:00:19. > :00:25.afternoon tea and Morris dancing. Not something we really do in
:00:25. > :00:29.Scotland. Or is it? Well, I have got into character to conduct this Sport
:00:29. > :00:35.Nation investigation into the curious Case of Scottish cricket. I
:00:35. > :00:40.want to find out who plays it, how good we are as a nation at it, and
:00:41. > :00:50.how good we could become. But first, let's discover a bit about the
:00:51. > :01:01.
:01:02. > :01:08.with the army of King George II. Cricket was, at least in its
:01:08. > :01:12.origins, and imperialist game. the 1745 rebellion, the Hanoverian
:01:12. > :01:17.government decided to keep English soldiers in Scotland for years and
:01:17. > :01:22.years and decades and decades. Naturally, they brought their game
:01:22. > :01:31.of cricket with them. And it is no accident that in the garrison towns
:01:32. > :01:38.of Edinburgh, Stirling, Aberdeen and Perth, cricket was very, very strong
:01:38. > :01:43.for the next 150, possibly 200 years. This is all because the
:01:43. > :01:46.English soldiers were there, playing the game of cricket. And, of course,
:01:46. > :01:54.they would, eventually, through time, get a Scottish population
:01:54. > :01:56.interested in the game. What helped cricket a great deal was in the
:01:56. > :02:01.1880s and 1890s when employers started to make Saturday afternoon a
:02:01. > :02:06.holiday. So you went to a football match in the winter and a cricket
:02:06. > :02:12.match in the summer. This is the West of Scotland cricket ground in
:02:12. > :02:17.glass go, one of the most historic venues in Scottish sport. Here, in
:02:17. > :02:20.1872, Scotland played England in the first international match, not in
:02:20. > :02:26.cricket but in football. The two sports have existed together ever
:02:26. > :02:33.since. But why did football go on to become a national obsession, and not
:02:33. > :02:37.cricket? In the 1880s and the 1890s, Scotland were able to beat England
:02:37. > :02:44.at full or more often than they lost. And I think that was a
:02:44. > :02:54.tremendous boost to the game. -- at foot tall. Some Scots have played
:02:54. > :02:54.
:02:54. > :03:00.for England. After Australia gave England a real doing in 1930, he
:03:00. > :03:06.decided to adopt this body-line policy. Body-line means basically
:03:06. > :03:09.that you bowl the ball in the line of the batsman's body. They mixed
:03:09. > :03:14.the orthodox bowling attack with body-line, fast, short pitched balls
:03:14. > :03:20.aimed at the batsman's chest. Larwood was superb and England took
:03:20. > :03:30.the series 4-1. If the batsman had to do this several times, you would
:03:30. > :03:31.
:03:31. > :03:35.get out of the way of the next one. There was the first ever Scottish
:03:35. > :03:41.born player to become captain of England, and his famous tour of
:03:41. > :03:46.Australia was 1974-75, where he and his batsmen were very much on the
:03:46. > :03:54.other end of a piece of body-line bowling from Jeff Thompson and
:03:54. > :04:00.Dennis Lily. Of course, he could not cope with the fast bowling. He had
:04:00. > :04:06.an awful tour. Part of it was the desire for revenge for body-line
:04:06. > :04:09.which was 42 years previously. I think he scored a couple of
:04:09. > :04:17.centuries for England. He was never a great that's man, but he was a
:04:17. > :04:27.good enough captain. Varies the winning captain. The margin is 43
:04:27. > :04:28.
:04:28. > :04:33.runs. Mention must be made of the Village cup in 1985 at Lord's.
:04:33. > :04:38.has only to see out the last four balls without scoring, but when he
:04:38. > :04:48.appears to get one, it is too much for both that's men and crowd.
:04:48. > :04:48.
