The Golden Era of Perthshire Cricket

Martin Chandler | 4:04pm GMT 28 December 2025

Published: 2025
Pages: 52
Author: Walker, John
Publisher: Private
Rating: 3 stars

The title suggests this is a history book, and the sub-title, The Players and the Personalities 1959-1995, indicates a collection of pen portraits. In truth it is something of both, but primarily it is the memoirs of a tax man, John Walker who, now in his seventies, looks back on a lifetime associated with Perthshire Cricket Club in Scotland.

Sadly the Perthshire club that Walker played for for many years, and was immensely successful, no longer exists having merged with another local club and left its historic home at North Inch. The successor club is Perth Doo’cot CC.

There are a few introductory paragraphs, but the bulk of the book is taken up with brief pen portraits of 22 Perthshire players, each accompanied by a personal memory of Walker’s of the man concerned. After that looked at separately are ten of the club’s professionals, seven Australians, two Englishmen and one Indian. The Aussies include Test players Adam Gilchrist, Justin Langer and Bruce Yardley and the Indian, Lalu Rajput, also appeared at the game’s highest level. The Englishmen were both established county cricketers, Lancashire’s Bob Ratcliffe and Worcestershire’s Steve Perryman. The final part of the book contains brief profiles of 17 opponents.

The descriptions of the players talents are serious enough, but there is plenty of humour in the anecdotes. Of fast bowler Brian Wilson who, unusually for a cricket has an imaginative nickname, Walker describes his bowling action as resembling an angry octopus. Another that made me smile related to Alex Baird, this time predictably nicknamed ‘Bairdy’, the take away for Walker from the episode he describes being don’t try to pee in your room-mate’s bed.

There are plenty of illustrations in this well produced A5 sized booklet as well as some interesting career figures. By definition it will not be a bestseller, and I believe that only 100 copies have been printed, but it is nothing if not entertaining. Interested purchasers can contact Roger Page in Australia or, for those rather closer to Perth, Richard Miller (rwsmiller@lineone.net)