Double Headers

80 Other instances in the British Isles matches. Yet remarkably, they were both scheduled for exactly the same dates, from 23 to 25 May 1878. At the time there was no single governing body for representative cricket in Scotland, and so matches were arranged independently by clubs or individuals. Thus it was that in 1878, Major Dickins – a great supporter and organiser of early Scottish cricket – got together a side to play an England XI at Merchiston Castle School, as a benefit for the school’s professional and groundsman John Wright; and at exactly the same time, Grange CC – who at the time were becoming the ‘MCC of Scotland’ – organised a match against Yorkshire, to be played at the club’s ground at Raeburn Place. By the time the clash of dates was realised, it was too late to make any changes, and so both games went ahead, about 4½ miles apart on the west side of Edinburgh. Although neither is regarded by the ACS as first-class, both matches are regarded by Cricket Scotland as ‘cap’ games. The side against the England XI included four of Scotland’s best players of the time, including leading bowler David Buchanan (of Cambridge University, MCC and pre-first-class Warwickshire), while the England side that opposed them was a strong one, including a powerful Nottinghamshire contingent (among them Arthur Shrewsbury, William Oscroft, John Selby, William Barnes, Wilfred Flowers and Jemmy Shaw). In the game itself, Scotland took a useful first- innings lead before falling to pieces in the second innings. On the third day, rain stopped play with the scores level, but Scotland took the field ten minutes after the advertised finish time in order to allow England to win: Scotland 170 and 52 (J.C.Shaw 6-15) lost to England XI 134 (W.Flowers 59; D.Buchanan 6-43) and 89-3 by seven wickets. Against Yorkshire the home side contained seven of Scotland’s top players, including batsman Leslie Balfour (later Balfour-Melville), Scotland’s greatest player of the Victorian era. 73 But they too lost, to a Yorkshire side that included five players who had played for England in the first-ever Test Match about 14 months previously (Tom Armitage, Tom Emmett, Andrew Greenwood, Allen Hill and George Ulyett) as well as other big names in Ephraim Lockwood and George Pinder. Although scheduled for three days, the Yorkshire game was completed in two 74 : Yorkshire 195 (G.Ulyett 107; J.E.Laidlay 5-55, W.F.Webster 5-78; Ulyett’s 107 was made out of 147 runs added while he was at the crease) beat Scotland 44 (T.Emmett 5-3, E.Lockwood 4-17) and 83 (A.Hill 4-22) by an innings and 68 runs. According to Neil Leitch, this Scottish double-header was no more than an unfortunate coincidence. But it is such a remarkable curiosity that it seems well worth a place here, even though neither game is regarded as first-class … ... Except that Yorkshire CCC do regard their match against Scotland as first- 73 In November 2011 he was among the first dozen cricketers admitted to Cricket Scotland’s Hall of Fame. 74 On the scheduled third day a fill-up, one innings match was played between two weakened Yorkshire and Scotland XIs, which the home side won easily: Yorkshire made 57 (Laidlay 6-18), to which the Scotland XI responded with 110-7, batting on after passing the Yorkshire score.