KEITH HARDIE - STENHOUSEMUIR CC, SCOTLAND, FINGLETOADS

Vintage Cricket is proud to have past International players mix with our "ordinary" Vintage Cricket club players and supporters. We have hosted Geoff Howarth, Gary Troup, Rick Darling, Geoff Lawson, Joel Garner, Anshuman Gaekwad and Yarvindra Singh at Vintage Cricket Carnivals and all indications are they will continue to be involved in the future but one of our lesser known ex-Internationals is Auckland University Fingletoad, Keith Hardie.

Now resident in Christchurch, New Zealand, Keith played 21 matches for Scotland between 1966 and 1976, 10 of which were deemed to be 1st Class. In the 1st Class Fixtures, Keith averaged 22 with the bat and took 35 wickets at an average of 17 and in all matches for Scotland scored 363 runs at an average of 15 and took 64 wickets at an average of 22. Included amongst Keith's international wickets are New Zealand Test Players Bevan Congdon, Vic Pollard and Bruce Taylor.

During the Vancouver Golden Oldies Festival in 2002, Keith achieved perhaps his greatest wicket when he managed to bowl Vintage Cricket President, the great South African batsman, Barry Richards-something he admits he would have been unlikely to do when both were in their cricketing prime.

Keith nowadays casts a slightly larger shadow than when he graced the fields of Scotland but represents the Fingletoads with vigour and energy on and off the field. Keith accompanied by his wife, Barbara will be in Barbados where he firmly believes his skillful, flighted left arm spinners could be hit a very long way and his aggressive lower order batting could be exposed by anything that will bounce higher than knee height.

Keith is brother to Brian Hardie, recently retired Essex Professional who has also represented Scotland and more importantly the Auckland University Fingletoads. Keith is well settled in Christchurch, New Zealand and is considered a true Kiwi but still retains a marvellous Scottish accent that becomes harder and harder to understand as an evening progresses.

But be assured, Keith will travel a long way, talk to a lot of people and enjoy a lot of cold lagers just for the love of the game.
Pictures (top); Keith meeting Dennis Amiss in Stratford-upon-Avon.
(bottom) The Tartan Ton in Stratford, Keith is 3rd from right.