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History of Drumpellier CC |
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Article from The Scottish Cricketer 1993
From the unlikely setting of Coatbridge, the Iron Burgh, emerged the club with the rather continental sounding name Drumpellier. And for over 140 years now, that name has been at the forefront of Scottish cricket. Like all clubs their fortunes have ebbed and flowed but they have enjoyed some marvellous times and their Langloan home has been graced by some great names. In the 1880's they challenged Grange for the title of premier club in Scotland and nearly a century later they enjoyed something of a golden age, when in a period in the 70's and early 80's they lifted four Western Union titles not to mention three triumphs in the Scottish Cup.
Drumps had been in existence for some 40 years when in 1893 the Western Union was formed. They had to wait until 1910 however before they collected their first unshared title. Inspired by a couple of Charlies, Mannes and Benham, they went through their championship winning programme undefeated. After that, success was spasmodic until the era of Kunderan, Brown and Porteous. In 1992 Drumpellier were back at the top of the pile but, such are the vagaries of fate, 1993 sees the club struggling again after the sudden loss of Sajid Ali and skipper Mark Watt.
Where did the story begin? The origins of the club are lost in the mists of time but Alex Hamilton, in his centenary history of the club, speculates that an amalgamation of two sides created Drumpellier. The local laird. Colonel David Carrick Buchanan, was a lover of the sport and, in the way of "Big House" cricket, formed his own side from friends and servants. They played in the picturesque setting of the grounds of Drumpellier House. By 1850 the game had taken root in the nearby villages, the seeds sown probably by workers who had travelled north from Lancashire to seek employment in the new iron works which had sprung up throughout the district as the Industrial Revolution had developed. Of these newly formed clubs Hamilton suggests that one, the Coatbridge club, had established a hegemony over their local rivals. Linked with the Laird and his pals, the town team were put on a strong enough footing to compete with the clubs who were developing in other parts of the country. After a short spell at the West End Park the new club of Drumpellier took up residence within the policies of Drumpellier.
Colonel Buchanan was a great patron of Scottish cricket and a supporter of a number of clubs, most notably West of Scotland. Arguably his greatest service to Drumpellier was to engage John Sands, a professional from Sussex whose itinerant lifestyle had included spells at Edinburgh Academy, Clydesdale and West of Scotland, where he was involved in laying out the ground at Hamilton Crescent. Sands settled in Coatbridge in 1864 and for 25 years fulfilled the duties of the "pro". Sands is remembered more for his coaching skills than for his playing prowess and it would be true to say that during his tenure of office Langloan became something of an academy of cricket. Sands' first noteworthy pupil was Alec Watson, who developed into an outstanding bowler and held his place in the Lancashire side for over 20 years. Inspired by his success with Watson, Sands raised a new crop of talent who were ready to take their place in the first team as 18 year olds in 1872. His proteges - Crichton, Brown, Bell, Buchanan, Maskrey and Herbert had to wait another five years before Sands grand design was finally unveiled. An invitation was sent to WG Grace to bring the United South of England eleven to play a three day match against the twenty-two of Drumpellier. Sands partisan arithmetic secured a victory and when that season was over Drumpellier had lost only one of their matches. Johnny Sands had done his work well and the Coatbridge club were established as one of the great cricket sides in Scotland. Of Sands benefactor, Buchanan, it would be a mistake to imagine, that although devoted to cricket and to Coatbridge, he was anything other than a product of his time. His status as "top dog" was unchallenged and Coatbridge folk would remember the occasions when the Laird, in his later years, would wander down from the House to take note of the proceedings on the cricket field. The direct route from the house to the pavilion was across the square and this is the path that he would tread. Play would stop and, while he would acknowledge the courtesy, to the Laird it was simply his due.
The 1880's were important for two reasons for Drumpellier. Firstly their elevated position in Scottish cricket was strenghtened and secondly a certain CT Mannes arrived from Perthshire to take his honoured place in the annals of the club. Check your Miller Guide and in the centuries in club cricket section you will see the name of Mannes in third position in this all time table with 49 centuries. The great man arrived in 1888 and he was a prominent member of the sides which contested the early Western Union competitions. In 1896 Drumpellier were top of the Union table for the first time but they had to share first place with West of Scotland. An outright victory in the Championship was slow in coming and made doubly frustrating as local rivals Uddingston were monopolising the Union honours with eleven triumphs in the 17 years before the start of the First World War. When success came it was sweet. Our picture shows the 1910 team of whom Mannes, Charlie Benham, Jimmy and Andrew McMillan, and AP Skiel were the prominent players. Benham was the "pro" and jimmy McMillan a very capable skipper but it was Mannes who was the star. Contemporaries marvelled at how he made light of his club foot to become the great Scottish batsman of his era. A player who favoured the front foot he was reckoned to be a very fine off-driver though the Langloan faithful could go into rhapsodies about his powerful cut which legend has it obliged the point fielder to take his position at a respectful distance. Off the field CT Mannes was a popular figure with team-mates and opponents alike; Charlie loved the social side of cricket, was an enthusiastic tourist and is reputed to have been keen on a sing-song. One commentator said of him "he enjoyed a good crack after the contest and seldom hurried away after a game". I think that comment has more than a touch of euphemism. The legendary Mannes was still an important part of the team set-up in 1923, 35 years after joining the club, when Drumpellier next lifted the Western Union title under the captaincy of AP Skeil.
