Updated: Kelso cricket team-mates join in tributes to Scottish football legend Andy Goram

Though most famous as a footballer, Goram was also a keen cricketer and is the only man ever to have represented Scotland at both sports.

The Hibernian and Rangers goalkeeper amassed 43 caps between 1985 and 1998 for the national football team and also played cricket for Scotland in four matches, two apiece in 1989 and 1991.

Those two lots of cricket caps bookended his time at Kelso as he joined the club in 1990 and played for them for a year and a half, only quitting because he was ordered to focus on football by former Rangers chairman David Murray after signing for the Glasgow giants, managed by Walter Smith at that time, in summer 1991.

Greater Manchester-born Goram, in goal for Hibs until then and living in Midlothian, was playing for home-town team Penicuik at cricket prior to joining the Borderers but was persuaded to switch sides after coming up against them.

“We played Penicuik and at the time Kelso were the best team in the Border league and, as usual, we had a few drinks in the bar and he said he enjoyed the way we played our cricket and stuff like that,” recalled Dougie Wilson, then club captain.

“He got on with the boys well so we asked ‘why don’t you come and play for us next year?’ and that’s what happened. He joined us in 1990.”

Goram fitted in straight away and helped bring about an upturn in Kelso’s fortunes on the cricket field, said Wilson, 60.

“Honestly he was just one of the lads,” he told us.

“He was fantastic. He lifted the dressing room with his spirit. He was always smiling, always joking and everything, but when he got on the park, he was a serious cricketer.

“He loved his cricket. He loved both of them, football and cricket.

“The only reason he stopped playing for Kelso was that David Murray wouldn’t let him play anymore.

“He signed for Rangers in early July I think it was and that was the last game he played for us.

“He played a couple of games for us on Sundays and stuff like that after he retired from football but nothing serious.”

Wilson said he’d been saddened to hear of Goram’s death on Saturday, just weeks after being diagnosed with terminal oesophageal cancer and being told he only had six months to live.

“It was a shame,” he said. “It was a big shock as he’d been well. It just came upon him, the illness.

“I’d still been in touch with him as he still came to the likes of Kelso Races.

“He was a regular visitor to the town. He’d come down at least once a year to the likes of the races.”

Goram was handy with both bat and ball but possibly at his best with the latter, hitting numerous centuries for the Borderers, and had been a hard act to follow, according to Wilson.

“He was an all-rounder​​​​​​​. He was probably a better batsman than a bowler​​​​​​​ but he was definitely an all-rounder,” he said.

“​​​​​​​The whole place was sad to see him go​​​​​​​.

“At the time, we were competing for the likes of the Scottish cup and that, and basically we lost our all-rounder and one of our best players.

“Obviously, that weakened our team that year and I think we got put out in the quarter-finals of the cup, but if Andy had been there,​​​​​​​ we might have won it, you never know.​​​​​​​

“He was very difficult to replace.”​​​​​​​

Club president Jack Ker added: “It’s hard to believe he’s gone.

“He was an unbelievable competitor to play against but a great man to have on your team.

“He always said to me he preferred cricket to football. It must be good to be gifted enough to have the choice.”

Goram’s other football clubs included Motherwell, Oldham Athletic, Manchester United and Coventry City.

Other cricket teams the left-handed batsman and right-arm, medium-pace bowler turned out for included Uddingston in South Lanarkshire, West Lothian and Freuchie in Fife.

His funeral will be held on Monday, July 18, at Wellington Church in Glasgow.

A minute’s silence will be observed ahead of Rangers’ pre-season friendly match against Sunderland at the Estadio Municipal de Albufeira in Portugal this Saturday and club officials will lay a wreath prior to another warm-up, against West Ham United, on Tuesday, July 19.

Goram made 260 appearances for the Old Firm club between 1991 and 1998, helping win five league titles, three Scottish Cups and two league cups.