.  Ellon registered some good results in Grade 3 in 1925, but on June 16th 1926 they withdrew from the Association.  No doubt they had their minds on more important things, for this was the year of the General Strike.

Players of note during this period were all-rounders R McRae, J Robb and Anderson, while their best batting came from A G Johnston.  Arthur G Johnston first received a mention in 1911, and he was still appearing for Ellon in the 1930s.  Nicknamed "Hobbs" by his team-mates, he soon turned his hand to bowling too and continued to figure in the both analyses well into the 'thirties.

No record of Ellon cricket is found in Association minutes from 1927 until an Ellon FPs side appears in the Reid Cup draw in 1934.  It is thought that the FP stands for "former-players" because A G Johnston and R McRae are just two of the names surviving from the 'twenties.  Ellon's team for their first Grade 3 game on re-entering the Grades on 4th May 1935 was as follows: A G Johnston, F Catto, J Whiteley, W Grieve, W Crystall, J Lipp, A Dunnett, N Grieve, W Anderson, R Burgess and J Adam.

Ellon came very close to winning the Grade in 1935 and were still doing well in 1936 although Boddam skittled them for 10 on 25th July 1936.  W Chalmers stood out with the ball and another useful performer was Bob Gauld, who went on to play and umpire with the club in the 1950s and 1960s.

There seems little doubt that Ellon Fp's ace player was Frank Catto, elder of two brothers who played for Ellon at this time.  Frank was one of the best bowlers in the Grade, and no mean performer with the bat, as was his brother Alf who went on to star with Ellon when they restarted cricket after the Second World War.  Ellon partook in the Aberdeen Wednesday League for F Catto is credited with 8 for 11 against Old Aberdeen on 8th July 1936.  A third Catto, Jimmy, also played for Ellon after the war.

However the Cattos were unable to prevent the demise of the club and Ellon could only field eight men on 26th June 1937, withdrawing from the Grade and scratching their remaining fixtures on 13th July of that year.

The Aberdeenshire Association continued to flourish though 1938 and 1939 until the start of the war, in contrast to during the First World War, continued to organise Grade cricket, albeit on a limited basis, throughout the fighting.  Ellon's wicket was ploughed up along with the rest of the Gordon Park to grow food for the War Effort.  Now there's an idea!

Although the Grades started promptly after the war in 1946, Ellon waited until 1947 before taking up the willow again.  A local schoolmaster, John D Argo re-organised things and Ellon played for two seasons in the Buchan League before rejoining the Grades in 1949.  Players recall journeying to the Peterhead area in Willie Robertson's taxi and the luckless driver in belt and braces often called into the team if Ellon were a man short.

Ellon had a great start to their Grade 3 sojourn in 1949 finishing fourth in the table with eight wins from twelve games.  In 1950 they did even better being promoted in second place being old adversaries Henderson's.  Jim Cattell, surely one of the best players to grace an Ellon side, took the Grade 3 batting average with 33.60, including a spell of three fifties in three consecutive weeks in May 1949.  Cattell was no slough with the ball either as a quick glance at the club records will show, and when he left the area in 1950 he must have been sorely missed by the Ellon team.

Rationing was still in swing at this time and Grade results shared the pages of the "Evening Express" with an unlikely character called "Froogal MacDougal".  Cattell was certainly frugal with Senior Youth, taking nine wickets for only 3 runs on 29th July 1950!  This remains the best ever bowling analysis by an Ellon bowler, and it should take a lot of beating.

Alf Catto was also having a good spell around the time, figuring regularly in the Grade analyses and a young man called Eric Thomson was beginning to make a name for himself as a fast bowler.

It is very difficult to be objective about one's contemporaries but Thomson has to be one of the best all-rounders to have turned out for the Ellon club.  Regularly topping the bowling or batting averages for the first team, he has continued until the present season, competing as hard as ever.

Ellon stayed in Grade 2 during 1951 and 1952, but popped back down to Grade 3 for a season in 1953.  Alf Catto was still making significant regular contribution, but Ronnie Copland and his off-spin bowling took the centre stage with his annexing of the Grade 3 bowling trophy in 1953.  A gentleman called Bert Busby turned out regularly although he was in his sixties by this time.  Ellon were promoted from Grade 3 as runners-up in 1953.  This was also the era of Dod Gammack and Robbie Burgess, the former still employed in his local shoe-making business in the present day although he is by now in his seventies.

In 1954, Ellon ran a second eleven in the Reserve Grade under the captaincy of the enthusiastic John D Argo, but they made heavy weather of it, finishing bottom of the Grade with only two wins from thirteen matches.

From 1954 till 1961 Ellon stayed in Grade 2, usually in the top half of the table, and reached the final of the Bon-Arrord Cup four times in five years winning in 1957 and 1959, but losing in 1958 and 1961.  During this period they picked up several individual Association awards through Kenny Bruce (1957 batting), Robbie Burgess (1958 batting), James Alexander (1959 bowling), and Ian Stables (1960 bowling).

