The Edinburgh Accies Cricket Club Are the Best in Scotland

The Edinburgh Academical Cricket Club, more commonly known as the Edinburgh Accies or just Accies, is a cricket club based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded way back in 1855, making it one of the oldest cricket clubs in the country.

This History of the Edinburgh Accies

The origin of the club can be traced all the way back to 1824, when cricket was being played in the yards of the Edinburgh Academy. A drawing by T.H. Shepherd of the Edinburgh Academy depicts two young boys with cricket bats

One of those boys was William Moncrieff, who would go on to become the founding member of the Grange Cricket Club, the country’s very first cricket club.

The Edinburgh Academy, in 1854, were given one of the playing fields at Raeburn Place, Stockbridge, and the Edinburgh Accies were formed the year after. Former students from the Academy and the first members of the Edinburgh Academical Cricket Club were instrumental in developing cricket in the country, and after a few years all of the country’s independent schools had their own private cricket grounds.

The first cricket game at The Courant, Edinburgh’s home ground, was played on the 17th April 1855. Since this day, the club has had many great players. For example, a team that was made up of T.R Marshall, H.J. Stevenson, and R.H Johnston defeated W.G. Grace’s Gloucestershire in 1891. Then there was L.M. Balfour-Melville, who captained the team in 1871, was chosen to captain his country, and then saw his side defeat Australia in 1872. He was just 18 at the time.

At the start of the 20th century, the Edinburgh Academical Cricket Club were considered the best team in Scotland. At this time, they had fantastic players such as James Stevenson, Rab Bruce-Lockhart, and A.I.S. Macpherson. All of these players won call ups to the Scottish national team. In the 1930s, their first team was made up of eight players who had played for their country.

The East of Scotland League was created in 1953, but the Accies didn’t win their first trophy until 1957. One of their most celebrated players is J.M. Allan, who played for Scotland 60 times from 1953-72. He also went on to play for Warwickshire and Kent.

When it comes to silverware, the 1970s was the best time to be an Accies fan. They collected the Masterton Trophy in 1970 and 1977. In 1974, they won their first Scottish Cup.

At the start of the 21st century, some Australian and New Zealand cricketers joined the club. Steve Spoljaric was their standout performer as he scored 4092 runs and picked up 148 wickets in the six years that he spent with the club.

The current club captain, Andrew Cosh, is the grandson of Major S.H. Cosh, who captained Scotland. Cosh has been a prolific batsman and he helped the club to be promoted from the Championship in 2017. They are currently playing their home matches at New Field as their usual ground is being renovated.

Everyone is Welcome to Join

Everyone associated with the club is extremely friendly and welcoming, so if you are in Edinburgh and love cricket as much as they do, they will be more than happy for you to become a member of their club.

It doesn’t matter how old you are or what your cricketing abilities or experience is like, their doors are always wide open to anyone who has a keen interest in one of the fastest growing sports in the country.

If you prove yourself to be talented, you might even find yourself being drafted into the First XI or Second XI team. They have great training facilities that all members can use to improve their skills.

Obviously, the weather isn’t that great in Scotland during the winter months, but you can still get your cricket training in thanks to their indoor nets.

Cricketers are extremely social too, so you will also get to take part in social events such as golf outings, club dinners, curry nights, and barbecues.