:04:48. > :04:53.think that will be remembered for ever. Celebrations in 1985. But
:04:53. > :04:57.there was an even bigger Scottish invasion in 19 99, when the national
:04:57. > :05:02.team qualified for the World Cup in England. They did not win a match
:05:02. > :05:07.but it was a worthwhile experience. One that stood out was the first
:05:08. > :05:13.game against Australia. Sold out at Worcester. Full of the Tartan Army.
:05:14. > :05:19.We took a huge following on that day. The Australian team were full
:05:19. > :05:24.of stars. Shane warned, Glenn McGrath, and as you know, they went
:05:24. > :05:28.on to win the tournament. But the first game was magical. We batted
:05:28. > :05:37.first, which was a gutsy decision, to bat against an attack like that.
:05:37. > :05:45.I think we got 170-180, maybe a bit less. We bowled OK. We had them
:05:45. > :05:53.25-3. We were on the edge but they were too strong in the end. It was a
:05:53. > :06:00.great atmosphere inside the ground and it was a joy to be part of it.
:06:00. > :06:05.Lovely shot. That will give him a bit of confidence. A different
:06:05. > :06:11.experience for various reasons. Just a great location. We did not carry
:06:11. > :06:14.huge travelling support but we still had some partisan crowds. But the
:06:14. > :06:18.atmosphere, with the Caribbean experience, was fantastic. The
:06:18. > :06:21.matches were on experience but living the dream up buying the World
:06:21. > :06:31.Cup is fantastic. The facilities on offer and the exposure is great for
:06:31. > :06:44.
:06:44. > :06:47.the players. -- living the dream of Although you have to admit it was
:06:47. > :06:57.interesting. I want to find out who plays cricket in Scotland in the
:06:57. > :06:57.
:06:58. > :07:07.here and now. There are about 180 clubs in Scotland and about 10,000
:07:08. > :07:10.
:07:10. > :07:19.permitting, the lads of Stoneywood and Aberdeenshire will be gearing up
:07:19. > :07:23.for a match. One of the reasons I have come to the north-east is
:07:23. > :07:29.because I have heard it is a hot bed of cricketing talent, and cricket is
:07:29. > :07:34.very popular here. There is a story going around that the Aberdeen area
:07:34. > :07:38.has more cricketers per head of population than anywhere other than
:07:38. > :07:44.Yorkshire and Barbados. We like to believe that. We do reasonably well
:07:44. > :07:48.in terms of the local league. There are 36 clubs in the local league.
:07:48. > :07:55.Our third 11 plays in the second tier of that. It is a mixture of
:07:55. > :08:00.veterans and youngsters. I am with a stony look -- Stoneywood player,
:08:00. > :08:07.former coach and former Scotland international. How strong is cricket
:08:07. > :08:11.in this part of the world? It is definitely a strong area for
:08:11. > :08:16.cricket. Obviously you have Stoneywood dice and Aberdeenshire in
:08:16. > :08:26.the National League but you also have 36 great teams playing local
:08:26. > :08:26.
:08:26. > :08:31.cricket. Every village, all of these little villagers have their own
:08:31. > :08:36.teams which are playing local cricket. What is the historical
:08:36. > :08:40.background? Why is it so strong in this area? Much of the research is
:08:40. > :08:44.that it is the English influx. I do not know if it is because of the oil
:08:44. > :08:51.back in the day, but everything that macro Aberdeen has been strong for
:08:51. > :08:56.the oil, which brought a lot of ink -- English employees. This might be
:08:56. > :09:00.a family club but it is renowned for producing Scotland international
:09:00. > :09:04.players. We are proud of what we have done. It comes through hard
:09:04. > :09:11.work. The focus is on coaching. We want to do well, we want to enjoy
:09:11. > :09:15.the sport, but we are very keen to develop the youngsters. Do not take
:09:15. > :09:21.this the wrong way, but this does not strike me as the richest of
:09:21. > :09:26.cricket clubs, but you manage on a shoestring to produce this talent.
:09:26. > :09:31.We certainly manage on a shoestring. There is lots of volunteer labour.
