Our Illustrious History

St Michael's Cricket Club was inaugurated in 1929 by Duncan Brown, a teacher at St. Michael's School. Previously, former members used to congregate in Wallace Street, opposite the school and use brush shanks for stumps before they bought their first set of stumps. Initially known as Nithsdale Cricket Club, the name was changed to St. Michael's F.P. to accommodate former pupils of the school.

After the war, the club combined with the Post Office due to a shortage of funds and players, and was called Post Office C.C. In 1951, the club assumed the name of St. Michael’s Cricket Club, and the office-bearers that year were D. Scott, Secretary; W. Morrison, Treasurer; R. Gray, Captain, and N. Van Rensburg, Vice-captain.

St. Michael’s played at Marchmount at this time, and had a very strong side. The batting line-up was full of strokemakers and five regular bowlers provided plenty of variety. Hard-hitting batsman Jim Scott was also the outstanding bowler. His control ensured that even the best of opponents struggled, and many fine players fell to his away swing.

In 1962, Scott took 79 wickets in a season of 24 games, the club having moved to their present ground at Kingholm Park in 1961. The switch to the Kingholm did not at first suit the St. Michael’s batsmen, however. The ground was not in the immaculate condition that it is now, 40 years on.

Through the sixties and seventies the side began to become over dependent on the all-round performances of Scott, club stalwart Davy Douglas and the batting of Jimmy Wylie. A number of fine players came and went. Willie McKeachie was the only one to stay and develop into an outstanding wicket-keeper and useful bat. Wylie retired, returned to hit an incredible century against Gala, and retired again for good.

The late seventies were lean years. But David Scott steered the club through, maintaining a full fixture list and ensuring improving pitches. He received good assistance from Ian Crosbie, another St. Michael’s stalwart.

It is recorded that 1978 was possibly the worst year in the club’s history, with a first round knock-out by a pub team in the prestigious Nunholm Cup. Team spirit was low, and it was not always easy to put 11 players on the field every Sunday. At the A.G.M. that year, only seven people attended and two of these weren’t even players; and there was talk of the club being disbanded.

However, at that meeting, Sandy McNay offered to take over as secretary, and attempt to revive the club’s fortunes. Due to his unstinting work and enthusiasm, things took an upward swing. The arrival of the talented Fuller brothers, David and Miles, to the club in 1979 saw Scott concentrate on his batting, Douglas on his bowling and the team improving after a long decline. A young Kim Bellwood strengthened the bowling, and the emergence of Alan Tennant and Mark Fuller provided the club with hard-hitting batsmen.

Sandy McNay entered the club into League cricket in 1985, in the Glasgow and District League. St. Michael’s went through the divisions undefeated in successive seasons until they reached Division One.

Amazingly, the club never won the main local trophy of the time, the Nunholm Cup up to 1983. That year they won it under the captaincy of McNay for the first time and in fact won it four times in the subsequent six years. In 1985, they reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Small Clubs Cup with as fine a side as it ever had, only the 1962 side comparing.

McNay started in 1985 the influx of overseas players to the club and there is no doubt that this inspired move stimulated tremendous interest in St. Michael’s fortunes. Foster Lewis, a West Indian who had played for Antigua and first to come across, was undoubtedly one of the most talented, and his demon quick bowling and hard-hitting batting were sights to behold. At the same time local boys Graeme McKirdle and Pat Druce successively emerged in similar allrounder mode.

In the 1990 season, a new chapter in the club's history opened when St Michael's joined the Border League, where they competed for the next eleven years. The tradition of overseas players was continued for most of the decade. Throughout this time, combinations of Druce, McKirdle and Bellwood ensured a competitive attack which several times pushed the club into the runners-up position in the League. Primarily a fielding side, the club finally hit the jackpot in 1995 when the native talent was enhanced by the aggressive batting of Queenslander Brad Spanner. Spanner amassed a total of 1,286 runs at an average of 142.9, destroying many attacks almost singlehandedly in a season which finally brought the Border League Trophy to the Kingholm.

In the succeeding season it was back to the runners-up spot in the League in spite of more excellent batting support from another Queenslander, Brian May who made his runs in elegant style to average 98. The 1996 team however achieved a major club landmark in reaching the quarter finals of the Scottish Cup, only losing away to Aberdeenshire after some doubtful pre-match preparations by some players en route.

Border Reserve League fixtures had not proved so easy to come by on a consistent basis and from 1997 St Michael's 2nd XI again entered a team in the Glasgow and District League under the stewardship of skipper Kenny Wilson. The League became Western Union Division V and after a couple of near misses, successive promotions saw the reserves achieve promotion to the giddy heights of the Union's Division III.

By this time a prolonged rugby season was starting to effect the strength of the Border League. After some soul searching, it was decided at the start of the 2001 season that the first team should take up the place in Division III with the second team, now to be known as Kingholm having unfortunately to drop back down to Division V under Western Union rules.

This move paid immediate dividends. Derek Heron's First XI took Division III by storm and won the Division Championship in their first season while Kingholm managed to claw their way back into Division IV under Colin Taylor. In the following two seasons, Saints were narrowly pipped in the chase for promotion even though Druce, Heron, Rankine and Bellwood all turned in match-winning individual performances, along with visiting Aussie amateurs Glen Smith and Simon Walshaw in 2003. Meanwhile Kingholm had been fortuitously promoted to Division III and Pat Druce's departure to Galloway the year after marked the end of an era.

The Firsts finally got their promotion in 2004. Again there was Aussie support in the form wicketkeeper batsman Rohan Kleem and Andy Murray (pictured), whose averages of 123 with the bat and 7.9 with the ball invite comparison with the best of the Club's visiting players. But the crucial innings of the season was provided by Andy Hutchinson at Cambusdoon. Unfortunately, a spate of retirals and withdrawals finally caught up with Kingholm, whose youngsters were not yet mature enough to fill the gap and they were relegated back to Division IV.

Seasons 2005 and 2006 saw Saints consolidate their position in Division I. Solid performances by visiting players Mitchell McBeath and Bryce Smith were backed up by strong batting from twice player of the season Duncan Muir. 2006 was also the year that the promising young Kingholm side finally hit the jackpot, as they became undefeated Division IV champions led by not-so-young Skipper Kenny Wilson (pictured), whose 30 wickets at 9.37 also won him the Division IV Bowler of the Year award.

2007 proved a difficult year for the club. Damage to the pitcj meant that several early fixtures had to be re-arranged and player withdrawals and injuries meant that the first team squad was short of four players for most of the season. In the end competitive performances by several club stalwarts in the last three games backed up Aussie Ben O'Brien's demolition of Galloway to ensure a respectable League position.

Handicapped by a ten point penalty and the regular loss of several key players to the First XI, there was no escape for Kingholm who continued their yo-yo fortunes with another relegation to Division IV by the narrowest of margins.

Saints' New Year's Resolution for 2008 is to recruit more players who are capable of performing in Division I.

revised 13/01/08

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