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Leslie M Balfour Melville

Born in 1854, Leslie Balfour-Melville can arguably be described as Scotland's greatest ever sportsman.

Educated at Edinburgh Academy, for whose former pupils he went on to play rugby, Balfour-Melville's sporting career included success in the Scottish Lawn Tennis Championships in 1879, the British Amateur Golf Championship in 1895 (at the age of 46), and a Scottish Billiards championship, in addition to winning international honours in both rugby and cricket. He was also a noted skater, curler and long-jumper.

In February 1872, at the age of 17 years and 10 months he represented Scotland (officially listed as "LM Balfour") against England in the rugby international at the Kennington Oval. Scotland lost, and Balfour-Melville was never selected again. Perhaps had Scotland played more often than the annual match against England each year, he would have been given another opportunity, but it was not to be.

Instead it was in cricket that he went on to record his greatest achievements and for which he is best remembered.

A top-class batsman and wicket-keeper, he scored 46 centuries for Grange, a tally which has only been surpassed by four others in the history of Scottish cricket to this day.

As captain, he led Scotland to victory over a touring Australian XI in 1882, a victory that was as unlikely then as it would be today. Leading from the front, Balfour-Melville scored 73 against an attack which included the legendary Australian bowler F.R “The Demon” Spofforth.

To underline the quality of the achievement, later that summer Spofforth would take seven wickets in each innings of the Oval test, as the Australians went on to win the series against England by one match to nil. That victory brought about the headlines which led to the beginnings of one of the most famous sporting rivalries of all, the Ashes, yet this was the side that had been defeated by Scotland that same summer, with Balfour-Melville to the fore.

In late Victorian times, opportunities to play international sports were limited. Therefore Balfour-Melville was restricted to 16 caps between 1874 and 1893, many of them as captain. News of his ability reached beyond Scotland and he was invited to play for the MCC and the famous touring side I Zingari.

Incredibly, at the age of 55, he was recalled to the Scotland side and gained two more caps in the annual matches against Ireland in 1909 and 1910.

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.

Written by: Roy Murray