In 1958, in he game against Lads Club, the local "Ellon and District Advertiser" reported "a spot of excitement at 4.30 when the Sports Pavilion was seen to be on fire".  Prompt action by the Ellon Fire Brigade soon put an end of the conflagration, which had been started amongst some dry leaves beneath the pavilion floor.  It was highly a fortuitous chance that things did not get more serious for the pavilion was a wooden erection and would have gone up very quickly.

Ellon made history in the Grades when they skittled out Henderson's for a record low total of only four in their Grade 2 match on 2nd May 1959!  The men who did the damage were schoolboy Jim Alexander (7 wickets for 3) and Eric Thomson (3 for 0).  Ellon almost made it to "the pits" themselves in 1960 when Boddam put them to the sword for a miserable 5 runs!

By winning Grade 2 in 1961, Ellon entered Grade 1 for the first time in 1962 which was their centenary year had they but realised it!  Thus began five seasons of struggling to remain in Grade 1, when the club often had great difficulty in raising eleven men, and were held together financially only by the efforts of their inimitable secretary, Ronnie Copland.

Ellon were never far from the foot of Grade 1, but always managed to keep their heads above water until 1966 when they were relegated to Grade 2.  There were some high points though, and Jim Alexander won the Grade 1 bowling averages in 1962, the first and only Grade 1 honour won by an Ellon player to date.  Alexander was to repeat that feat in 1965, but for Cults CC who he joined in that year.

it is widely believed that Alexander and Ian Stables were probably two of the fastest bowlers to have turned out for Ellon, and Alexander in particular was unplayable at times on the Ellon wicket with his low slinging action.  His pace undoubtedly helped Sandy MacDonald share the Grades' wicketkeeping trophy in 1964.

MacDonald's wicketkeeping was not without its blacker moments for he broke his nose keeping to Alexander in Grade 1 match versus Artisans.  His immortal comment when he had recovered was a rueful "It went fae a pea tae a b..... fitba!"  Sandy did the clever thing and took up bowling himself, becoming a feared and fast left-arm bowler when Alexander left the Club.

Ellon only lingered briefly for one season in Grade 2 as they continued their meteoric slide downwards through the Grades.  Things were at a low ebb indeed during the club's stay in Grade 3 from 1968 until 1972 when they won the Grade 3 championship.  Ellon often had difficult raising sides in the late 'sixties, the club existed on a veritable shoestring and was only kept live by the efforts of such stalwarts as Ron Copland and George Mutch.

Ean Mackie became club sectretary and treasurer in 1968 and played a major part in hauling the club back into respectability both financially and playing wise.  Ean is still treasurer of the club in the present day and has gone on to become the first ever Ellon Gordon president (1986-1988) of the Aberdeenshire Cricket Association.  This honour is well deserved considering all the hard work he has done for both organisations.

From 1972 onwards, Ellon have progressed through probably the best ever period of their playing existence with many honours, both club and individual coming their way.

In 1972, Ellon Gordon won Grade 3 easily, winning 11 out of their 13 games and scoring over 130 in every match but one.  The team had several match winners in their side including two fine batsmen in Bill Borthwick and Terry Kennedy.  These two were to score many good fifties over the following few seasons and Borthwick won the Grade 3 averages in 1972 with an excellent 43.77.

In 1971, Alan Middleton was presented with the Armstrong Cup, a special award given for taking 62 wickets in Grade 3 that year.  He was to continue to be Ellon's chief wicket-taker regularly from that season onwards, representing the club in the Grade Select many times from 1972 until the present time.  A hard-hitting bat at his best, he also skippered the team on several occasions, often coaxing - some would say bullying - the best out of the Ellon lads.

Ellon also had a great 1972 in the Evening League, or Industrial League, as it was called then, winning both the league and the knock-out cup competitions.  A blend on junior and senior talent was well employed by the captain, Terry Kennedy, and Ellon have continued to find this cricket competition an invaluable place for bringing on the youngsters in the club.

No year was more sweet that 1973, when Ellon Gordon won the Scottish Final of the Haig National Village Competition.  For a few weeks Ellon's cricketers dreamt of the National Final at Lords, appeared on television and generally floated around on cloud nine, only to lose against Tudhoe CC from County Durham in their first match on English soil.

In 1974, Ellon gained promotion to Grade 1 finishing runners-up in Grade 2 to Turriff after a very close battle.  Alan Howie became the first Ellon century-maker on the 10th August 1974, when he went on to score 103 against Alford CC.  This took place during a fantastic match in which Ellon scored 222 but only won by 2 runs!  Even more surprisingly the very next day Alan Thomas, a fine batsman from Australia, who was studying at Aberdeen University, also topped the 100 mark against Balmoral CC.  Imagine that - no centuries for 112 years then two in one-weekend!

