James Lillywhte's Cricketers' Annual 1884

C R I C K E TI N S C O T L A N D . 3 5 Scotchmenborn andbred. Drumpellier , however, has reared some well-known professional bowlers , chief among them being Watson, of the Lancashire Countyeleven . The reason for this dearth of Scottish professionals is , perhaps , due to the fact that cricket is not a paying gamein Scotland . Whereas in England a good professional bowler can make five or ten pounds a week, very few in Scotland make more than thirty or forty shillings . Thus, in Scotland , there is no pecuniary inducement to a manto make cricket the business of his life . In any other trade he can make a certainty of fair wages, and a constant employmentfor the whole year ; but in the cricket profession in Scotland the season is only four months at the most, and the wages are not sufficient to compensatehimfor the inconstancy of his employment. If the Scottish clubs could depend on taking gate -money to any extent , they could afford to employ English professionals of a higher class than they do at present . Until they can offer as high wages as a professional cricketer is likely to earn whenplaying for his county in England, they cannot expect to have any first -class professional bowlers in Scotland . But gate -money-the mainstay of English cricket , and the tribute paid by a cricket -loving public to shew their appreciation of a noble game is almost unknown in Scotland , except when the Australians or an English eleven , containing well -known names, comes North. The most exciting local matches hardly ever realise a gate of even five pounds, and often , whenexpense has been incurred in erecting stands or refreshment tents , the enterprising club has to meet a dead loss . Cricket , in fact , is not yet supported by the Scottish public , and it is left to the membersof the various clubs to makeup deficits and pay large r e n t s. Notwithstanding these drawbacks and difficulties , the cricket of Scotland is muchbetter on the whole than it wasten years ago, and the numberof clubs in existence is very muchgreater now than it used to be. Cricket is , in truth , arising gamein Scotland , and wem a ylook forward to a time when Scotland will be able, despite its inferiority in numbers, to hold its own with England. ButScottish cricketers have yet muchto learn before they can obtain to this consummation; and the question is-howare they to be taught ? Whatwe require in Scotland is the establishment of some annual match with a good English County, for it is only by seeing good cricket that faults can be remedied and a correct style acquired . If the Scottish Cricket Union could arrange this , they would, indeed, do something to benefit Scottish Cricket . Anothergreat drawbackto Cricket in Scotland is the absence of first -class professional bowlers . If the leading clubs of Scotland would imitate Lasswade and engage really good professional bowlers , and always play them in their matches, the batting of Scotland could not fail to improve, and the batsmen becoming accustomed to meet first -class bowling , would knowhow to play whenthey metthe bowling of England. W ebelieve , then, that Scottish Cricket will be materially helped in its development , by being constantly brought into contact with first -class English cricket ; and we are quite sure that this object will be best attained by the institution of an annual matchwith a first -class English County, and by the employment, on the part of the Scottish clubs , of first -class professional bowlers , whoshould not merely give the Scottish batsmen practice at a net, butshould also take an active part in all the club matches. c 2