Sport | Cricket |
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Jurisdiction | Cricket in Scotland |
Founded | 1908 |
Headquarters | Edinburgh |
Location | Scotland |
Chairman | Tony Brian |
Chief Exec | Malcolm Cannon |
Coach | Grant Bradburn |
Sponsor | The Scotsman, First ScotRail, Murgitroyd & Company, International Cricket Council |
Official website | |
www |
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Cricket Scotland, formerly known as the Scottish Cricket Union, is the governing body of the sport of cricket in Scotland. The body is based at the National Cricket Academy, Edinburgh.
The SCU was formed in 1908, but underwent a major restructuring in 2001 including a name change. It became an International Cricket Council member in 1994 as an Associate nation. It has three sub-associations: East of Scotland Cricket Association, Western District Cricket Union and the Aberdeenshire Cricket Association.
The governing body for cricket in Scotland is Cricket Scotland which was formed in 1908 as the Scottish Cricket Union, but re-structured in 2001. The work of Cricket Scotland includes the organisation and administration of national representative sides (senior and youth, men and women); the organisation of District/Area cricket; the organisation of national club cup competitions; the Scottish National Cricket Leagues; a national coaching programme for elite squads and at grass roots level; coach education; advice to members on relevant issues; and generally developing and promoting the game in Scotland. There are 150 cricket clubs affiliated to Cricket Scotland, but in total it is estimated that there are well over 250 clubs in Scotland.
Cricket Scotland employs 3 full-time and one part-time Cricket Development Officers covering the whole of Scotland. These Development officers work in association with local clubs, schools and associations in running coaching courses and coach education throughout the country, setting up leagues introducing new initiatives such as 'Inter-cricket' and 'Kwik- Cricket'.
The Scottish season runs from mid-April to early September, with almost all senior cricket being played on grass pitches. League cricket is mainly played on Saturdays whilst Sundays sees the majority of cup competitions played. Mid-week cricket is also becoming more popular for friendly matches as the demand for pitches at weekends grows.
Cricket in Scotland is at least 225 years old. The first match for which records are available was played in September 1785 at Schaw Park, Alloa. The game was more generally introduced to Scotland by English soldiers garrisoned in the country in the years following the Jacobite rising led by Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745; and it is no coincidence that the oldest known club is Kelso (records date back to 1820), in the Borders, then a garrison town. The origins of cricket in Perth, where cricket was also played at a very early stage, was also for the same reason.