2021 Cricket Season opens at Inverleith

Friendly match : Stewart’s Melville CC 230 for 7 (40 overs); Edinburgh Academicals 234 for 5 (37.2 overs)

The 2021 cricket season at Inverleith opened on Saturday with a friendly match against Edinburgh Academicals. The 40 overs a side match was played under the Covid rules for cricket matches introduced last year. The Stew Mel side was more representative of the 2nd XI than the the 1st XI which it was labelled and despite an innings of 95 not out by Mark Burgess a total of 230 for 7 proved insufficient as Accies passed the score with 22 balls remaining with five wickets left. A second wicket stand of 166 between Max Banks and Omar Altaf after the early loss of captain Andrew Cosh set up Accies for a comfortable win.

New FP Club President Ken Russell aims to increase mutual support between club and school community

New FP Club President Ken Russell aims to increase the mutual support between the club and the school community during his presidency as well as seek donations for the school’s Access to Excellence Bursary Fund from the wider business community.

Ken, a pupil of Melville College between 1952 and 1965, was elected for a two-year term at the January 13 meeting of the club’s Council and chaired the February meeting. His duties include an ambassadorial role representing the FP Club and school at various functions, including Branch Club events, and acting as a link between the FP Club and the school. He will also oversee the transition of the day-to-day management and administration of the club to the school.

Ken is particularly keen that the mutual support between the club and the school increases during the challenging times we now face. Having already overseen the completion of a substantial donation by the club to the school’s Hardship Fund, Ken will use his presidency to fundraise further among FPs and the wider business community for the fund and the school’s Development Office. In return, he hopes to work with the Development Office to increase awareness of and engagement with the club among former pupils, resulting in higher membership.

Opportunity

Speaking about his plans, Ken says: “The economic, financial, social and emotional challenges we face as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic have provided us with an opportunity for the FP Club to work closer with the school in supporting each other – helping the Development Office and Access to Excellence support current and future pupils and their families while working together to make former pupils aware of the many social and networking benefits of club membership beyond the ones associated with the club’s sporting activities.

“I also feel the FP Club and its members are well placed to use their extensive social and business networks to seek new donations from the wider business community for Access to Excellence in order to pass on to current and future generations of pupils the benefits of a first-rate education they enjoyed while a pupil themselves. I look forward to the support of club members in this goal.

Thanks

“I’d like to thank Past Presidents Charles S. Wilson MBE and Robert Barclay for guiding the club through a challenging period including successfully managing the Clubhouse and latterly to Robert in steering the Club through the significant challenges created by Covid restrictions.”

Ken’s links with the club and school go beyond his own attendance at Melville College and membership of the FP clubs since leaving – his uncle, Alistair Birrell (DSC 1940) was a Past President of Daniel Stewart’s FP Rugby Club and his cousin, broadcaster Mike Russell was also an FP of Daniel Stewart’s (1959). Ken has also been a member of The Royal Company of Merchants of The City of Edinburgh for 44 years.

Background

Ken is the third generation of an entrepreneurial Edinburgh family with interests in construction, property and the automotive sectors. After leaving school he travelled extensively throughout the USA before spending a semester at Lincoln Way High School, New Lenox, Illinois. Ken then spent five years as a management trainee with a national construction group before joining his family construction business in Edinburgh.

Following his father’s unexpected death Ken, then aged 25, assumed responsibility for his family’s business interests, which under his stewardship continued to flourish for the next 40 years, including acquiring one of Scotland’s most award-winning motor dealerships and being a co-founder of the internationally-renowned Howtowdie Restaurant in Edinburgh’s West End.

A Fellow of the Institute of Directors, Ken has also been a member of The Society of Edinburgh High Constables, Scottish Motor Trade Association, Federation of Master Builders (Past President), St Andrews Business Club (Past President), Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and a founder member of the Scottish Borders Chamber of Commerce. Now resident in North-East Fife, Ken is an award-winning business mentor, board advisor and is currently is non-executive chairman of two companies.

Ken and his wife Ann have a daughter, three sons and five grandchildren. His other interests include cycling, hillwalking and speechwriting. Ken is currently writing his a biography of Ann’s career in nursing.

Club’s Beginnings – Early Playing Field at Ravelston

In 1886 former pupils of Stewart’s College induced the Merchant Company to lease for recreational purposes ground at Ravelston known as Honeyman’s field from the governors of Trinity Hospital at what is now the junction between Queensferry Terrace and Ravelston Dykes. In 1894 the Merchant Company acquired grounds at the present Inverleith before integrating Scottish Rugby’s next door “Union Field” in 1926.

