James Aitchison (cricketer)
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Aitchison | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 26 May 1920 Kilmarnock, Ayrshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 13 February 1994 (aged 73) Glasgow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1946–1963 | Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricInfo, 19 March 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
James Aitchison (26 May 1920 – 13 February 1994) was a Scottish minister in the Church of Scotland and a first-class cricketer.
Early life
He was born in Kilmarnock on 26 May 1920. He was educated at Kilmarnock Academy, and then later Glasgow University.[1]
Cricketing career
Only two other players have appeared more times in first class cricket for Scotland, and Aitchison holds the team's record for most career runs and highest individual score.[2] In the match against Ireland in 1959 he batted throughout the first day to make 190 not out.[3] He scored centuries against two touring Test playing nations, 106 not out in a team score of 177 against the 1947 South Africans and nine years later struck 100 against the Australians.[4] In club cricket for Kilmarnock he made 18,344 runs with 56 centuries.
He had 3,669 international runs, one of Scotland's most prolific run scorers.[1]
Ministry career
Aitchison served as a minister in the Church of Scotland for 34 years until his retirement in 1986.[5] He served as minister of St Stephen's Church in Edinburgh from 1952 until 1963. From there, he moved to Broomhill Church, Glasgow.[1]
During his career he took on a divinity student to help her learn whilst he was minister of Broomhill in Glasgow. The Reverend Euphemia Irvine was to be the first woman to lead a parish in Scotland.[6] In 2011 he was one of the twelve initial inductees into the Scottish Cricket Hall of Fame.[7]
Personal life
Aitchison died in the morning of 13 February 1994 at the Beatson Institute in Glasgow after a prolonged illness. He was married to Catherine, and had two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d "The Rev. James Aitchison". The Herald. 14 February 1994. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
- ^ "Scotland International StatsZone". www.cricketeurope4.net.
- ^ "The Home of CricketArchive". cricketarchive.com.
- ^ Davison, Jack (26 May 2020). "The Scottish reverend revered by Aussie cricket legend for 'truly great' century". The Scotsman. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ Wisden 1995, p. 1378.
- ^ "Obituary - Effie Irvine, pioneering minister and the first woman to be ordained and inducted to a Church of Scotland parish". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ^ "Scottish cricket launches Hall of Fame".