Some interesting facts and statistics concerning the history of Largo Cricket Club.

 

1.  Highest score off one ball - on 28th May, 1989, in a game against old friends Woodcutters at East Drive, Ian Halley scored 7 runs from one strike.  He and his partner had crossed for 3 when an overthrow by one of the Woodcutter fieldsmen crossed the boundary, thus giving him an additional 4 runs.

 

2.  Original “Cod Heid”, Stevie Stewart, in his debut game for Largo against East Kilbride CC, was dismissed for a duck, run out, without facing a ball.  In the same game, when put on to bowl for Largo, he took a wicket with his first ball, clean bowling the opposition batsman.

 

3.  In a Sunday game against Kinross in 1992, Largo fielded three father and son partnerships - Ian and Graeme Barnes, Andrew and Alastair Duncan and Alec and Neil McKay.

 

4.  One man and his dog.  Andrew Pirie was the first umpire to officiate with canine friend during a match with the Woodcutters in 1993.  Is this a world first?

 

5.  Largo's nadir was achieved on 20th May 1990, when they scored a paltry 22! against Crieff in the Small Clubs Cup.  What happened 12 years later though folks?  nuff said!

 

6.  Largo, hitherto without a win in over ten years of touring, finally achieved success at Glendelvine in September 1993.  I don't think many people involved in this monumentous win can even remember it! not just now but back then!! Scoop?

 

7.  Also on tour, a record sum of money was raised when players were fined each time they maligned the English while south of the border.  The parentage of the Tour Judge levying the fine that particular year has frequently been called into question! Will that Tour Judge please stand up!

 

8.  Club selection reached its all time low on the now infamous 1991 tour to Manderston when those legends of Largo Cricket Club, Andrew Pirie and Ian MacDonald, were dropped without even playing a game.  Small wonder why they are reluctant to tour again!

 

9.  In defiance of the true cavalier fashion of a Largo Cricket Club tourist, Andrew Hutchison wrote himself into the record books playing against Glendelvine.  He took 40 minutes to score his fist run.  Boycott would have been proud Hutch! Andrew was heard to say after his mammoth innings "Cricket isn’t about flashy strokes and scoring runs it's about graft!"

 

10. Ian Sim and "Gentleman" Jim Arnott achieved  a club record when batting together in 1995 against Freuchie.  Their combined ages totalled 113.  Not surprisingly, perhaps, the partnership ended in a run out.

 

11.  The longest direct hit run out recorded at East Drive was achieved by Cameron McKenzie with a magnificent throw of 253 feet during a league match against Fauldhouse Victoria CC in 1995.  The throw was officially measured with a chain by groundsman at the time Iain MacDonald.

 

12.  Ex President Ian Barnes, a long-standing advocate of introducing young players into senior cricket, was so enthusiastic at under 15 player Duncan Rougvie's success in having a Woodcutters' batsman caught by wicketkeeper Alec McKay, that he himself appealed for the catch, at the same time giving the batsman out.

 

13.  To date, only one Largo cricketer has appeared in the celebrated Wisden Almanac - this was Alastair Duncan who, in 1995, was mentioned in despatches for heading the bowling averages at Strathallan School.

 

14.  Although not recorded in the official statistics Greg"Kiwi"Rodden scored 138 not out against Glenrothes in the Fife Cup 2002 (20 overs). This included 7 sixes and 13 fours and in an 18 over spell Greg and partners put 178 runs on the Glenrothes scoreboard.

 

15.  In season 1996 Craig "Scoop" Walker scored an incredible 5 centuries.  This is a feat that may not be equalled or bettered for a long time. He also ended that season with a Club record of 1150 runs and a club record of 144 not out.

 

16.  Largo has had a number of batsman who have made it to the magical three figure mark, some of them more than once.  Here are the Club’s century makers.

 

                Craig Walker      David Cook         Gordon Kinnear              Guy Robinson

                Bob Mowat         Sandy Smith       Andrew Donaldson         Greg Rodden (Fife Cup)

        

17.  Cricket is sometimes called a batsman's game but we can't leave the bowlers out.  Records are not altogether clear in some of the old score books, however, there have been 6 official club "hat-tricks"

 

        Bob Mowat     V        Lawside CC                30th June, 1985

        Bob Burns      V        n/a                                  1986

        Nigel Kite       V        Mitre CC                    26th July, 1987

        Ian Barnes     V        B.H.S. FP                       1989

        Glen Powell   V        Townhill CC               1999

        Brent Bentley V        Standard Life /  Clackmannan CCC          September 2003