Historic cap returns to Scotland

THE Scottish Rugby Union has been presented with an international cap it awarded to a player in 1886.

The 124-year-old family heirloom which belonged to Reginald Herbert Morrison, a centre who won three caps for Scotland while studying at Edinburgh University, has been returned to Scotland from Australia by his great-grand-daughter-in-law Rebecca Morrison.

Rebecca, who is in Scotland on a business trip, presented the cap along with two others, one of which was from Edinburgh University and another which is yet to be identified. The Scotland cap will be displayed in the President's Suite at Murrayfield Stadium.

Rebecca Morrison said: "It's a marvellous thing to bring the cap back here to Scotland where it belongs."

Of Scottish ancestry, Morrison was born on 15 March, 1864 in Geelong, Victoria, Australia.

His pursuit of medicine brought him to Scotland where he studied at Edinburgh University for four years and played rugby for the university team.

Fast and athletic, Reggie – as he was known to his colleagues – earned selection for all three internationals in 1886, against Wales, Ireland and England. In the game against Ireland at Raeburn Place, he crossed the line for two tries, making him the country's top try scorer that year.

After graduating in 1888, Morrison returned to Australia leaving behind his short-lived rugby career. On his return to his homeland he set up a successful GP practice, became an honorary gynaecological surgeon at the Royal Women's hospital in Victoria and lectured as a professor in gynaecology and obstetrics at Melbourne University.