Cricket: Japan to tour Scotland

HISTORIC Hamilton Crescent will rack up another sporting first next week.

The venue for the first-ever football international between Scotland and England in 1872 is also the scene of internationals in three other sports (cricket, hockey and rugby).

It is now best known as the home of West of Scotland Cricket Club and on Wednesday 1 May the ground in Glasgow’s west end will host the first Japanese national cricket team to tour Scotland. The Japanese are coming to mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of the first cricket club in that country – by a Scotsman.

The Yokohama CC was set-up by Glaswegian James Mollison in 1863. Wednesday’s match will see Japan take on a Western District Select in a 50-over match while Japan Women, also on tour, will face the Western Wildcats in two T20 fixtures at nearby New Anniesland.

The tour moves on to Stirling the following day with the first-ever Cricket Scotland President’s XI double header with matches featuring both men’s and women’s teams. Cricket Japan hope the tour will raise awareness of ‘Cricket for Smiles Aid’ – a charity for children affected by the 2011 tsunami and earthquake.

The Japanese conclude their trip with a match against an East of Scotland XI at Myreside, Edinburgh, on Thursday 3 May.