Bowling, Cricket, Curling, Football, Golf, Horse Racing and Tennis.
Note
If one follows the railway line west, through the outskirts of the then town, on a plat shown on a 1906 OS map, just west of the footpath and right-of-way through tunnel (now BR 83) at the west side of Underedge is situated the pavilion of the then cricket club. This disappeared with the advent of Dunbar United football club at the end of the first quarter of the 20th century to a now renamed Countess Park (ex Cowan's Park), as with the adjacent Countess or New Road, named after the Countess of Lauderdale whose family previously owned the land. With the inauguration of the public park and its attendant pavilion at Winterfield in 1925 it looks like the sound of leather-on-willow was to be heard there soon afterwards.
Dunbar Curling club - inaugural meeting - 1899. Curling Pond, Latch Park (Thos. Taylor Bisset)
The Curling Club held two consecutive 17 year leases from the Warrender family on the Latch Park rink but subsequent to their expiration in 1933 the pond was left to nature, lovers-trysts and laddies playing "deserters". The "Ailsa Craigs" were buried close to the shed at the entry (at the NW corner) to the rink at the end of the Lovers' Walk. Unfortunately the only significant Curling Club trophy rests nostalgically not in its Dunbar house but in a Haddington archive.
Dunbar Rovers at Countess Park, July 1951 (Colours: Navy/White) (J. Burgoyne)
Top: Jimmy Burgoyne (secretary), Tommy Willens, Johnny 'Dinky' Denholm, Billy Hawes, Toby Robertson, Willie Young, Jimmy Turnbull, David 'Ginger' McKenzie
Bottom: Bert Knox, John Wooten, Johnny McIntyre, Tommy 'Sunshine' Stewart, --- Wood, --- Alexander, Adam 'Tiger' McKenzie
It is the 50th anniversary this month (Wednesday the 24th of May 1961) since "the Seasiders"-"The Breezy Burgh's" Dunbar United won the Scottish Junior cup after a replay for the one and only time in their striped history.
However, not intending to put a retrospective damper on events, matters might have been somewhat different had events, of 3 years earlier, followed a different path - SEE THE CORRESPONDENT FOLLOWING.
Their teenage goalkeeper, whos finger tip (or should one say finger nail) save kept us in the Saterday final not only should he have gone to the " Wee Rangers" but ironocally the "Seasiders" were beckoning him to play in the English First Division at Bloomfeild Road on the Lanarkshire coast. Imagine every schoolboy's dream playing alongside Stanley Matthews .
Nevertheless it is not our intention to re-write history on our site we just endeavour to present the true facts.
SIX INTERNATIONAL GOLFING PIONEERS
FROM CUSTOM HOUSE SQUARE AND NEIGHBOURHOOD
A group of men from a small area of Dunbar made a great contribution to Golf all over the world.
None of them really made the mark on the East Links apart from being course record holders in the early days.
JAMES LEES HASTIE
Born @ #9 Custom House Square, 22/12/1881. Died 17/05/1930, EGYPT
DAVID CAIRNS
Born @ #5 Custom House Square, 09/09/1885, lived @ #5 and #9. Died 1917, SOUTH AFRICA
and his 3 nephews
DAVID CAIRNS LUMSDEN
Born #2 Lamer Street, 13/07/1901. Died 22/09/1960, USA
JAMES JOHNSTONE
Born @ #7 Custom House Square, 06/05/1896. Died, 01/09/1976, CANADA
ALEXANDER JOHNSTONE
Born @ #7 Custom House Square, 20/02/1901. Died 23/06/1972, CANADA
and cousin
ADAM GULLEN
Born @ Shore Street, 21/01/1885. Died 24/04/1915, USA
Golf text from:- Dunbar Golf - The story of the links at Hedderwick and Broxmouth, by
John V Harris (2007)
David Cairns (1885-1917)
From Messenger Boy to Golfing Pioneer
Davie emigrated to Bloomfontein, South Africa for health reasons (T.B. after appendicitis). His early career was funded by his two elder sisters, Marion and Mary (whom he later repaid in spades) and the then Duke of Roxburghe. His affable personality, knowledge of grasses, club-making and playing ability stood him in good stead. After a short but successful pro career he died prematurely. He was laid to rest complete with an appropriately black gravestone in Pretoria.
(L-R) John Denholm, his son-in-law, Stuart Duncan and his brother-in-law , Jimmy Johnstone, double Canadian P.G.A. champion and the town's greatest golfing export.
Golf text from:- Dunbar Golf - The story of the links at Hedderwick and Broxmouth, by John V Harris (2007)
G. Hogg & Willie Balloch during mid-Summer '49 seven round marathon. (G. W. Day- Dunbar & N.B.)
G.C. Hogg, Jimmy Fallon, Sandy Murdoch and Andrew Dishington.
Bob Hamilton, Jimmy Mason and George Hogg. Jan 1948.
From Golf Australia March 2015. © Golf Australia/John Huggan (With Permission)
Walter Wilson's bevy of trophies at 10 Summerfield Rd. in the early 1950's
Geo. C. Hogg proudly holds the Merchants' (+ Mayne Cup ) 1948.
S.E. "Samoya"- SSSI, Second green & second prize winners 1984.
01 I'm a Gambler.mp3
The succeeding series of images (14 in number) detail the storm damage and resultant debris encountered from the East Promenade seawall to the Vowt, westby from the 4th tee to the 16th tees. There was also further tons of "rubble" to the west on the 15th and 12th fairways and the 14th green.
The more recent storm damage of 2010 was not as severe but maybe caused grater damage to the fairways. Perhaps the storms of the1890s and the early 1960s were more serious but they weren't captured in the same medium.
Hopefully with the largest tides in 25 years (forecast around the 20th of this Month- March 2011) the wind may rest in the S.W. quadrant.
TOP:- J Smith, J Tait, J Johnston, J Preston, P Barrie
BOTTOM:- D Brunton, D Hastie, C McKenzie Snr
A ten year-old George Warrender (later to become Sir George, 6th Baronet Lochend and Captain of Dunbar Golf Club) is on the pony. Lochend House is in the background at the right.
Did the real White Bud finally turn up?
An interesting story is attached to the Dunbar trained (McCall) winner of the 1923 Lincoln above. The jockey, on the night prior to the race, was in the lounge-bar of the local Bellevue Hotel. Another interested party in the bar that night was "Boots" John McDonald. Acting on a hot stable tip he backed the horse heavily and, to cut a long story short, he moved on to the St George Hotel as the new owner.
In the 1961 2000 guineas George Boyd trained with Norman Stirk, the race had its biggest-priced winner of the 20th century at 66 to 1.
