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Holy Cross Cricket Club scores 75 not out
Holy Cross Academicals Cricket Club is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.
This 'small, friendly cricket club' based in north Edinburgh puts out two Saturday elevens in the East League in Divisions 4 and 7 and plays midweek cup ties and friendlies. After a rocky few years, the club has revived in recent seasons, drawing in a new generation of 'Crossers'. To celebrate its 75th 'birthday', an anniversary match will be played at their Arboretum Road ground. A Club XI will take on a 'Legends and Friends' XI on Sunday 29 June.
The club is the last surviving remnant of Holy Cross Academy which, founded in 1907, closed its doors in 1969. Holy Cross Academicals began life as the former pupil's club for the Catholic secondary school, but soon became a club open to all. They use what were Holy Cross' playing fields at Arboretum Road, one of a number of cricket grounds along Ferry Road. Since 1950, Holy Cross Academicals have forged a reputation for fair play, an eclectic membership, as well as for 'playing in conditions that the more fastidious would spurn'.
Action at Arboretum in 2011. photo by Mark Brown
Renowned Crosser
Probably the most famous 'Crosser' is the prominent cultural progenitor and artist Richard Demarco CBE. Demarco is, in cricketing parlance, now 94 not out (turning 95 on 9 July). An underappreciated aspect of Demarco is that, alongside his lifelong affinity for art, he has also had an interest in sport. He was, as a youth, a fanatical cricketer, playing over 40 matches in 1949 – the year after he left school. Even when at Edinburgh College of Art, he would spend hours on the boundary, noting down scores from matches.
His vast archive contains a number of exercise books full of cricket scores, cuttings and statistics. After playing for the school team and also turning out for the Academicals, Demarco set up a team St. John's, in Portobello. St. John's FP went on to play several fixtures against Holy Cross. One fixture, from July 1950, saw Demarco open the batting (scoring 27 not out) and taking three wickets.
The 1949 Holy Cross Academy school team, featuring Richard Demarco.
Demarco admits that cricket was perhaps an unusual sport for a 'Romano-Scot' to embrace, so redolent is it, for many, of England and empire. For Demarco, cricket was a way for him to connect to 'the official world of Scotland and Britain', to feel included. This is all connected to Demarco's sense of being an outsider, due to his Italian heritage and further emphasised by his Roman Catholic schooling. Being treated as an outsider has shaped him. The cricket club has a similar character, with a number of 'misfits' playing for them over the decades.
Digging in the archives
Demarco is delighted that the cricket club persists to this day. In a review of Nora Carlin's history of the school (Holy Cross Academy, Edinburgh: The Life and Times of a Catholic School, 1907-1969), Demarco stated that the cricket club 'deserves to have a history all to itself'. That is now happening. Long-time club secretary, Jonathan Bates, is putting out choice selections from the club's archives on Holy Cross's X/ Twitter feed. Bates is making use of detailed club records maintained by founding member Hugh Kilpatrick (1933-2020), Paul Bailey, Scott Russell and others.
Holy Cross Academicals, 1955
The club archive includes a handwritten diary of the club's first season by George Balfour, later 1st XI captain. Balfour opened the batting (with his brother Robin) when Holy Cross played their first match at Colinton Mains on May 27th 1950, losing a low-scoring match. Balfour later participated in a match in 1975 to celebrate the club's 25th anniversary, There the opposition was led by Heriots and Scotland wicketkeeper Hamish More. More's brother George played for Holy Cross between 1983 to 1987, after a long, distinguished career at Heriot's, detailed in a recent book by Charlie Clark.
George Balfour's report on Holy Cross's 1st ever match
Rise, fall and rise
In its early years, Holy Cross struggled to break into the 'closed shop' of the East of Scotland League, largely playing friendly matches and in cup competitions. The club began playing regular league matches in the 1970s, winning the East League 3rd Division in 1976 and the 2nd Division in 1979. The bowling feats of Roddy Regan were an important factor in these successes.
Holy Cross 1st and 2nd XIs in 1977, with Hugh Kilpatrick in the centre. (photo courtesy of John McPartlin).
During the 1980s, Holy Cross regularly played in the top East League division, taking on the cream of Edinburgh cricket. In this era, the Holy Cross First XI generally 'yo-yoed' between Division 1 and 2, lacking the depth of quality to consistently challenge the top sides such as Grange, Heriots etc. Highlights of this era included swashbuckling innings by Javed Khan, a cousin of Imran Khan, and Fraser Buchanan. In the 1980s, the club had four Saturday XIs, as well as a full set of Sunday and midweek fixtures. The decline in Sunday cricket is part of a wider trend.
A key player in the early 1990s was Mark Oldham (1st XI captain 1993-1994), who set the club record 1st XI league score of 132, playing against a St. Modans' side including Indian international Robin Singh. Opening the bowling for the 1st XI at that time was Robin Worsnop, founder of the tour company Rabbies. These days, Worsnop captains the 2nd XI.
