Mannofield: where the sun always shone

May 2003

Mel Edwards

“There is no talk, none so witty and brilliant, that is so good as cricket talk, when memory sharpens memory and the dead live again – the regretted, the unforgotten – and the old happy days of burned-out Junes revive. We shall not see them again.”

The words of Andrew Lang, quoted in the fascinating book which marked the 125th anniversary of Aberdeenshire Cricket Club in 1982. And how true they are. Cricket enables devotees to recollect never-ending weeks of summer sun and statistics of past heroes’ batting and bowling averages.

In its 146 years Aberdeenshire Cricket Club has produced many players who have stamped their personality on the game. One is George Murray, now a youthful looking 68, and as I chatted with him at his home near the club’s Mannofield headquarters in Aberdeen, memories of household names on the local cricket scene flooded back. Perhaps it was the unseasonably mild weather, but one could almost sense the advent of the season.

Before I became inexorably hooked on long-distance running I was a regular visitor to Mannofield, accompanying my father Fred as he played or wrote about the game.

FATHER FRED: Mel’s father was still coaching at Mannofield in 1979 when he was 76.

I was fascinated by the professional players, and although I was too young to remember much more than his name, Alma Hunt was the first Bermudan to be employed by a Scottish Club when Aberdeenshire invited him to come to Scotland as long ago as 1934. Hunt enjoyed eight marvellous seasons at Mannofield and scored 8,190 runs.

At the end of the 1947 season Hunt retired and recommended his cousin and fellow Bermudan Nigel Hazel to the club. There followed eight years of some mighty hitting of cricket balls, and I well remember ‘Chopper’ Hazel’s powerful wielding of the bat causing mayhem with windows in the nearby Hutchison Terrace. Nigel departed to play for Strathmore in Forfar and had many happy years there.

I have vague memories of a match at Mannofield when I was five, where I was unable to see any action because of the crowds. It was the Scotland v Australia game in September 1948 where the great Don Bradman produced the final first-class century of his career before a crowd of 20,000. In those days tram cars heading west from the city centre displayed posters reading Mannofield – To and From the Cricket.

I was particularly interested in cricket during the ‘Kanhai’ years. In 1958 Aberdeenshire secured the services of the brilliant Rohan Kanhai from British Guiana. The West Indian test player served the club for three seasons and scored over 4000 runs, including a number of innings of well over 100 not out.

I recall playing in a friendly match at Mannofield, waiting in the pavilion to go in to bat at Number Six. The batsman who was due to take the field just before me was Kanhai, sound asleep in the chair with his pads on.

When it was his turn I nudged him awake, and off he went to the wicket and scored 50 in not much more than 10 minutes. This remarkable player is now back home in Guyana as principal coach.

Many names were recalled during my discussion with George. Among them, Ronnie Chisholm (80 caps for Scotland), now living in Edinburgh; George Youngson the prolific fast bowler; Frank Robertson who once bowled out the great Australian Greg Chapell; and the Moir twins, Dallas and Jeremy.

I have been hugely impressed by George Murray’s commitment to Aberdeenshire Cricket Club and to the development of the game.

A former head teacher at Woodlands School in Cults near Aberdeen, George’s involvement in cricket began at Aberdeen Grammar School, and he played for the FP team while still at school in 1952. His early promise as a bowler was evident in a match against Aboyne when he took five wickets in the first over of the game, and by 1955 he was an integral part of the Aberdeenshire team. His batting was impressive. “I often opened the batting with Rohan Kanhai,” said George.

Captaincy followed in the 1960s and 70s. “Selection for Scotland just eluded me,” he said, “and although Fred Edwards introduced me to Warwickshire and a successful trial resulted in the offer of a contract, I turned it down.” His long career with Aberdeenshire resulted in his playing in more Scottish County Championship games than any other Aberdeenshire player.

George’s impressive credentials as a player were ultimately overshadowed by his talent as a coach and selector. He was Scotland’s team manager on numerous occasions.

“In the mid 1970s at Lords, when I was managing the Scottish team v MCC, I sat next to no less than four former England captains at lunch. One of these, F.G.Mann, remarked that for Scotland to improve its performance longer games were required. He said that one plays cricket in England, whereas in Scotland one is playing at cricket.”

In 1968 Aberdeenshire appointed the successful partnership of Vic Coutts (coaching convener) and George as coach.

“During our tenure 11 ‘Shire players raised in the junior ranks were selected for the national team. These were David Brown, Willie Donald, David Stewart, Neil Burnett, David Hays, Grant Johnston, Frank Robertson, Dallas Moir, George Angus, Dale de Neef and Jackie Knight. Three of these were in the Benson & Hedges team which beat the mighty Lancashire in Perth, and that day every Scot present had tears in their eyes. I also coached Colin Smith and Neil McRae in their formative years.”

Nowadays George is an honorary president of the club and is on the selection committee.

Aberdeenshire Cricket Club is in the Scottish National Cricket League Premier Division of 10 teams and last season finished seventh, with Greenock, Grange and West of Scotland at the top. Colin Smith, Kevin Thomson and Peter Sykes (under 13) represented Scotland last year.

This season the club will have Graham Grace as its professional for the second year. Last season his arrival saw an upsurge in the number of juniors in the club, and the under- 11s reached the final of the Kwik-cricket competition. An additional professional and coach for the Strathmore Union Mannofield team, Kruger van Wyk, will help with the cricket development programme and a South African amateur player, Jan Hendrik Stander, will also be on the coaching team. Junior nights are Monday and Wednesday and some 30 youngsters usually attend. The attractive Mannofield ground is of a high standard.

“It is generally regarded as the best in Scotland,” said George, “and groundsman Ken McCurdie is a former Groundsman of the Year. However, it is difficult to attract English teams to the North and most travel only as far as Edinburgh.”

The Aberdeen club is looking forward to a successful season, with a visit from the Lords Taverners scheduled for July. The Bradman Suite at Mannofield proved a great venue for the Leopard Lunch on 19 April and many memories were stirred by photographs of those who graced the ground and left an indelible mark in the club’s rich history.

Mel Edwards has been a runner all his life. A former Scottish marathon and cross-country international and winner of the Aberdeen Sports Council Contribution to Sport award.

This is an article from the May 2003 edition of Leopard Magazine. To read much more like this every month, subscribe to Leopard Magazine.