Raising the cup of friendship

In this blog, we take a look at the history of the Boyd Quaich golf competition using the archive of the Athletic Union held by University Collections.

This June, the Boyd Quaich will be welcoming student golfers to the Old and New Courses in St Andrews for the 75^th time. First held in 1946, the collegiate tournament was founded in honour of brothers, and University of St Andrews students, Quentin Douglas Boyd (B.Sc., M.B. Ch.B.) and Anthony Persse Boyd. Tragically, both lost their lives in the Second World War, Quentin serving with the Friends Ambulance Unit on the Yunnan Front, and Anthony killed in action near Bayeux. Through the generosity of family and friends emerged the Boyd Quaich, to “foster the lasting friendship of all nations” (J.B. Salmond, College Echoes).

Following an inaugural win by A.S. Mayer from the University of Glasgow, the 1940s saw the tournament becoming increasingly prestigious and international. The 1947 tournament already witnessed a first overseas winner, Harry Brews of the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, though having a Fife connection through his father Sid Brews’ family, originally of Kettle. The title that year was shared with University of Glasgow student Frank W. G. Deighton, who would go on twice to win the Scottish Amateur cup. The sporting pedigree of athletes was quickly established, with competitors including American Frank D. Tatum, Rhodes Scholar at Balliol (winner, 1949), subsequently heavily involved with the United States Golf Association; and Raj K. Pitamber of Oxford University (runner-up 1954), later to be Captain of the Indian Golf Union, and two-time winner of the all-India Amateur Championship.

World-wide golfing aficionados may be happy to hear that the competition’s historic results showed no pronounced home advantage for University of St Andrews players. It took three years for a St Andrean to receive the top prize, with local players achieving only three victories in the first four decades of competition, an achievement equalling that of Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Trinity College. In these early years, east-coast rivals Aberdeen squeaked into first place with four wins! (St Andrews’ ratio of wins improved in later decades, garnering a further seven top spots between 1987 – 2024).

First to take the Quaich for St Andrews was J. L. Lindsay (1948), in which year the competitive field included sportsmen from California, Copenhagen, Utrecht, New Zealand, South Africa, Trinidad, as well as across the UK. Lindsay had a strong golfing pedigree, his father, James Lindsay, being a professional golfer, in whose name the James Lindsay Memorial Trophy was donated to St Andrews Golf Club in 1953.

After a lengthy interlude, in 1964 the cup was taken by Alastair Low of St Andrews. As the competition report records with some incredulity, Low was the first “home” winner for 16 years, succeeding with a total of 299. It was Low’s year: a former Captain of the St Andrews men’s Golf Club, he had been elected President of the Athletic Union for 1963 – 1964 and the Golf club’s minutes note that he “continued his brilliant run of achievements by winning the individual title for the second time with a record equalling score” (Secretary’s Report, 6 May 1964)” – even before going on to win the Quaich.

It would take another 15 years for a St Andrews student, David McLeary, to win the cup once more. McLeary had first tried his hand at the competition in 1978, coming tantalizingly close to the top prize:

“The worthy efforts of Dave McLeary of St Andrews to produce a home winner must be recorded. He was leader at the start of the fourth round reaching the turn in 35 and finishing on 301 to be joint third with B. Bell of Aberdeen.” (Convenor’s report, 1978)

In 1979, McLeary would take the win with 302. A member of the University men’s Golf Club from his bejant year, the Club Secretary’s observations on first seeing McLeary play, turned out to be quite prescient, noting that Dave, out of a poor crop of new recruits, “at least gave [the club] some hope for the future” (13 October 1974).

This year marks an important milestone for the Boyd Quaich, with the introduction of women’s golfing events for the first time and a positive step in Saints Golf’s ambitions as signatories to the R&A’s Women in Golf charter.

There had certainly been interest from women students in this prestigious competition through the years. In 1976, a group photo of Quaich competitors does include one female student, though the caption makes clear “No change from tradition – the lady did not compete!!” In 1987, an appeal was received from the University of Natal, South Africa, hoping to send a female student golfer, and again in 1995 the University of Salford were hopeful of sending the (female) Captain of their Golf Club. These requests may have fallen on deaf ears, yet women do have a long history as part of student golf at St Andrews. The Women Student’s Golf Club, firm fixture by 1902, being one of the founding societies of the newly established Athletic Union. In 1956, a “Ladies select” competition, hosted by the St Andrews men’s student golf club, saw professional golfer Jean Donald and triple British Ladies Amateur winner Jessie Valentine on the Old Course proving fierce competition against the home team. Reporting on the afternoon matches, the Secretary records a gripping come-back:

“Mrs Valentine, who had been playing magnificently without having much luck on the greens, then began to show why she is regarded as a “terrier” when she is down in a match: on a 3 shots at the 14^th, and that against a cold wind, she almost got a four, and won the hole, as she did at the 15^th. Halves at the next two holes gave St Andrews the victory, but only just” (10 April 1956).

Including men and women athletes, in its 75^th year the Boyd Quaich’s foundational mission of fostering friendship between students across all nations through the medium of sport is stronger than ever. We wish all competitors the best of luck for an enjoyable and successful tournament.

For a full list of previous results, and information on the tournament, see: https://golf.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/boyd-quaich/

Miriam Buncombe
Archives Assistant