Freuchie, the Scottish club who won the National Village Cup at Lord’s in 1985, have been forced to concede defeat in this year’s competition because they couldn’t raise a team.
The Fifers were scheduled to take on Cheshire opponents Hawk Green in England on Sunday, but confirmed that a lack of players had meant they had taken the decision to cancel their journey to England and forfeit the match to their rivals.
The sides had met at Freuchie’s home ground last Sunday, but rain dashed any hopes of the contest being resolved. And now the Scots, who have been struggling with playing numbers all season, have issued an apology, not only to Hawk Green, but the sides they previously defeated in the Scottish section.
They said yesterday: “It is with much regret that, due to player availability, we have conceded tomorrow’s Village Cup tie versus Hawk Green.
“We would like to extend our sincere apologies to Hawk Green, who travelled to Freuchie last week and Meigle CC and Falkland CC who we played to win the Scottish group of the competition.”
Freuchie once had a thriving youth section and enjoyed healthy participation numbers. But it emerged in April that they were concerned over their future with only around 20 players at their disposal.
