It is with a heavy heart we announce the news that Meigle CC legend Peter M Drummond passed away yesterday morning. It is hard to put into words the impact on the club Peter made in his various roles from highly skilled bowler to committee roles over many years. In the following paragraphs I will try.
Meigle Cricket Club has lost one of its greatest ever servants in Peter M Drummond who passed away on 27 December. A top quality bowler who won the Laing-Ovenstone Memorial Trophy for the top wicket taker bowler in the Strathmore Union championship twice, in 1951 and 1953 with an astonishing 72 and 70 wickets respectively, even in the days before over restrictions these are dazzling statistics. A Three Counties Cup and League win were amassed in this golden era, only matched in the history of the club in the 1980s when son Peter 'CJ' was a key player in title winning teams. Peter and the players of that era really established Meigle's pedigree and those who follow owe a lot to those trailblazers who put our wee village on the cricketing map.
Peter was selected for Perthshire in the old Scottish Counties Championship. Chatting to Ralph Laing in the summer, he told me how Peter did not play as often as many felt he deserved, as he had work commitments running the family slating and then plumbing business which was ultimately to Meigle's benefit, as he played more for his home club in the Union. Ralph also shared with me that a conglatutory phone call from his clubs outstanding bowler of his generation after his first Scotland selection was announced meant a great deal to him.
After his 1st XI days were over Peter continued to pull on the black and gold woolen sweater and won the Strathmore Union 2nd XI bowling cup in 1963. The Meigle 2nd XI Player of the Year trophy was donated by the man himself and is still awarded annually. In the days of team kit and being first and foremost a bowler, my dad tells me Peter once told him that he never owned a bat until he was 50! Compare that to today's youngsters with a bat for every day of the week. Peter went on to hold numerous committee roles over the years with Meigle CC and as recently as 2012 was supporting fundraising efforts for new practice nets. Anyone who talked Cricket with Peter was in no doubt of his knowledge of the game and in his later years, with age taking its toll he kept a strong knowledge of international cricket, watching TV coverage from England tours to Australia and elsewhere, during the day after recording them over night.
Our thoughts and prayers go to the Drummond family in this difficult time. Peter was a much loved great grandad, grandad, father and husband. The club will miss his presence at games, attendances that since, being widowed, were becoming more infrequent and we will miss his views on the game. He knew 'the game' and only occasionally did the rose tinted spectacles come out.... usually after the bowlers had bowled a few to many wides or when a six fell short of the tennis courts! (Now the playpark).
The word legend gets banded about all to often in sport and life, but in this case it is absolutely deserved for the bowler, the clubman and for the man - Peter M Drummond.
Iain M Stewart.