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Forfarshire Cricket Club

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Forfarshire Cricket Club
Nickname(s)the Forfs
Personnel
CaptainScott Cameron
Team information
CityDundee, Scotland
Colours  
Founded1880 (145 years ago) (1880)
Home groundForthill, Broughty Ferry, Dundee
History
Grand Final wins1 (2019)
Eastern Premier League wins1 (2019)
Scottish County Championship wins15 (including 1 shared)
Scottish Cup wins4
T20 Scottish Cup wins4
Official websiteForfarshire CC

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Alternative

Forfarshire Cricket Club is a cricket club based in Dundee. Since its foundation in 1880 the club has played at Forthill in Broughty Ferry. A founding member of the Scottish County Championship, the club went on to become one of the most successful county sides in the country, winning the title 15 times.[1] It currently plays in the Eastern Premier League, the highest tier of cricket in Eastern Scotland.

Winner of the inaugural County Championship in 1902, Forfarshire has won many major honours across its 145 year history including the Eastern Premier League and Cricket Scotland Grand Final playoff in 2019 in addition to both the Scottish Cup and T20 Scottish Cup four times each.

History

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Although cricket had been played in Dundee since at least the 1830s, no club had the luxury of a dedicated pitch to play on. Magdalen Green was a popular location before playing cricket on the public park was effectively banned in the mid 19th century.[2]

The club was formed officially in June 1879 after George M. Cox, a member of the Cox family which owned Camperdown Works, gathered enough support and funds totalling £300 to form the first cricket club in Dundee or surrounding area which was to have ownership of its own ground.[3] Suitable land was acquired on the then-outskirts of the burgh of Broughty Ferry. A pavilion was built for the opening of the new ground and debut match in 1880; this structure was replaced by a new pavilion financed by club captain W.R. Sharp in 1898.

The club took its name from the official title of the county of Angus at the time. Cox, who played for Marchbanks in Lochee and Perthshire before the creation of the new club, wanted to emulate the success of the Perth-based team in his home town.[4]

Over the next 30 years large crowds were drawn to Forthill, with some attendances being in excess of 10,000. At least two 'derby' matches against Perthshire drew a crowd of over 13,000 to Broughty Ferry in the early 1900s. The return fixtures were just as popular. In 1903, while playing a derby match against Perthshire at their home ground on the North Inch, a temporary stand holding nearly 500 spectators collapsed, injuring more than 150 people.

Several high-profile professionals have played for the club, including Gordon Hodgson for the 1935-36 seasons, who previously played for Lancashire and was also an England international footballer who played for Liverpool at the time.[5][6]

In recent years, Forfarshire have won several honours, including the T20 Scottish Cup and the Eastern Premier League in 2019. Winning the league meant the opportunity to play in the Cricket Scotland League Grand Final against the winner of the Western Premier League. Forfarshire beat their opponents, Uddingston, crowning them 2019 Scottish champions.[7]

This was followed by two successive cup doubles, winning the Scottish Cup and T20 Scottish Cup in 2022 and 2023.[8]

Notable players

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Internationals

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Name Year
W. R. Sharp 1902
Robert Tait 1907
George Chalmers 1908
Billy Ringrose 1908
Alexander Lindsay 1909
Henry Nicoll 1914
David Stevenson 1922
John Russell 1923
Alexander Simpson 1924
William Young 1924
John Farquhar 1930
John Melville 1932
Name Year
James Henderson 1946
Stuart Wilson 1957
Alex Steele 1967
Peter Rhind 1968
Earl Reoch 1973
Stewart Bruce 2004
Ryan Watson 2006
Craig Wallace 2012
Michael Leask 2014
Scott Cameron 2018
Charlie Cassell 2024

Hall of Fame

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2019

2022

  • Dick Auchinleck
  • Rae McLelland

2024

Home ground

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Main article: Forthill

Forthill was initially leased for ten years by the new cricket club from a local landowner, Sylvester Kerr. Its main appeal was the short distance to Broughty Ferry station as well as the views of the surrounding countryside at that time.[2]

Club officials

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Club officers

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  • President: Elaine Sim
  • Secretary: Paul Whitehead
  • Treasurer: Graham McLelland

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Champion County". Dundee Evening Telegraph. 25 August 1902. p. 3.
  2. ^ a b "Cricket - Forfarshire V. Glenalmond". Dundee Courier: 2. 25 May 1880.
  3. ^ "The Forfarshire Cricket Club". Dundee Courier: 2. 10 June 1879.
  4. ^ McLeish, Duncan (2005). International Cricket Grounds of Scotland. West Bridgford, Nottingham: Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. p. 17.
  5. ^ "Forfarshire C.C.'s New Professional - Gordon Hodgson from Lancs". Dundee Evening Telegraph: 8. 27 September 1934.
  6. ^ "Forfarshire C.C. Prof Leaves". Dundee Evening Telegraph: 1. 4 August 1936.
  7. ^ Kelso, David (8 September 2019). "Forfarshire defeat Uddingston in Grand Final as Meigle win promotion". The Scotsman. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  8. ^ "Scottish Cricket Cup Finals Day 2023 - Wins for Forfarshire and West of Scotland Women". cricketworld. 20 August 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  9. ^ "Forfarshire CC Hall of Fame". Forfarshire CC. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
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