It’s a turf job, but somebody’s got to do it.
And now, as Scottish cricket continues in its goal towards achieving ICC Full Member status, Sue Strachan is making her own advances through the game’s grass ceiling.
The woman who studied medicine at Aberdeen University, met her husband, Dave, in the Granite City and is familiar with clubs such as Gordonians, Stoneywood-Dyce and Aberdeenshire, from her days in the north east, will become the first-ever female president of the sport’s governing body, Cricket Scotland, in March.
Although Mrs Strachan lives and works as a doctor in Dumfries, she recalls the days when she used to listen to Ashes series on her “little transistor set” in the middle of the night and was captivated by the action on the other side of the world.
That infectious enthusiasm has stayed with her throughout the last 40 years and explains why she is mustard-keen to start her new role.
She said: “I am so excited about my upcoming presidency. I don’t want to just be at events to give out prizes, I want to be a part of growing this amazing sport in Scotland.
“I want to spread the message that whoever you are, and no matter your age, your gender or your ability, there is a place for you in cricket.
“We want to grow participation and increase the diversity of people playing cricket by ensuring that there is a form of cricket that appeals to everyone.
“Whilst we do that, we are aiming to progress the performance pathways and have all of our national teams qualifying for the final stages of World Cup competitions.
“If we can do all of these things we will be succeeding.”
Mrs Strachan describes herself as being “annoyingly positive” and that quality will probably be a blessing at some stage of her presidency.
Yet, as the Scottish Womens over-55 national squash champion, and somebody who has represented her country at masters squash for the last 15 years, she remains a coiled spring of boundless energy, imbued with a genuine passion for sport.
That explains why she realises she needs to help dispel the argument that too many cricket resources are currently being concentrated on Scotland’s central belt.
She added: “It is crucial that cricket continues to be played in villages and towns all over the north east and indeed the whole country.
“It can be challenging for a sports governing body to support development throughout the country, but it is really important to Cricket Scotland that we support a strong club structure throughout Scotland.
“That not only means more people involved in cricket, but also more high quality players coming through our performance pathways and stronger national teams performing on the world stage.”
If she can orchestrate that, here is one president who can tweet whatever she likes.
