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SPORTS HISTORY BLOG

Over 250 articles on all aspects of Scottish sport

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I came across this photo of a Scotland team group from 1891 in an old scrapbook - except that it isn't really a Scotland team. This was the side that defeated Canada 5-1 on 3 October 1891 at Ibrox, part of a lengthy tour undertaken by the visitors in which they faced club sides and local selects from the end of August to early January, as well as national sides from all four home nations. These games are not considered official internationals.
    The people in this photo are (back, from left): JK McDowall, JM Marshall, M McQueen (Leith Athletic), A McCredie (Rangers), W Maley (Celtic), H Smith (Third Lanark), G Sneddon (SFA President), J Reid (Irish FA, referee); centre: J Hector (Battlefield), W Berry (Queen's Park), W Arnott (Queen's Park), A McMahon (Celtic), J Bell (Dumbarton); front: J McLaren (Dumbarton), J Hamilton (Queen's Park).
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I recently bought this postcard from 1952, signed by the Scotland B footballers who faced their French counterparts in our first ever B international, played at the Municipal Stadium in Toulouse (below). It is a sad indictment of the lack of international talent at our disposal just now that Scotland would struggle to field a side at this level, but 60 years ago we could count on a number of talented men - and notably two future Scotland managers, Willie Ormond and Tommy Docherty. Thanks to the Partick Thistle archive, there is a team photo available. The match was drawn 0-0.
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Today marks the anniversary of Scotland's first Olympic event, the 12-metre yachting race held on 11 and 12 August 1908. Under Olympic rules only two vessels of the same nationality were allowed to compete, and with no foreign entrants, the two boats were selected after the Clyde Fortnight: Mouchette, owned by Charles MacIver and crewed by men from Merseyside, and Hera, owned by Thomas Glen-Coats, crewed by men from the Clyde.  Each boat had an amateur crew of ten, and the owner steered over a 26 mile course from Hunter’s Quay to Inverkip, Dunoon and Kilcreggan, twice round. Hera won on both days to take the gold medal. 
   Thomas Glen-Coats (born 5 May 1878 Paisley, died 7 March 1954 Glasgow) was the eldest of four sons of Sir Thomas Glen-Coats, Bt. Educated at Eton and Merton College, Oxford, he succeeded to the Baronetcy on the death of his father in 1922 and played no part in the hugely prosperous family business, J&P Coats Ltd, the spinning merchants. In 1935, Sir Thomas married Louise Hugon (formerly Mrs JC Newman) of Paris but as there were no children, the Baronetcy died with him.
   Until the recent football matches at Hampden (where I was venue media manager), this was the only Olympic contest ever staged in Scotland. 

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All blog posts, unless stated, are written by Andy Mitchell.