24/06/2026
Gus Simon has credited a change of footwear for keeping him steady and his new glasses for keeping him fully focused after he hit a brilliant 160 runs on Saturday to break Banchory Cricket Club's all-time record for a single batting innings.
Given the club is currently celebrating its 175th anniversary that is quite some milestone and his name will now go in the Banchory history books.
The runs came in the home North East Grades Division Two match against Huntly and Simon’s 160 propelled Banchory up to 250-6 from their 40 overs batting first at Burnett Park.
Opening the batting, Simon’s runs came off 127 balls and included 21 fours and six sixes while, in reply, Huntly could only manage 137 all out as Banchory won by 113 runs.
League leaders Huntly were unbeaten before this game while Banchory are now seventh in the 10-team standings.
Reflecting on his innings, right handed batter Simon, 28, said: “It was a great day for batting and it’s an innings I will remember for a long time.
“Initially I went out to bat in my running trainers but felt quite off balance and, at first, I wasn’t hitting the ball too well.
“As a result, after about the fourth over I ran off and changed into my other shoes that I had with me and, from then on, I was hitting the ball much better and built into my innings.
“It was also the first game that I’d played in wearing my new glasses, I had my eyes tested about two weeks ago as, after being bowled five times in my previous six innings this year, I thought something wasn’t quite right!
"I've now got a new stronger prescription and the glasses certainly didn’t let me down on their first outing.
“The first 50 runs were quite slow and measured, but, as my eye got in, the next 110 runs came quickly as my strike rate got better and better.
“At the drinks break I had a chat with captain Sam Rotheram who said 160 would be a good score, I think he meant for the team, but I took his words quite literally and got up to that amount myself.
“I've hit a few centuries over the years in my cricket career, but this was the first time that I have ever got up and over the 150 mark.
“I found out that it was a club record score when people on the boundary started clapping when I passed 154 and I was a little bit confused as to why.
“Tim Wilkinson, the club legend and statistician, mentioned that I’d broken the previous record to those watching and it was soon relayed out to me in the middle.
“Unfortunately, I got out shortly afterwards, but scoring big runs in a winning game is always great.”
As well as the shoe change and the new glasses, another factor that may have helped Simon keep on batting for so long was the fact that his wife Megan was there to watch.
She had been working in the morning running her own window cleaning business, but made it in time and was very glad she did while their dog Russell was also there for good measure.
Simon grew up in the Brighton area of Sussex and has played most of his junior and senior cricket down south with Steyning Cricket Club, so how did he end up in living in Kincardine O’Neil and playing for Banchory?
“My father moved to the area around two years ago and we came up to visit on holiday and just fell in love with Deeside," Simon, who runs his own business as an osteopath treating humans, horses and dogs, explained.
"After arriving in July last year to live here, I then decided to join the local cricket club Banchory as a way of meeting people.
“During the second half of last summer I scored three centuries and had a high score of 140 not out so to now be the record innings score holder on 160 at a club with such history is special.
“I have loved being part of the cricket club so far and everyone here is really welcoming.
“Luke Hendriksen, the groundsman at Burnett Park, really does do a brilliant job with the wickets and the outfield, I think it is the nicest ground in Aberdeenshire and Banchory is a great club to call home.”
* A version of this feature first appeared in The Press and Journal on Wednesday *
📸 Dave Cowe
