Ryan Watson (cricketer)
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Ryan Robert Watson (born 12 November 1976) is a Zimbabwean-born Scottish
cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
er who played limited over internationals and captained
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. He currently plays club cricket with Forfarshire CC. Watson is a hard hitting right-handed batsman and is able to bowl both medium-fast and off-break deliveries. He hit the headlines in 2003 when he hit a
century A century is a period of 100 years or 10 decades. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. ...
off just 43 balls in a game against Somerset at The Grange, Edinburgh. In 2008, he became one of the first three players to be awarded a contract with
Cricket Scotland Cricket Scotland, formerly known as the Scottish Cricket Union, is the Sport governing body, governing body of the sport of cricket in Scotland. The body is based at the National Cricket Academy, Edinburgh. The SCU was formed in 1908, but unde ...
.


Early days

Watson was previously on the coaching staff of Potchefstroom Boys High in South Africa. He decided at the age of 23 to leave South Africa permanently in an attempt to qualify to play for Scotland under residency rules. His early career in Scotland was at Meigle C.C. where he first played as an overseas professional aged 17. A move to Falkland cricket club in Fife for better terms followed, before later moving to Forfarshire CC. His father, Larry, played cricket for
Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
(now
Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
).


International career

Watson made his ODI debut on 27 June 2006 against Pakistan at Edinburgh and had to step in at the last minute as captain. With Scotland struggling at 4/20, Watson led from the front by scoring 80 off 85 balls on his debut. In that same match he along with Neil McCallum set the world record for the highest ever ODI partnership by two debutants in ODI history for any wicket (they put on a 118 runstand for the 5th wicket. In fact this is the only 100+ partnership in ODI history by 2 debutants in history) In January 2007 he hit a match-winning 117 not out against
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
as they successfully chased 293 in a
One Day International One Day International (ODI) is a format of cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of fifty overs, with the game lasting up to 7 hours. The World Cup, generally held every four yea ...
at
Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...
. It was the first ever century for Scotland in ODI cricket. He had a largely disappointing Cricket World Cup in 2007 although he had the privilege of captaining his side for their second group match against South Africa. The opposing captain was his ex-school mate
Graeme Smith Graeme Craig Smith (born 1 February 1981) is a South African cricket commentator and former cricketer who played for South Africa national cricket team, South Africa in all formats. In 2003, he was appointed Captain (cricket), captain of the So ...
. After the tournament Watson was given the job full-time, replacing Craig Wright as captain. Until 2008, the Scotland cricket team was made up of amateurs, players did not have contracts with the game's governing body in the country,
Cricket Scotland Cricket Scotland, formerly known as the Scottish Cricket Union, is the Sport governing body, governing body of the sport of cricket in Scotland. The body is based at the National Cricket Academy, Edinburgh. The SCU was formed in 1908, but unde ...
, and balanced their sports careers with full-time jobs. Cricket Scotland began professionalising the national team in 2008 with the introduction of contracts for three of its players. Watson was one of the three along with fast-bowlers
Gordon Goudie Gordon Goudie (born 12 August 1987) is a Scottish cricketer. He currently plays for Scottish League side Mazars Grange CC as well as for the Scotland national cricket team. Goudie made his One Day International (ODI) debut in July 2008, and in F ...
and Dewald Nel. A year later Watson turned down a contract extension with Cricket Scotland to pursue employment outside cricket.


Retirement

At the end of the 2011 season, Watson announced he was retiring from all forms of cricket. During his career, Watson scored over 5,000 runs for his country and shares the accolade of a record 194 caps with former teammate Craig Wright who said "Ryan has been one of the most influential batsmen for Scotland in the last 10 years with numerous match winning innings for us". Ryan also retired as the most prolific run scorer in the Cricket Scotland League (CSL) history.


Comeback

On 19 April 2012 it was announced that Watson would be delaying his retirement after playing several matches during the 2012 season for Glenrothes Cricket Club. Watson played an important part in the 2012 play-offs and helped Glenrothes CC gain promotion to the Cricket Scotland League (CSL) for the first time in their history. At the end of 2012 season Watson confirmed he would continue playing for Glenrothes CC in the Cricket Scotland League (CSL) for the 2013 season as well as take a more active role in coaching at the club.


References


External links


Cricket Online Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Ryan 1976 births Living people Scottish cricketers Scottish cricket captains Scotland One Day International cricketers Scotland Twenty20 International cricketers Cricketers from Harare Scottish people of Zimbabwean descent Sportspeople of Zimbabwean descent Scottish cricket coaches