Along with many thousands of Scots, I'll be in London on Wednesday for the first England v Scotland match of this century. I was at the last one, too, and watched Don Hutchison's winner from the privileged position of the Royal Box, being part of the SFA delegation.
This time, however, I've got another mission. On Wednesday morning I'm heading to Richmond in south west London to lay some flowers on the grave of Andrew Watson. He was made captain of Scotland on his international debut in 1881, and led the team to an astonishing 6-1 victory. That's still the highest ever away win by a Scotland side in England, and unlikely ever to be repeated. What is more, Watson was black. In the Victorian era, that made him a real pioneer, as he crashed through the race barriers that would normally have prevented any non-white from reaching the pinnacle of their sport, or even from competing in sport on equal terms. Having recently discovered the location of his grave - thus solving a long-standing mystery - this is an ideal opportunity to pay tribute to the pioneer. I'll be at Richmond Cemetery at 11am on Wednesday 14 August. Anyone else who wants to come along and join me is more than welcome, and help celebrate his achievements. The grave is in Section 4, click here for a map of the precise location and how to get there. Photos to follow next week.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
October 2024
CategoriesAuthorAll blog posts, unless stated, are written by Andy Mitchell, who is researching Scottish sport on a regular basis. |