Born On This Day: 2nd November

Early November is rather quiet for notable Hampshire birthdays, but today we might mark three with Middlesex connections. Yesterday was the birthday of off-spinner Ollie Rayner (born 1985 in Germany) who played mostly for Sussex and Middlesex, but in 2018 came to Hampshire on loan for two matches. Now today, it’s the turn of wicketkeeper Chris Goldie (born 1960 in South Africa) who played for Middlesex 2^nd XI and Cambridge University, then came to Hampshire as understudy to Bobby Parks from 1983-1985.

He played in three matches, one each year, against the tourists and Oxford University. He returned to London and business, where he was a member of the Middlesex Committee. He is now Chairman of the Middlesex Cricket Trust and Richmond Cricket Club in Surrey, where he played for many years.

Today is also the birthday of batsman Richard Scott. He was born in Bournemouth in 1963 and made his Hampshire 2^nd XI debut in 1981 but he had to wait his turn in the Hampshire line-up with Greenidge, the Smith brothers, Terry, Turner, Jesty, Nicholas and Turner ahead.

He made his first team debut in a Sunday League match at Lord’s in 1986 and his first-class debut in May 1988, then had a longer run in the side in late summer. After 27 first class matches with a best of 107* v Sri Lanka in 1989 he moved to Gloucestershire in 1991, but his finest moment was probably his superb 116* against Yorkshire at Southampton in the same year, when Hampshire, chasing 180 to win slipped to 24-3, but lost only one more wicket and won with 21 balls to spare.

His Gloucestershire career ended after the 1993 season, after which he played for Dorset and became a coach. He joined Middlesex in 2009, two years later they won promotion and then in 2016 they won the County Championship. He left in 2018.