:09:31. > :09:37.You have seen people repairing fences. There were people cutting
:09:37. > :09:40.the outfield this morning. grassroots, you are typical of the
:09:41. > :09:46.backbone of volunteers keeping cricket at club level together in
:09:46. > :09:51.Scotland. I am sure some of the bigger clubs have bigger workforces
:09:51. > :09:54.than we have got. Maybe I am wrong. When you see the success we have had
:09:54. > :10:01.and how we have done things, maybe the family model is something that
:10:01. > :10:07.others could look at. I am told this is called the Goudie stand. In
:10:07. > :10:13.honour of Mr Goudie in the middle. What is your involvement? My son
:10:13. > :10:17.used to play cricket here. He plays for Scotland. He grew up here as a
:10:17. > :10:21.young kid and played through the juniors. The club promotes the
:10:21. > :10:27.junior scene for the cricket. It is a good development area for up and
:10:27. > :10:37.coming stars. People get involved with their families and the
:10:37. > :10:50.
:10:50. > :11:00.youngsters get involved. There are the mothers of the current Scotland
:11:00. > :11:03.
:11:03. > :11:10.know that cricket clubs are renowned for their tea. I am going to chat
:11:10. > :11:15.for the -- to the ladies responsible. We have two camera shy
:11:15. > :11:23.ladies, I am sure. What is on the menu? Sausage roll, pizza, fancy
:11:23. > :11:32.cakes, fruit. T, Coffey. Is it very competitive, the world of cricketing
:11:32. > :11:37.tea? We are renowned for our tea up and down Scotland. We have a good
:11:37. > :11:47.name for our tea. Probably quite competitive. I am in the press
:11:47. > :11:47.
:11:47. > :11:54.locks. It is actually an oversized -- oversized bobbin. And this is the
:11:54. > :12:01.press. Do you come here often? I operate between Stoneywood and
:12:01. > :12:05.Mannofield, the major teams in the area. There is a huge commitment to
:12:06. > :12:10.cricket in the area. They take it very seriously, very competitive. It
:12:10. > :12:15.has been played here for over 150 years, and a lot of youngsters have
:12:15. > :12:22.come through. Last weekend, four players were in the Scottish squad
:12:22. > :12:26.from this area. Why is cricket so popular in the north-east? Good
:12:26. > :12:30.question. The weather does not lend itself. It is not always warm and
:12:30. > :12:39.pleasant. But there is a big commitment to cricket. What have I
:12:39. > :12:49.learned from my visit? Firstly, the weather was not bad. Second, the
:12:49. > :12:58.
:12:58. > :13:08.cricket was good. Third, the tea is wicket taker, magic hack. He is club
:13:08. > :13:14.
:13:14. > :13:22.captain of Clydesdale on the clubs in Scotland. How did you get
:13:22. > :13:29.into cricket? Through one of my uncles. Cricket was always in your
:13:29. > :13:36.life. Definitely. Back in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, shall anchor,
:13:36. > :13:41.cricket is the number one sport in those countries. It is one of the
:13:41. > :13:48.top two sports here, along with foot all. There is a great ethnic mix.
:13:49. > :13:58.There are a lot of Asian Scots here as well. Is this typical? We are in
:13:59. > :14:00.
:14:00. > :14:07.the heart of the Asian community. It is a great culture, a mix of young
:14:07. > :14:10.Pakistanis, white Scots boys. It is very good. It seems a great place
:14:10. > :14:17.for different communities to meet in a sporting context, something you do
:14:17. > :14:22.not see is much in other sports but you see in cricket. You see a lot of
:14:22. > :14:27.talented Asian boys playing foot ball, and I'm surprised they have
:14:27. > :14:35.not gone on because the talent is there. Is it because they are drawn
:14:35. > :14:38.to cricket? Parents for my generation, most of the guys in
:14:38. > :14:43.their 20s, they wanted them to get an education and do not see sport as
:14:43. > :14:50.a way to make a career, which is unfortunate. Hopefully it could
:14:50. > :14:56.change the thinking of Asian parents and that will make a big difference.
