Edinburgh South’s very own Bill Polson has been recognised for his remarkable dedication to cricket in and around the Scottish capital.
45 years since Bill first joined the ESCA committee, he was rewarded for his services to cricket in the region at the organisation’s AGM, held at The Grange last week.
He received a commemorative quaich and a standing ovation from those present, a reflection of how highly thought of he is by those that know him.
Bill joined the ESCA committee in 1979 as a divisional representative. In 1983, he became secretary, holding the role until 1986, after which he became an ordinary committee member. Bill became youth convenor in 1994 and held that role until 2015, while he served as president between 1997 and 1999.
His time at South, or Mitre as it was then, goes back to 1957. By the time he hung up his spikes he had taken well over 500 wickets and scored nearly 2,500 runs for the club.
Bill remains a central figure at the club, heavily involved with scoring and administration at all levels. Speaking in 2021, club president Jim Brims said: “I would say unequivocally that without Bill there would not be a club today. Going back over the years, anyone [that has been] involved think of him as ‘Mr Mitre’.”
After presenting Bill with his quaich, Cricket Scotland CEO Trudy Lindblade said: "Many clubs here tonight have long-serving volunteers who are highly valued, without whom the clubs would not function.
“However, it is unusual for a regional association to have a volunteer who has served it for decades in different roles. ESCA has one and the committee considered it appropriate to recognise the long service of one of the committee members.
"Bill Polson has served on the ESCA committee for 45 years. He has always contributed positively to the committee with the club game at the heart of his contributions. Bill was secretary early on in his tenure and he ran for many years the predecessor to what is now the Eastern Knights.
"Bill, thank you for all your service to ESCA and for all you have done for cricket in the East of Scotland."
The 1981 Parks Trophy winning team Mitre CC, pictured with Bill Polson (bottom right)