Agony and ecstasy
After league reorganisation (including the formation of the Scottish National League) in 1996, the 1st XI under the captaincy of Mark Robertson competed near the top of East League Division 1. There they battled against the likes of Glenrothes and St. Modans, and were narrowly beaten to the league title by Cupar in 1997. An infamous match in the club's history was their ingredibly low scoring encounter with St. Modans in May 1996. On a tricky pitch with a very thick outfield at Bluebellwood Park (near Bannockburn), Holy Cross dismissed their opponents for a mere 37 runs. Agonisingly, Holy Cross fell 1 run short in their chase. The memory of that match still lingers for those involved in it!
The frustration of cricket (photo by Mark Brown)
A further reorganisation saw the club in East League Division 2, which they won in the club's 50th anniversary of 2000. The final match saw Robin Worsnop take 8 wickets against Freuchie with high class swing bowling. The 50th Anniversary was celebrated with a memorable tour of Hampshire, Dorset and Somerset, led by Brian Palmer and John Brown, President of the club till his early death in 2011. The tour included a match versus Hambledon at Broadhalfpenny Down, a beautiful ground in Hampshire which hosted the inaugural First Class cricket match in 1752. Hambledon officials suggested that Holy Cross were the first Scottish team to play at their ground!
Mixed fortunes
Preceded by the loss of several key players (including batsman and club secretary James Bradley), the 1st XI suffered a disastrous 2001 season, finishing at the foot of East League Division 1. A period of recovery followed the arrival of Australian bowling allrounder Shannon Bonfield, and opening batsman Keith Fraser. Under Fraser's captaincy, the 1st XI had a run of good seasons. Highlights of this era included victory in 2003 in Cricket Scotland's Small Clubs' Cup. They defeated Dollar by 9 wickets in the final, with Bonfield the man of the match.
The Edinburgh Active Trophy Winners 2015 (captained by Simon McOscar), at Myreside (photo by Mark Brown).
The club went through a drastic dip in fortunes between 2016-2020, losing most of its 1st XI squad (including 1st team captain Simon McOscar) in the space of two seasons and plunging down the leagues. They struggled for numbers and were forced to drop their 3rd XI. In the last few seasons, the club has stabilised, drawing in a new generation of players, including the likes of Ben Reiss. The 1st XI have made a strong start to their 2025 league campaign in Division 4 of the East League, topping the table in June. Promotion would be a good way to mark the 75th anniversary.
Action at Arbo (Photo by Mark Brown)
Ground improvements
The club's ground at Arboretum Road improved during the 1970's when it was tended by groundsman Eddie Watson, who lived in the pavilion. In the 1990s, the cricket square was turned round and moved in the early 1990s. This was a response to too many balls struck into the retirement home on Arboretum Road! It took years of hard effort by the club, led by Colin Smith (then head groundsman at Edinburgh University's Peffermill) and Colin McGill to get the cricket square back up to standard.
Since 2013, the ground has been managed by Stewart's Melville. The school who use the ground, with Holy Cross Academicals (and Inverleith Rugby Club) holding protected rights to play matches there. The pavilion, badly damaged by fire in 2003, was restored in 2014. Arboretum has, once again, become a good quality cricket facility.
The restored pavilion at Arboretum (photo by Mark Brown)
In 2020, the club lost two significant figures. In the January, the club lost founder member and Honorary President Hugh Kilpatrick. Kilpatrick was dedicated to Holy Cross Academicals and to East League cricket (serving as league president). After a very successful playing career (including a period as first team captain) he continued to be involved with the club right up till his final months. For many seasons, Kilpatrick and former 1st team wicketkeeper Alan Reid.
The club also lost Colin McGill who contributed massively to the club from the mid 1970s. As Jonathan Bates put it, he was 'a Crosser for over forty years, a swing bowler of guile, captain of the 2nds and 3rds, long-time match secretary, club statistician, umpire, groundsman, raconteur. A fierce competitor but a sporting man.' In August 2021 a well attended memorial match for McGill was played. Movingly, at the end of the game his ashes were spread across the cricket square, reflecting his many hours preparing wickets there. In 2021, the club lost its President, Mahmood Din, who had recruited a substantial number of players for the club.
Colin McGill (photo by Mark Brown)
Club spirit
Though geographically close to the former pupils' clubs of the big private schools (Fettes, Heriots, Stewart's Melville), Holy Cross has had a different identity. When Holy Cross Academy closed in 1969, it lost one source of players. The club had a junior section in the 1980s but no longer has such a 'feeder'. For some time, it was a more 'open' club than others in the city, drawing to it a range of newcomers to Edinburgh, including several who worked in further and higher education. Players recruited from Edinburgh University have historically added depth to the playing resources. In recent decades, the club has recruited well from the wealth management company Baillie Gifford.
Those who arrive at Arboretum come from a range of backgrounds and geographic locations, creating an eclectic mix. The eccentric and friendly spirit of the club has attracted and retained players over the decades. The club will hope that the 75th anniversary celebrations will help propel the club towards future success and its next target – a century.
Sunset at Arboretum (photo by Mark Brown).
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