:14:56. > :14:58.Across Glasgow, West of Scotland are trying to produce the next
:14:58. > :15:04.generation of Scotland internationals.
:15:04. > :15:09.The secret is exposure, these guys are as talented as anything I can
:15:09. > :15:14.see. I have spent time coaching Yorkshire Cricket club and they get
:15:14. > :15:20.more exposure to cricket at schools and so on. For me, you have two have
:15:20. > :15:25.the skills. Years gone by, there was the discussion about what produced a
:15:25. > :15:28.sportsman, I believe it is doing the skill. And these guys have to
:15:28. > :15:33.practice cricket as much as possible.
:15:33. > :15:38.In the last year, with funding from the governing body, 50,000
:15:38. > :15:41.schoolchildren have sampled the sports.
:15:41. > :15:46.-- sport. Cricket Scotland have a good structure and it is going
:15:46. > :15:48.through to senior level but it has to lie with the individual. Part of
:15:48. > :15:57.my role is to stimulate that my role is to stimulate that
:15:57. > :16:01.interest, to do My parents always said, they always
:16:01. > :16:06.put a big emphasis on my education and said that would come first. But
:16:06. > :16:11.if you want to push through, there has to be a balance. You have to
:16:11. > :16:16.work hard at both. 17-year-old Andrew has followed the
:16:16. > :16:21.pathway system and is close to getting an international call-up.
:16:21. > :16:25.Scotland is like the second team of the Scotland team. They try and
:16:25. > :16:34.bring in younger players and older players trying to get back in the
:16:34. > :16:40.Scotland team, it is a bridge so there is not so much of a gap.
:16:40. > :16:44.Andy has got everything to go the full weight. The key with Andy is
:16:44. > :16:50.learning the finer details of the game. -- the four way. That is often
:16:50. > :16:54.the step between a level cricket and the former national team, the finer
:16:54. > :16:58.details, and he will learn that by exposure to higher level cricket.
:16:58. > :17:02.Like any sport, the more you put in, the more you get out, and that is
:17:02. > :17:07.the biggest thing. I am going down to Warwickshire in a couple of weeks
:17:07. > :17:10.to play for them, trial matches, so to play for them, trial matches, so
:17:10. > :17:16.we will see how that goes. Is that a big Russia situation? You could say
:17:16. > :17:21.it is a big Russia situation but it is also a big opportunity.
:17:21. > :17:25.What you hope to achieve in the sport ultimately? Ultimately to play
:17:25. > :17:29.at international level. My dad always says, a little skill and big
:17:29. > :17:34.belief go further than big skill and no believe.
:17:34. > :17:39.Clubs are spending thousands of pounds on hired assassins and
:17:40. > :17:45.getting nothing back. Luckily, it -- luckily, they took me on here and I
:17:45. > :17:50.changed that Ultra. It is about me not delivering as a role model but
:17:50. > :17:55.also giving back to the club and putting it structure in place to
:17:55. > :17:58.allow youngsters to come through. The worst thing at clubs is where
:17:58. > :18:04.kids are not getting an opportunity.
:18:04. > :18:07.One of England 's best all-rounders captained the side in the 1970s. He
:18:07. > :18:13.was born in South Africa and only qualify to play for England through
:18:13. > :18:17.his Scottish father. As is the case in other sports, some
:18:17. > :18:27.of our best young cricketers had south to try their luck in England.
:18:27. > :18:28.
:18:28. > :18:33.But is that a good thing or a bad Here we are at Northants County
:18:33. > :18:43.Cricket Club, right in the heart of England. I have come here to meet
:18:43. > :18:47.
:18:47. > :18:55.How different does he think things are here to back home?
