Former Scottish cricket captain

Born: 31 January, 1920;

Died: 15 March, 2017

STEPHEN Hunter Cosh, known as Hunter, who has died aged 97, was a cricketer who played for Scotland between 1950 and 1959 and captained his country from 1956 to 1959.

He was a quiet man, who led by deed and natural authority and who combined great achievements on the cricket and rugby fields and the golf course, with an equally impressive record in the fields of war and business.

He was educated at Edinburgh Academy, fully intending to follow his father into the legal profession. He played both rugby and cricket for the school with some distinction.

He captained the Academy's cricket XI and athletics team and in 1938, he was head boy. That same year he played fly-half for London Scottish Schools XV v Richmond Schools XV – this was, in all but name, a Scotland v England schools international, with young Cosh scoring a try from his own 25 as it was then, before kicking the conversion to give the Scottish side a 14-13 win. He also scored an unbeaten 90 for the Academy, against George Watson's, which so impressed the Watson's headmaster, he wrote a congratulatory letter to SH Cosh's parents.

His potential legal career was derailed by the outbreak of the Second World War and, aged 19, he was, a proud Honest Man of Ayr, commissioned into the local regiment, the Royal Scots Fusiliers. It was while on mountain warfare training with his regiment in Perthshire that he met, at a dance in Callander, Betty Naismith. They married in 1942, a union which lasted 75 years until Hunter's death.

He served in various theatres of war. He was on the last ship out of Cherbourg during Operation Ariel, the little-known evacuation operation which followed Dunkirk and which Churchill described as: “A miracle of deliverance”.

Later in the war he was back in France on Operation Overlord – the D-Day landings, receiving the MBE for his part in this massive invasion, before fighting his way into Germany where, as Major SH Cosh, he personally accepted the surrender of two German generals.

Back home in Ayr, and back as a legal apprentice, he was earning the princely sum of 10/- (50p) per week. He had a wife and two children to support; clearly the law would not pay enough, so he looked elsewhere.

The old-established firm Wallaces of Ayr was in his mother's family. An old-fashioned grocers, with two outlets in Ayr High Street, they needed a general manager and Cosh quit the law to take the job. He ran Wallaces for over 20 years, although, with Tesco opening just round the corner, he realised the days of personal service from shops such as Wallaces were ending, so, he sold the properties and closed the business. He ensured as he closed it, though, that his elder son David was able to continue in the food and drinks industry and later establish the well-known wholesale drinks company Wallace Express and keep the company name alive.

Hunter Cosh, however did not merely sell food and drink to the Honest Men and Bonnie Lassies of Ayr, he became a stalwart of Ayr Cricket Club, and Ayr Rugby Club, captaining both. As a rugby player, he had enjoyed some representative honours during the war, but he was better known as a cricketer, winning 42 caps for Scotland and captaining the side on many occasions.

A hard-hitting wicket-keeper batsman, he had a penchant for boundaries, one unbeaten innings of 81 against Ireland at his beloved Raeburn Place included four sixes and ten fours – a remarkable feat of striking. He also drove Fred Trueman for six, through the Yorkshire dressing room window in one Scotland v Yorkshire game. He also captained Scotland against Australia in 1956.

His highest score for his country was: run out 99 against Derbyshire, while, in his final international, he led Scotland to victory over Warwickshire – their first win over a full English county side.

After hanging up his bat and pads, he took up golf, playing at Old Prestwick and getting his handicap down to two. He also spent many years as secretary at the club where the Open Golf Championship began.

He also passed on his sporting genes. Elder son David, an elusive centre, played rugby for Ayr and for Glasgow, while younger son Gordon, a fast bowler, played cricket for Ayr and had one appearance as 12th man for Scotland.

Hunter Cosh is survived by Betty, his wife of 75 years, children Catherine, David and Gordon and by his seven grand-children and eight great-grand-children.

MATT VALLANCE