Much more on this subject will appear in the club’s coming FP News.

New President – Ken Russell

Ken Russell (MC 1965) has been installed as the Club President in succession to Charles Wilson. Ken who lives in St Andrews where he operates principally as a business advisor these days spent much of his working life leading his own construction company and is remembered as a combative forward in the Melville College FP 1st XV for a number of years. Hopefully the activities of the club resume some time soon so that Ken is able to represent the club in the ways that he would wish.

FP Golf – Glasgow v Edinburgh

Post lockdown the Glasgow Branch of the FP Club made arrangements for the resumption of golfing activity with the annual match v Edinburgh at Milngavie Golf Club.

Navigating the route into the golf course tested the map reading abilities of the visitors as much as the course itself. In the event Glasgow were determined as winners of the “Mythical Trophy” once the stableford scores of the participants were determined.

All welcomed something of the return to normality and thanks to Jim Preacher for making the arrangements.

1st XV back on top with PL win

15 February 2020

NL 2 – Stewart’s Melville 18 Preston Lodge 0

Preston Lodge visited Inverleith fourteen days after the our narrow cup win this time on league business in a game accompanied yet again by high winds and driving rain. Unlike last time Stew Mel pretty much dominated possession and secured a territorial advantage throughout and not just for half the game with the forwards putting in a strong performance. After a prolonged period of attack without yielding a try Stew Mel took the option of three points from a penalty and that remained the score at half-time.

Euan Morrison opens the scoring with a penalty

The second half started in similar fashion with Stew Mel kicking a second penalty for a 6-0 advantage after 46 minutes. Eventually the forward pressure told with a try by Scott Alldritt after 51 minutes in giving us an 11-0 lead which looked safe for the win given the elements. A further try late on and converted by Euan Morrison took the margin to 18 points which fairly reflected the dominance of Stew Mel and the four match points won took us out of fourth place to the top of the league. Seven games remain with only one of these against a top half team.

Scott Alldritt goes over for our 1st try after 51 minutes

Before the match the club’s pre match lunch was a near full house attended by 95 past players and guests with many of those present not seen at Inverleith for some time. Afterwards the stand was as well filled as it has been this season though that might have had something to do with the awful weather brought by “Storm Denis”. It was a great effort by the club to get so many to the lunch.

1st XV turn around 22-0 Cup deficit to win in final minutes

Saturday 1st February – Inverleith

Stew Mel turned around a 22-0 half-time deficit to achieve an unforeseen 34-29 win over Preston Lodge in the quarter-finals of the National League Cup. With several enforced changes from last week’s match v Dumfries the 1st half was one way traffic in the direction of the Stew-Mel goal line as PL crossed for four tries converting one. In a complete reversal in the second half Stew Mel making use of possession they never enjoyed in the first half scored with a drop and then ran in four tries to lead 27-22 with minutes left. PL then scored a try under the posts to regain the lead before Stew Mel got the decisive final try for 34-29. A semi-final v Lasswade beckons.

Jamie McGurk crosses for the winning try

End of the month lunch

Bobby and Susie Clark and Ken Sharp

The first of the year’s end of month lunches took place at Inverleith today. Joyce produced a great menu for the thirty plus lunchers with traditional haggis, neeps and tatties among the main course choices.

1st XV win takes them to top

Saturday 25th January

The Stew Mel 1st XV scored an important win against fellow leaders Dumfries at Inverleith running in 5 tries in a 33-24 win. A fine attacking display had the team comfortably ahead most of the match but some slack defensive play kept the visitors just about within sight of a result most of the 80+ minutes.

An excited Bill McNie celebrates the final Stew Mel try

The National League 2 table now has Stew Mel on 53 points from 14 matches and no fewer than three sides Dumfries, GHK and Kirkcaldy on 51 points. Peebles are next with 49 points while PL with 46 points could yet be in the mix once all 22 games have been played.

Saturday sees the 1st XV in cup action v PL at Inverleith at 1.30pm before the televised Ireland v Scotland international

Cricket Club AGM

The Club’s AGM was held on Tuesday 21st January at Inverleith.

Lawrance Reilly continues as President with Greg Bissett continuing as Vice President. Steven Parker continues as 1st XI captain.

Other appointments:

Secretary – Bert Barclay; Treasurer – James Crispin; Captain 2nd XI – Adam McHoul; Captain 3rd XI – Sim Edgar; Captain 4th XI – Fraser Laidlaw.

Junior Convener – David Gibson; Child Protection Officer – Steven Kerr.

Committee – Michael Miller, David Sharkey, Euan Robertson.