:18:55. > :18:59.I think it is the day in and day out of it. You are constantly around it,
:18:59. > :19:03.you have always got the availability of training. You always have the
:19:03. > :19:08.availability of training. Right next to the indoor centre, and on days
:19:08. > :19:14.like this, you can top up your skills and improve yourself as much
:19:14. > :19:21.as possible. There are two divisions in England. We are in the second
:19:21. > :19:25.division. We are on top at the moment.
:19:25. > :19:35.He says the training facilities at English county level helping him
:19:35. > :19:36.
:19:36. > :19:40.become a better player. -- of helping him. -- are.
:19:40. > :19:44.I have had few problems -- a few problems in the past with certain
:19:45. > :19:50.parts of my legs so I am making sure they are strong.
:19:50. > :19:59.So you will not hear to bulk up? No, you cannot we rebook yourself up
:19:59. > :20:03.because the movement is so unnatural that you struggle -- bulk. To get
:20:03. > :20:09.your arm over. We have a sports psychologist and we can get in
:20:09. > :20:17.touch. A few people do regular work to make sure they are thinking as
:20:17. > :20:23.positively as they can. There is that much pressure, so only you can
:20:23. > :20:26.perform on the day. If you face one good delivery and all of a sudden,
:20:26. > :20:30.you are back in the dressing room, there is not much you can do. You
:20:30. > :20:34.have to wait until the next game, and if the same happens again, it
:20:34. > :20:39.builds up. Is it a different pressure playing
:20:39. > :20:45.for Scotland? Not necessarily, you are always
:20:45. > :20:55.trying to perform. There is not one day that you do not go out and try
:20:55. > :21:00.
:21:00. > :21:03.and score forums. That is what I try Scotland captain, so how is he
:21:03. > :21:08.taking to it? Things run through my head and I
:21:08. > :21:12.have just started doing it for Scotland. If you sleepless nights
:21:12. > :21:22.thinking, different scenarios in your head, inquisitions, different
:21:22. > :21:26.
:21:26. > :21:33.players, how they are playing and you on. I quite like the challenge.
:21:33. > :21:37.Welcome to the dressing room. smelt worst ones in my time! Give us
:21:37. > :21:45.a look around. You are lucky, they have just tidied
:21:45. > :21:50.This is fairly compact for a cricket team, all this year. Are you sitting
:21:50. > :21:55.here how we focused on a match day on the -- on the wicket?
:21:56. > :22:05.Sometimes, it depends. Some people read before they go on. Other people
:22:06. > :22:17.
:22:17. > :22:22.like myself, I like to watch what is You are prepared. You have done all
:22:22. > :22:25.the preparation. When you are out there, it you have got to back up
:22:25. > :22:31.your ability and the skills you have got in training.
:22:31. > :22:37.That rain is getting heavier, so we had better go in doors now.
:22:37. > :22:47.Thank you for coming. Thank you for having thus. -- having
:22:47. > :22:57.
:22:57. > :23:02.level in England, but what about international level? You can often
:23:02. > :23:12.gauge the strength of a sport in a country by how its national team
:23:12. > :23:24.
:23:24. > :23:29.Here they are, preparing to face Pakistan and hoping for their first
:23:29. > :23:33.win over a team in the top tier of world cricket.
:23:33. > :23:38.We are currently 14th in the world. We would like to be higher and over
:23:38. > :23:41.the last three or four years, the results have been mixed. We play in
:23:42. > :23:48.the second team with the likes of Ireland, can you, Holland and
:23:48. > :23:52.Afghanistan, so it is very competitive. -- Kenya. If we could
:23:52. > :23:55.turn over a like Pakistan or Australia, our rankings would go up
:23:55. > :24:03.considerably. I really want Scotland to do well,
:24:03. > :24:08.although my love is for Pakistan's. How big a shock would it be if
:24:08. > :24:18.Scotland beat the mighty Pakistan? About as big a shock as Scotland
:24:18. > :24:30.
:24:31. > :24:35.winning the World Cup in football! off now!
