Scots cricket needs new blood circulating

By Alex Martin

Published:

SCOTLAND’S cricket season got off to a miserable start on Sunday with the national side routed by Lancashire at The Grange in the FP Trophy as the county side took advantage of a bowler-friendly pitch and a poor Scots batting display.

It promises to be more of the same throughout the season as the county pros, woken up by a succession of surprise victories by the national team in a string of one-day matches, no longer look on the Saltires as a soft touch.

Scotland have their challenges ahead, but none so pressing as the need to replace the current crop of players.

That is no slight on the incumbents. They make enough sacrifices to play for their country and keep up the day job, but the progression of talent must become an overwhelming priority.

Much work is being done, both by former Scotland captain Craig Wright as he takes charge of the age group teams, and also by the clubs themselves, most notably in the north-east by the likes of Stoneywood-Dyce who are feeder team for the rest of the country.

My club had four senior teams and age group teams at under-18, under-15 and under-13. Joining at a tender age we were taught the rudiments by a collection of parents and coaches and also longed for the day when the club pro would trot along and hand out pearls of wisdom. Bear in the mind those professionals included the likes of former Australia great Allan Border. When they spoke, we listened.

The production line was established and a significant number of my team-mates and rivals went on to enjoy county and even international careers. Players were able to put their skills to the test with a succession of matches against club teams of a similar standard. It worked.

In this part of the world an amazing amount of work is being done. On any Monday night you will find the likes of Fraserburgh’s youngsters taking on their Banchory counterparts and the succession, through festival matches, is assured. Such a strong system is not being replicated throughout the rest of the country, but once again where the north-east leads, the rest will eventually follow.

Small steps for the national team. The first is to become more competitive with the counties, then the international teams at the lower end of the food chain.

Then comes the real challenge of international cricket, five-day Test matches.

Forget the pyjamas and pink balls of one-day cricket. It is a pitch-and-putt version of the sport.

Only when the nation's cricketers are able to emerge victorious from five days of combat will the sport have truly reached its peak.

In the meantime, the cricket lovers of this area will get about their business of producing superbly talented players, despite the location and despite the weather.

GOOD football moments from Chelsea this week. Frank Lampard has had a difficult time following the death of his mother, but showed dignity and determination to score an important penalty in the Champions League win over Liverpool on Wednesday.

On Holocaust Day, Lampard’s manager Avram Grant sank to his knees on the final whistle in remembrance of his family, three of who were buried by his father during the darkest days of the last century. Grant travelled to Poland on Thursday to speak at a memorial event at Auschwitz.

It showed football is not life and that many other things are vastly more important.