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Cricket loses legend Scotland

Late cricket legend Rupert Scotland

Tributes poured out across the Island yesterday for cricket legend Rupert Scotland.The St George’s Cup Match star died on Thursday following a long bout with Parkinson’s Disease, leaving family and fans to mourn his passing.Scotland was 74.Born and raised in Antigua, the early order batsman and expert fielder moved to Bermuda in the late 1950s.Upon his arrival here he began playing with St George’s before eventually transferring to Nationals where he played the bulk of his domestic career.Scotland also represented Bermuda admirably on the international stage but is perhaps best remembered for his part in a record double-century partnership he produced with Lee Raynor for St George’s in the 1974 Cup Match at Somerset Cricket Club.Together the pair produced an unbroken 229-run sixth-wicket stand that has yet to be bettered.Scotland led the way with an unbeaten 120 while Raynor, who frequently visited his late team-mate in the final days leading up to his death, carried his bat for 100 runs in the drawn match.Raynor described the feat as one of the finest moments of his career.“It was just a pleasure to bat with him in that partnership,” he said. “Batting with him made the game real easy, he put you in a different zone.“We had a big feast that year and something like that only happens every so often.”During the 1970 Cup Match at Somerset Scotland shared in another record stand of 103 for the tenth-wicket with Clarence Parfitt that still stands to this day.In 26 innings in the classic between 1960 and 1978, Scotland amassed 736 runs at an average of 30.67.He is among an exclusive group of batsman to have achieved two or more centuries in Cup Match, having also thumped an unbeaten 103 at Somerset in 1970.Raynor said Scotland was a “class player”.“During our era a batsman that hit the ball on the carpet was considered as a class player, and he was one of those players who kept the ball on the ground,” added Raynor. “He is the most colourful batsman that I have seen in Bermuda. He liked to challenge the bowlers and it was a real pleasure to watch.“He’s a big loss and I’m only sorry he wasn’t used more in the schools. He’s really going to be a miss.”Former St George’s skipper and long-time friend Cal (Bummy) Symonds described Scotland as a man who always “got the job done”.“Rupert is an icon of the game of cricket and a good friend of mine,” he said. “He was a very quiet man who was dedicated and always got the job done.“His character was first class. I never saw the man get mad, he just got on with the game.“Rupert has been a tremendous help to Bermuda cricket coming from his native Antigua. Antigua lost a great man and we gained a great man. I wish some of the young players today could’ve seen him in action.”Former St George’s batsman Lloyd James said Scotland was a batsman who could rip bowlers apart, especially when they dropped short of a length.“Anything short Rupert would punish you,” he added. “One outstanding memory I have was when we were playing for Bermuda in England.“We were playing against this English team and one of the fast bowlers was bowling the outswinger and had we fellows in trouble. But of course anything short was Rupert’s delight and he was square cutting that man mercilessly. He wrecked this guy and pulled us out of a hole.”James said Scotland also made his presence felt in the dressing room.“Every weekend in the dressing room we always had some big debate on something and Rupert and Eldon (Raynor) always had it out,” he added. “No matter what Eldon said Rupert was against it and we had some time.”