THE man who led Scotland into their first World Cup has told the current squad to savour every moment of the experience in New Zealand and Australia during the next month.

George Salmond's sporting profile may be earned these days by officiating at senior football matches around the country but the SFA Category 1 referee was once better known for his exploits in the summer game.

Indeed, it was Salmond who captained Scotland at the 1999 World Cup, having two years earlier helped the country qualify for cricket's showpiece tournament at the first attempt.

His team were to end winless, as was Craig Wright's side eight years later in Scotland's only subsequent appearance on the 50-over global stage.

Despite five defeats, Salmond remains proud of his side's achievements all those years ago and relishes the memories of what was undoubtedly the highlight of a distinguished career which was rewarded last year when he was inducted into the Cricket Scotland Hall of Fame.

The class of '99 could not have been handed a tougher start than to face the tournament favourites and eventual champions Australia at Worcester.

In a carnival atmosphere, much of it created by a sizeable and boisterous Tartan Army, Scotland gave a creditable account of themselves from the moment Bruce Patterson stroked the first delivery of the match for four.

Salmond said: “There is little doubt that playing at a World Cup is the highlight of any sportsman's career and that was certainly the case for me.

“The longer you are retired the more vivid the memories seem to become and I remember that opening game against Australia particularly clearly.

“I recall arriving on the team bus and seeing loads of Rampant Lion flags and kilted supporters as we drove through the streets of Worcester. I honestly thought to myself: ‘Scotland must be playing football somewhere near here today!'

“When we got to the ground it became clear that the support was for us and that merely heightened the sense of occasion.

“Then when Bruce and Philpy (Iain Philip) walked out to open the batting the whole ground stood up and there was a tear in my eye at that moment because of the realisation that this is what we'd worked for and this is where we were.

“There's no way I could have struck that first ball for four as Bruce did - at least not in a conventional way!”

Salmond's men went on to reach 181-7, Gavin Hamilton top-scoring with 34 and Salmond 31, before the Aussies, having been reduced to 141-4, won without further mishap.

Patterson's first shot aside, the champagne moment of the match came with a marvellous tumbling catch by Mike Allingham to remove a youthful Ricky Ponting and give an even more youthful John Blain his first wicket of the tournament.

Blain was to go on to boast the best strike-rate of any bowler in the competition, a reminder of the individual and collective feats which may lie ahead for the current crop of Caledonian cricketers, despite their status as underdogs.

“The Scotland boys now have a fantastic opportunity to go and make a bit of history for themselves by winning a first World Cup match and I certainly hope they do that,” added Salmond.

“Things are completely different now than they were in 1999 when we were virtually all amateur players who had to get time off work to take part in the biggest tournament in the world.

“Now the guys are professional and they have all the support staff with them with fitness trainers, video analysts, physios and all the rest.

“But all the other countries have moved forward too and nobody will be fooling themselves about how difficult it is going to be.

“The Scots have got a really tough draw with the two co-hosts as well as England and Sri Lanka - all really top nations.

“But they should relish every moment.”