In 1974, Ellon resurrected their second eleven, which has been consistently in the forefront of Reserve Grade cricket ever since, winning the Grade title in 1980 and again in 1986.  The winning captains were Heydon Barrett and Alec Campbell respectively.  Neil Allanach led the side to the Johnston Rose Bowl - the knock-out trophy for reserve teams - in 1977, and seems to have the knack of getting the right sort of performances from the mixture of adults and promising juniors which make up the second elevens.  Iain Campbell also showed the same magic touch when the seconds repeated the Rose Bowl win in 1983.  Ellon also came close to winning the Reserve Grade in 1982 and 1983, finishing runners-up in both years to great rivals Inverurie.

Ellon's first eleven consolidated their position in Grade 1 throughout the seventies without being able to win the elusive Grade 1 title.  Four Turriff Cup wins came their way in consecutive years from 1976 until 1979, a tribute to their bowling strength, good fielding and quick scoring batsmen.

In 1976, Charlie Adams scored the third century and highest score for the club, when he hit 107 not out to win a crucial relegation battle with Artisans CC.  This was definitely the greatest batting display by an Ellon man, being not only the highest innings but made in the context of the game that Ellon had to win.

Perhaps Ellon Gordon's best ever year came in 1979, under the captaincy of their wicket-keeping batsman Terrance Kennedy.  Terry took the side to the runners-up spot in Grade 1, the closest Ellon have ever come to taking that prestigious title.  The team only lost one local match that year, throwing away a chance against Cults CC at Allan Park, but more than made up for it by winning the Challenge Trophy, the Aberdeenshire Cup, for the first and only time.  heroes of the replayed final against Kintore CC were their opening bowlers Alan Middleton and Colin Addison, who bowled out Kintore for 41 runs.  Addison won the man of the match award for his 6 wickets for 10 runs, a feat he was to better seven years later against Marchmont in the SCU Cup Final.  Kennedy was awarded a special Association trophy, the Shand Cup, for his efforts both in captaincy and with the bat.

In 1983, the Association founded the Junior League, and Ellon provided the first secretary/organiser in Ritchie Dinnes to this worthwhile and onerous role.  Ellon were one of the first teams to take part in the League, which has now split into two sections, under 15 and under 18.  The work of Ritchie and his helpers have provided Ellon with a ready fund of good young cricketers who will surely guarantee the future of Ellon Gordon CC for many years to come.  Since 1983, Ellon Gordon's juniors have won the junior league (1985/1986) and Cup (1987) and several of their number have gained representative honours in the Association select teams.

Ellon were relegated to Grade 2 in 1984 but bounced straight back up the following season by winning the grade in convincing fashion under the captaincy of Ian Duncan.  Alan Middleton picked up the Grade 2 bowling award in the process.

1986 will go down as one of the top years for the club.  During something of a disapointing season likewise, Ellon reached the final of the Aberdeenshire Cup, losing to a good Cults side.  The cup form was more than an endorsed when the team won the Scottish Small Clubs Cup before their ecstatic supporters at Cupar in Fife, annihilating Marchmont from Edinburgh by bowling them out for only 15 runs.  Colin Addison produced one on the best bowling performances by an Ellon player taking seven Marchmont wickets for only 11 runs.  Alan Middleton was a happy man as he stepped up to receive the second national trophy that his side had won in thirteen years.

From before the days of A J Raeburn, Ellon Gordon have had players who have gone on to play for Aberdeenshire or have ex-'Shire men turn out for the side.  In 1986, the club were "delighted to lose" Jonathan Barrett, one of our ex-juniors to the Mannofield county eleven.  There can be little doubt that in the future more will follow him.

At this moment in time, 1987, Ellon seem to be in as healthy a position as they ever enjoyed.  The club has a very good reserve eleven, including Reserve Grade Select players, and a flourishing junior section under the excellent tuition of Ritchie Dinnes and Iain Campbell.  The first eleven are in excellent shape in Grade 1 with several of their number also having represented the club in Grade Select teams this year.  Players, wives and families have just returned from a successful tour based in York and spirits are high.  Financially the club is very secure and it is only through the efforts of the officials and players of the club that we will continue to do so much.

It is difficult to appreciate just how long ago we first started playing cricket in Ellon, or how much the game has changed.  In 1862, the American Civil War was raging; telephones had not been invented; and cricketing test matches were a thing of the future.  Delving into the history of the Club has been a fascinating exercise, and even more interesting is the thought that there is always more to be unearthed.

While it is very interesting to be able to look back, it is far happier occupation to speculate to the future.  It is somewhat sad to read the history of games gone by and players who are no longer with us, reminding us of our own short stay "at the crease".  Far better to look forward to more fifties and wickets for Ellon players; more delightful teas prepared by understanding wives and mothers; more highs and no doubt a few lows; and more people, players and officials carrying on the best traditions of Ellon Gordon Cricket Club

By Alan C Middleton

Information courtesy of 125 years of Ellon Gordon Cricket Club (available in all good bookshops!!)