The autobiography of Heriot’s Rugby Club legend Ken Scotland offers great insight into the career of the former Scotland and British and Irish Lion full-back.
Published at the beginning of October, Ken Scotland: The Autobiography was written after Ken, 84, began working on a memoir for his family, as two of his three children and their families live in Norway.
Credited with being the first attacking full-back,the George Heriot’s School alumni, grew up only 100 yards away from Goldenacre, where he first began playing the sport.
Ken credits playing for his school and club for his development as a player and driving one of his earliest ambitions to play on the Goldenacre stand pitch in front of a home crowd.
‘‘I would hope that readers take out of the book that my bones are blue and white striped. Goldenacre is still my spiritual home,’’ he said.
‘‘It was the basis of my interest in rugby. The staff from the school encouraged me, I owe the school a lot.’’
His book recounts a remarkable career, with Ken describing ‘the centrepiece’ of the autobiography as his memories of the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand in 1959.
Making his debut for Scotland as a 20-year-old in 1957, Ken went on to play 27 times for his country, captaining the side four times.
During this rugby career Ken also played for Cambridge University RUFC, London Scottish FC, Leicester Tigers and Aberdeenshire RFC.
‘‘Rugby was a very different game then. Not only because the top players are paid to play but we also had jobs,’’ he said.
“I moved around with my work a lot and played for a lot of different clubs but the rugby roots I learned and developed at Goldenacre sustained me throughout my career.”
Ken hopes to soon be able to return to Goldenacre to enjoy watching the teams from Heriot’s Rugby Club play.
Please click here if you are interested in buying Ken Scotland: The Autobiography.
I purchased the book as soon as i heard of its publication at the start of the month and it is a great read. I am privileged to have known him since school days and even more i had the honour of playing in the 1st xv albeit only once in 1960 and regularly for the 6th xv in the late 1970’s. How lucky i was. One of the world greats. HAMISH K MORE
Kenny Scotland was the hero of all Heriot schoolboys in the 50’s, 60’s and beyond . On wintry school days when Goldenacre pitches were unplayable we gathered in the Old Physics Lecture Room to listen to stories about the great man from our Rugby Master Donald Hastie. Kenny was for many a Heriot boy our very first sporting superstar. His memoir was a long time coming but well worth the wait .
For any Herioter, and for rugby men everywhere, KJF’s autobiography is a must-read page-turner. ‘The King’ wears his crown lightly. As a long, long overdue recipient of the President’s Prize at Heriot’s Rugby Club Centenary Dinner in 1990, Ken’s modesty in accepting it was exceeded only by my sense of privilege in being permitted to present it to one of rugby’s greatest exponents and thinkers.