Crosshill Thistle to build new pavillion

Jan 8 2010 by Edwin Lawrence, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

THE FABULOUS 50s was a great era for football at all levels.

Huge crowds flocked to senior and international games.

And the grassroots of the game was incredibly strong at amateur level.

Here we have the Crosshill Thistle team who were Ayrshire league champs of 1952-53.

To claim the title, the Jags had to win their own South league, then beat the North league winners in a play-off for the Murdoch Trophy.

Rampant Crosshill won this trophy an incredible seven times in glory years between 1950 and 1964.

The also won the Ayrshire Cup six times in this era. And the icing on the cake was lifting the Scottish Cup in 1958-59 and the West of Scotland Cup in 1959-60.

Amazing stuff for a village team whose players in that era included Jackie McInally (later Kilmarnock), Peter McCloy (Motherwell and Rangers) and Dougie Mitchell (Ayr United).

But as well as an amazing past, Crosshill aim to have an amazing future. And in 2010 they will be building a new £110,000 pavilion.

The club have almost secured a total funding package.

But just to make sure, they are selling bricks at £35 each.

These will be individually engraved to create a ‘wall of fame’ at the entrance to the pavilion.

Thistle have themselves started the ball rolling by buying 12 bricks.

One will say Scottish Cup winners 1959, and the other 11 will bear the names of the renowned team members.

“Many other ex-players are now coming forward to buy a brick,” said club secretary David ‘Buster’ McDowall.

“Other football clubs and businesses have also promised support,” he added.

Crosshill believe they can sell 300 bricks in January and get the project started.

“We hope people will see it as nice kind of legacy for the club,” said Buster.

“People are welcome to mark their silver or golden weddings, birthdays, or any anniversary they like.

“The bricks will have an honoured place on the external wall of the pavilion, for everyone to see.”

Each brick can have one or two lines of letters – with up to 16 characters per line.

The 15 by 10 metre pavilion will feature two changing rooms, with showers; referee changing room, with shower; girls’ changing room, with showers; a committee room, and a disabled toilet.

The facility will be made available for Crosshill Primary and wider community use.

Anyone interested in buying a brick should contact: David McDowall, 18 Carrick Drive, Crosshill KA19 7RH. Telephone 01655 740426 or 07977 582123.