Scottish cricket in 1971

Without a shadow of doubt, B. R. Hardie's two centuries in the match against M.C.C. at Mannofield, Aberdeen, in July was the outstanding achievement in the Scottish season. After the second of those he had the creditable total of three centuries in eleven innings for Scotland, an impressive record by the young Stenhousemuir batsman whose father and brother also have played for Scotland.

That match, like two of Scotland's three others, ended in a draw, though M. C. C., having been set to score 221 to win, tried almost to the end. At the close the visitors were 166 for seven.

Scotland began their programme with the annual International against Ireland in Belfast. A draw there was inevitable after the second day had been washed out by rain.

Frank Robertson, the Aberdeenshire fast bowler, made a good start to his International career in that match by taking six wickets for 58 in Ireland's first innings of 103. In all he took more than half of the fourteen Irish wickets that fell, as his second-innings return was three for 21.

Scotland lost by 154 runs to Pakistan at Selkirk. J. M. Allan, the slow left arm bowler who had two careers in English county cricket, with Kent and then Warwickshire, made ample use of the soft pitch, having match figures of eleven for 123, but his bowling and aggressive batting by R. Ellis, the Kilmarnock captain, were not enough to save Scotland.

After the draw in Aberdeen the Scots went on to Edgbaston to play Warwickshire. Ellis, with the Scots' top score of 69, and the inevitable Hardie, with innings of 49 and 50 not out, kept Scotland in the game, though nothing but a draw was possible after only ten minutes' play had been possible on the second day.

In that match David Mackintosh, the Ferguslie batsman, made his first appearance for Scotland, but he was less successful than he had been for Scotland B a fortnight earlier against the M. C. C. Young Professionals at Perth. Mackintosh's innings of 111 out of 182 there ensured him of selection for Edgbaston. The Young Professionals replied to the Scottish score with 115 for three, but the second day of the two-day fixture was abandoned because of rain.

A Second representative match was played in Perth, the English Schools beating the Scottish Colts by six wickets after the home captain, Sandy Brown, of Drumpellier, challenged the visitors to make 154 in under two hours.

Perthshire, as usual, dominated the Scottish county championship, winning the title for the sixth successive year. Clydesdale, undefeated in their league programme, took the Western Union championship as well as the two other principal trophies in the district, the Rowan cup and the West League Cup, and Stenhousemuir, Hardie's club, returned to the top in the East League.

Strathmore's run in the Strathmore Union continued, and the Forfar club also won the Rothman's Quaich national knock-out competition, breaking the domination by the counties and the Western Union. In the final they beat Kilmarnock, who had a frustratingly unsuccessful season.

In other leagues Kelso became Border champions, Allan Glen's FP won the Glasgow and District title, and Nairn took the North championship.