Drumpellier 1st Xl 1910
After 1923, the fortunes of Drumpellier show a marked decline and looking back it seems oddly appropriate that as the community of Coatbridge suffered the hardships of the Depression, the club spent the late 20's and the 30's in the doldrums. 1945 saw the first signs of a renaissance when Drumpellier defeated a strong Kilmarnock side, which included Jimmy Aitchison in the line-up, to lift the Rowan Charity Cup. Batting first Drumps could only manage a meagre total of 66 but diligent work in the field and Cockburn's five for 26 saw the Ayrshire men all out on 64.
Drumpellier Cricket Club 1937
International honours were won during this period by Bob Winrow and Joe Paterson, a future SCU President, and by 1954 there was a good enough set of players to lift the Western Union championship for the first time in over 30 years.The Rowan Charity Cup was won in the following year and in 1956 Drumpellier put their name on the West League Cup for the first time. These achievements were something of a false spring. The club had to wait until the 1970's and the arrival of Budhi Kunderan and the emergence of Tom Porteous and Sandy Brown for the Golden Summer of Drumpellier cricket to begin. Kunderan signed up for his first season as professional in 1971 and he arrived in Scotland with a substantial reputation as a batsman/wicket-keeper. He had made 18 Test appearances for India from the late 50's to the mid 60's and had played against players of the quality of Cowdrey, Dexter, Benaud. Harvey, Sobers, Hall, Kanhai and Worrell. His zenith at international level came in 1963-64 when he appeared in all five Tests against England scoring 192 in Madras and 100 in Delhi.
The year following Kunderan's arrival, Drumpellier were Western Union champions. The title was won again in 1974 and retained the following season. In 1978 the fourth of the Western Union titles was secured. This period also saw Drumpellier run up four consecutive triumphs in the Rowan Charity Cup from 1974 to 1977. The West League Cup was won in 1977. In 1979 the roll call of honours continued with a thrilling victory in the Scottish Cup Final over Perthshire. The famous county had a strong side at that time and when openers Simon Galloway and Ralph Laing, the recent SCU president, had reached 82 the Coatbridge supporters were down in the dumps. However the introduction of Billy McPate turned the match around. Wickets fell and Perthshire were restricted to 145. Mirroring the first innings. Brown and Kunderan opened soundly and at 72 without loss it was time for the Perthshire followers to cry in their beer. Not for long. In no time Drumpellier slumped from 72 for no wicket to 121 for nine. All seemed test till Billy McPate hit an unbeaten 25 and, in the company of Alex Brownlie, saw the Langloan outfit to an unlikely victory. McPate's contribution with bat and ball meant that he was a deserved winner of the Man of the Match.
Drumps were back at Hamilton Crescent in 1981 to face a Heriot's side who had just won their fifth consecutive East League championship and were rich in international talent with players like Hamish More and George Goddard. Drumpellier did have the Old Firm of Brown and Kunderan in harness again however and as Bill McMurtrie noted in his Herald report, " a century from Sandy Brown, calmly and steadily accelerating, lifted Drumpellier into the position from which they beat Heriot's ". The openers posted a first wicket stand of 160 before Kunderan was out but Brown carried on to a majestic 123 off 154 balls, including ten 4's. It was the highest score in the 16 year history of the competition and not surprisingly earned Brown the Man of the Match award. Drumpellier finished on 218 for 4 but not before Tom Porteous had the strange experience of being run out twice, on the second occasion acting as a runner. The big total was always beyond the Edinburgh club and Heriot's innings was completed 85 runs short.
Drumpellier were Scottish Cup finalists again in 1982. This time their opponents were Stenhousemuir at Raebum Place. Kunderan hit a half-century and added 82 for the second wicket with Tom Porteous but Stenhousemuir fought back to 116 for 4. Dick MacDougall (46no) and Billy McPate rallied the cup holders and at the innings end Drumpellier were respectably placed at 213 for 7. Morrison Zuill and Eddie Pollok had an opening stand of 56 as Stenhousemuir started briskly but three quick wickets from a young Alan Stevenson swung the match back to Drumps. An inspired run out by Dick MacDougall ended Zuill's knock and Ferriers defiant 39 only postponed the inevitable. Stenhousemuir eventually expired on 185 and Drumpellier had become cricket kings of Scotland for the third time in four seasons.
The sports editor at the Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser and Langloan stalwart Alex Dowdalls attributes those remarkable years to " simply BK Kunderan ". He added “ Budhi brought a fresh approach to the club and an air of professionalism. A big part of Drumpellier's success was built around their work in the field, Kunderan had turned the Coatbridge club into the best fielding side in the country. The Langloan professional is now judged by the standards set by Budhi."
A few seasons of drought followed the years of plenty but in 1987 Drumpellier were Union champions again. Sajid Ali arrived around this time and the little Pakistani batsman made a big impact with his free scoring ways.
In 1992 the elements smiled kindly on Drumpellier even if they growled on the rest of the Scottish cricket community. Taking a big lead In the first half of season, Drumpellier, led by Mark Watt, were in a position to benefit from the lack of play later on and the Coatbridge club were champions again! The departure of Ali, Watt and Crichton certainly harmed the Drumpellier cause but with the signing of Alistair Storie and the continued efforts of established players like Porteous, McPate and Stevenson the club's future seems assured.
Drumpellier 1st Xl 1992
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This site was last updated 11/09/08