:24:35. > :24:40.And will come back and see you when Scotland have won!
:24:40. > :24:44.That I will come back. That will be a long time!
:24:44. > :24:49.I am still waiting, Pakistan won this by 96 runs.
:24:49. > :24:52.You have broken the record for the most wickets taken in one-day
:24:52. > :24:55.internationals for Scotland but you are not happy.
:24:55. > :25:00.Personal milestones are good when you retire, but at the moment, we
:25:00. > :25:04.have lost a game. We had a great opportunity to win. Very
:25:04. > :25:10.disappointed with the second-half. You took three wickets and you
:25:10. > :25:16.bowled well, according to even Pakistan team, you must have bought,
:25:16. > :25:21.this is achievable and we can beat Pakistan. -- you must have thought.
:25:21. > :25:26.Definitely, it was a below par score by the Pakistan team and we were
:25:26. > :25:30.confident at the halfway stage we could be the first Scottish team to
:25:30. > :25:33.win the one-day international. How far Scotland away from achieving
:25:33. > :25:38.that? Very small margins at the highest
:25:38. > :25:41.level. We just need to have that belief a little bit more and get
:25:41. > :25:45.more experience of playing the big guys and handling the pressure
:25:46. > :25:50.situations well, I think that is probably what we are lacking at the
:25:50. > :25:55.moment. It is a bit of exposure for the
:25:55. > :25:59.lads, Pakistan play a lot of cricket in different conditions. And they
:25:59. > :26:08.get that can still learn a lot faster. Hopefully, our guys, playing
:26:08. > :26:12.against these, will take a lot from it. There is obviously a little gap
:26:12. > :26:14.in the sense of experience, but the guys are capable of anything in this
:26:14. > :26:22.team and we can go a long way with this squad.
:26:22. > :26:28.One Scotland post might ambitions is to one day beat a test side in a
:26:28. > :26:33.one-day international. -- want of Scotland post Mike ambitions.
:26:33. > :26:37.How far away are they? They are working hard but you never know when
:26:37. > :26:42.you will get this kind of victory. Knowing these conditions and less
:26:42. > :26:50.cricket, that is the main thing, they need to play more cricket to
:26:50. > :26:57.just eat the test sides. -- to just beat. They are missing that.
:26:57. > :27:03.Of eight improving? They played well today but they will improve with
:27:03. > :27:07.experience. -- they improving. The next World Cup is 2015 and we
:27:07. > :27:11.are in the middle of a qualification process, third in eighth, and if you
:27:11. > :27:17.finish in the top two, you get automatic qualification and if you
:27:17. > :27:20.do not, you go up against New Zealand. We are confident we will
:27:20. > :27:25.qualify in initially or through the qualifying competition, but it is
:27:25. > :27:28.vital to be their biggest we missed the last one in 2011.
:27:29. > :27:34.-- it is vital to be there because we missed.
:27:34. > :27:40.How well the top team do controls how much money we get for the ICC
:27:40. > :27:43.and by not qualifying for the World Cup, we probably messed about $1
:27:43. > :27:48.million over four years, so it is crucial to qualify for these events
:27:48. > :27:51.-- wee problem -- we probably messed.
:27:51. > :27:59.Is World Cup qualification 2015... I know you will say, yes, we can do
:27:59. > :28:04.We have two big games and if we win those four, we will qualify for the
:28:04. > :28:10.World Cup. If not, we have another qualification tournament next year
:28:10. > :28:14.against New Zealand so it is in our own hands. If we win the four games,
:28:14. > :28:20.we should qualify and we will find out in September. The national team
:28:20. > :28:28.needs to do a bit better, so hopefully, we can. It is a huge year
:28:28. > :28:31.for Scottish cricket. So what have -- so what have I
:28:32. > :28:37.learned about Scottish cricket? For one thing, the sport has a one
:28:37. > :28:41.history in this country. Also, more and more young people are having the