A couple of weeks ago, I explored one of Edinburgh’s less celebrated waterways, the Braid Burn. I did so with the Holy Cross' 75th anniversary at the back of my mind. The Braid Burn (later the Figgate Burn) cuts through the south and east of the city on its 9-mile journey, edging cautiously towards the Firth of Forth. The route of the burn, much of which is walkable, takes you through many areas with a very rural character and via neglected nooks. The burn also passes through a number of places with strong Holy Cross connections.
A stream of consciousness
For those with Holy Cross connections, the walk could be considered something of a pilgrimage. Most significantly, the burn cuts through the northern tip of Colinton Mains Park, the scene of Holy Cross Academicals' first ever match on May 27th 1950.
It is this anniversary that will be marked in Sunday’s (June 29th) match at Arboretum. As recorded in George Balfour’s diary, Holy Cross lost the match with 'very poor fielding' apparently a major factor. For the first but certainly not last time. The park is no longer used for cricket, but remains a sizeable greenspace on the southside of the city.
The unfashionable end
Colinton Mains Park is in an area of the city rarely discussed in visitor guides. The park may not have the ‘cache’ of a Grange Loan or Portgower Place, but would, if ever revived, make an excellent cricket ground. At present, it belongs to the long list of cricket grounds that have been retired from service (this list of grounds includes that at Jock’s Lodge, used by the Holy Cross 4th XI in the 1980s).
Colinton Mains Park is large, with space for more than one decent-sized cricket ground. I imagine that the cricket square would have been in the southern section of the park, which is notably flat and open. Like ‘Arbo’, there is little protection from the wind. That would have been particularly the case in 1950. While much of Colinton Mains was built in the late 1930s, the housing immediately abutting the park is in Oxgangs, built from the 1950s onwards (the striking Colinton Mains Parish Church was built in 1954).The area would have largely still been farmland at the time of Holy Cross’s first match.
I could find no tell-tale signs of a cricket square. There was no evidence of raised wicket ends, formed from years of loam/ topsoil being applied. But, I stood for a few minutes, embracing the warm breeze, visions of those pioneer Crossers, such as George Balfour, in my mind. The impressive views up to the Pentland may have caused some fielders to lose their concentration. It would, in those days, have been possible to walk from the park to the Pentlands uninterrupted, with no city bypass to contend with.
You were the future once
From the park, the burn trundles through quiet nooks with Greenbank on your left and the picturesque Oxgangs Lochan to your right. From there the burn side path takes you into the open valley of Braidburn Park and through to the fringes of Morningside.
After leaving Braidburn park, it passes through edge of Mortonhall Tennis Club. Overlooking the club is the house where our revered club President John Brown lived. I recall being at his wake there in 2011, a hugely well attended event.
The burn then glides through the heavily wooded Hermitage of Braid and the idyllic Blackford Glen (surely one of Edinburgh’s finest, most rural, outdoor locations) and towards Peffermill. Before it gets there, it passes through Inch Park, home of Edinburgh South (and their predecessors Mitre CC). Holy Cross have played several matches there including, a recall, a disappointing midweek 20-over match in which the author was (justifiably) barracked for his slow batting.
I also recall an amazing innings by Graeme Beghin of Edinburgh South on a pitch which, due to flooding the winter before (an example of the burn having a direct impact on the club), had a trough on a good length at one end. Beghin did all he could to counter the deliveries sent down by Holy Cross’ key bowler of that era, Shannon Bonfield. He knew that surviving against Bonfield was key. He was right and went on to score a superb ton.
The Inch was also the location for a famous, impassioned speech directed at some younger players (the author, Euan Smith, Sheraz Afzal, Nick Fisher, Duncan Paterson and others). In the changing room, we were told that we were ‘the future of the Cross’. There was some truth to James Bradley’s (was it him..?) statement. From the Inch, the burn flows towards another sports ground with Holy Cross connections.
Cross-dressing
The Holy Cross connections are again prominent at Peffermill, through Colin ‘Smudger’ Smith. He was previously head groundsman there, living (with his family) in a cottage on site. Colin played a leading role in the steady improvements made to the square at Arbo. This included overseeing our annual post-season ‘Cross-dressing’ days, when the square was scarified, seeded and top-dressed.
This work followed the relaying of the square in the early 1990s; which saw sub-par surfaces for a number of seasons (I recall 160-odd being considered a good 50 over score in those days). Colin Smith also became a stalwart of the 2nd XI and memorably filled in for the 1sts on a few occasions. Colin’s ‘loins’ also brought us his sons Calum & Euan, key figures in the 1st XI for over a decade.
Send in the Cavalry
The burn joins with the Jordan Burn at Peffermill, becoming the Figgate Burn as it hits Duddingston (zigzagging through the golf club there). It runs close to Calvary Park, scene of some excellent matches between Marchmont and Holy Cross. There has long been a close connection between the clubs (several players have appeared for both, including Fraser Buchanan). I have fond memories of playing in Roger Sardesai’s President’s Match in the late 1990s; a fun match with curry for tea.
From Duddingston, the Figgate Burn reaches its most scenic section; a lovely wooded pathway, ending at Figgate Park. The park, formed from claypits (for the kilns nearby), is a fantastic green space; you get a glimpse of it as you pass on the main East Coast line. A footbridge then takes you over the busy Harry Lauder Road into the pocket-sized Rosefield Park. At this point, you are close to St John the Evangelist, a beautiful gothic catholic church. Again, there is a Holy Cross connection.
A near miss
When Richard Demarco left Holy Cross Academy, he played some matches for ‘the Cross’. He also started his own club, St. John’s in Portobello, where he spent much of his childhood. The burn eventually disgorges into the Firth of Forth at the Seafield end of ‘Porty’. It was on Portobello Beach that Demarco nearly became an early victim of the war; debris from a German plane shot down over the Forth missed him by inches before spearing into the beach.
Like the burn, elements of the club are to be found throughout the city, often in unexpected spots. Like the club’s history, the route is mixed; of glorious segments intermingled with the less impressive, the frankly disappointing. Yet, it flows on, year after year.
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