His sporting career was not limited to on-field prowess, in later years he became a notable official and administrator. In 1906, Balfour-Melville became Captain of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and three years later was elected as the first President of the newly re-organised Scottish Cricket Union, thereby gaining the rare distinction of playing for his country while serving as President.
His son, James, inherited some of Balfour-Melville's sporting prowess, winning two cricket caps for Scotland, as he played against Oxford University and Surrey in 1913. Tragically, though, his career was cut short when he was killed in the First World War the following year.
In later life Leslie Balfour-Melville became a Justice of the Peace and in this capacity he was recognised by having his likeness hang in the National Portrait Gallery. His death in 1937, at the age of 81, brought to an end one of the most remarkable lives in sporting history.
His influence on Scottish cricket was arguably as great as that of WG Grace in England, while his all-round ability stood comparison with CB Fry, described by some as the "Greatest All Round Sportsman Ever". Fry, an English test cricketer also won international football honours, an FA Cup Final winner's medal and was joint holder of the world-long jump record for two decades. However, Balfour-Melville's record is no less impressive, given that his skills span a wider variety of sports.
His achievements were not forgotten when Scotland belatedly honoured the greatest sportsmen and women in the nation's history. Balfour-Melville was, quite properly, one of the original 50 inductees into the Hall of Fame when it was inaugurated in 2002.
Page: 12
