Leslie Balfour-Melville (9 March 1854 – 17 July 1937), born Leslie Balfour, was a Scottish amateur sportsman, serving as captain, opening batsman, and wicket-keeper for the Scotland national cricket team.StatsZone Scotland , Cricket Europe. Retrieved 28 April 2007.

Balfour-Melville was also an international rugby union player, tennis player, ice skater, curler, long-jumper, and player of English billiards. He was a prolific golf medal winner, winning The Amateur Championship, at St Andrews in 1895. He also held several administrative positions within national governing bodies. He was President of the Scottish Rugby Union, President of the Scottish Cricket Union, and Captain of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in 1906.

Balfour-Melville was an inaugural inductee into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.Drysdale, Neil (13 March 2007) "Memories of the day we defeated Australia", The Herald.

Biography Balfour was born in Bonnington, Edinburgh, on 9 March 1854Player profile on scrum.com. Retrieved 17 February 2010. the son of James Balfour Melville (1815–1898) and his wife, Eliza Ogilvy Heriot Maitland (1821–1887).

He was educated at the Edinburgh Academy and the University of Edinburgh, he became a lawyer by profession, rising to be a Writer to the Signet. In 1893 the family changed its name to Balfour-Melville when his father succeeded to the estate of Mount Melville near St Andrews, Fife. His Edinburgh residence was at 53 Hanover Street in Edinburgh's New Town.Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1911–12

His son James also played cricket for Scotland before losing his life in the First World War.

Balfour-Melville died in North Berwick, East Lothian, on 16 July 1937. He is buried with his parents in the family tomb in the south-west corner of Greyfriars Kirkyard close to the Robertson mausoleum. On his grave he is named simply as Leslie Melville.

Cricket career

Playing for the Grange, he debuted against the Free Foresters in 1874. He played eighteen matches for the national side over 36 years. He captained Scotland in their first match against Ireland after the formation of the 2nd Scottish Cricket Union, and was the first president of the Scottish Cricket Union to play for the national side. During his career he scored 46 centuries.Leslie Balfour-Melville Scotland 1874-1910 (18 caps). cricketscotland.com He served as president of the Scottish Cricket Union in 1909.

Golf career

Major championships Amateur wins YearChampionshipWinning scoreRunner-up 1895 The Amateur Championship 20 holes John Ball

Results timeline Tournament1885188618871888The Glasgow Herald, 11 May 1888, p. 8. Google News.1889The Open ChampionshipT165 LAThe Amateur ChampionshipQFSF2 Tournament18901891189218931894The Glasgow Herald, 27 April 1894, p. 11. Google News.18951896The Glasgow Herald, 21 May 1896, p. 11. Google News.1897The Glasgow Herald, 30 April 1897, p. 11. Google News.18981899The Glasgow Herald, 25 May 1899, p. 8. Google News.The Open ChampionshipT28The Amateur ChampionshipSFSFR16R161R32SFR16 Tournament1900Golf, July 1900, p. 20 . U.S. Golf Association Museum.1901Golf, June 1901, p. 413 . U.S. Golf Association Museum.1902The Glasgow Herald, 30 April 1902, p. 10. Google News.1903Golf, July 1903, p. 10 . U.S. Golf Association Museum.1904Golf, July 1904, p. 6 . U.S. Golf Association Museum.1905Golf, June 1905, p. 340 . U.S. Golf Association Museum.1906Golf, July 1906, p. 30 . U.S. Golf Association Museum.1907The Glasgow Herald, 29 May 1907, p. 12. Google News.1908The Glasgow Herald, 27 May 1908, p. 14. Google News.1909The Glasgow Herald, 28 May 1909, p. 14. Google News.The Open ChampionshipWDThe Amateur ChampionshipR32R32R128QFR128R128R32R64R128QF Tournament1910The Glasgow Herald, 1 June 1910, p. 10. Google News.1911The Glasgow Herald, 31 May 1911, p. 10. Google News.19121913The Glasgow Herald, 28 May 1913, p. 15. Google News.1914The Glasgow Herald, 20 May 1914, p. 12. Google News.191519161917191819191920The Glasgow Herald, 9 June 1920, p. 11. Google News.The Amateur ChampionshipR64R64R128R128NTNTNTNTNTR128 Note: Balfour-Melville only played in the Open Championship and the Amateur Championship.

LA = Low amateur NT = No tournament WD = Withdrew "T" indicates a tie for a place R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, , = Round in which player lost in match play

Team appearances England–Scotland Amateur Match (representing Scotland): 1902 (winners), 1903

Rugby union career

Amateur career

Leslie Balfour, as he was then, played for Edinburgh Academicals.

International career

He was capped once in 1872.

Referee career

He refereed the East v West district match in 1880.

Administrative career

Balfour-Melville became the 21st President of the Scottish Rugby Union. He served the 1893–94 term in office.

Tennis career

Balfour won the Scottish Lawn Tennis Championships in 1879.

Achievements Played rugby for Scotland against England, 1872 Scottish Lawn Tennis Championship winner, 1879 Captained Scotland to a cricketing victory over Australia, 1882 The Amateur Championship winner, 1895; and runner-up in 1889; both at St Andrews Links Scottish billiards champion

See also List of Scottish cricket and rugby union players

References

Further reading

External links

Wisden obituary