There were many telling contributions from international cricketers past and present as Scotland’s domestic season reached its denouement at Grange Loan on Saturday but all were upstaged by the best known sportsman among them who made his name in a very different field.

Half centuries from Fraser Watts, the national team’s most capped cricketer and Ireland cap Rory McCann had set their side on their way to an imposing total of 282-6, while present day Scotland opening bowler Ali Evans would pick up two wickets amidst some hostile bowling. Gordon Drummond, the former Scotland captain who was making his last appearance at this level, meanwhile took two excellent slip catches off Omar Ahmad’s bowling to all but wrap things up as Evans’ current Scotland team-mates Richie Berrington and Con de Lange departed off successive balls to reduce Clydesdale’s response to 30-4.

As those charged with identifying the man-of-the-match award rightly recognised, however, nothing turned things the Edinburgh side’s way more than the performance of Hugo Southwell with an innings that was about as subtle as might be expected of a man who made his name in professional rugby, 85 runs bludgeoned off 54 balls received, 58 from shots that sent the ball to the boundary, five of which cleared it.

In fairness, as a back three player, Southwell was never among rugby’s more brutish types, while he was always a fine cricketer, on the Sussex books as a teenager before the opportunity arrived to become a professional rugby player. London-born and Hove raised his big chance came when his Scottish connection - a grandparent from Falkirk - was identified. A move to Edinburgh ensued in 2003 and he was capped the following year, earning 59 in all during a fine career which would also take him to Stade Francais and Wasps.

Much as he enjoyed his time in Paris and London it was that spent in Scotland’s capital which proved life-changing since he met wife Federica while in Edinburgh, making it easy to decide where life after rugby would take them.

Since their new home is just a couple of streets from Grange Loan the choice of cricket club was similarly obvious. Always among the most pleasant Scottish rugby players to deal with, even in the era during which media training was enforcing ever greater blandness, his joie de vivre remained obvious. Even so, given what we are learning about professional rugby, that he could so vigorously hurl a still athletic 36-year-old frame around while making his ground or preventing the ball crossing the rope, was surprisingly impressive. Batting and fielding Southwell was clearly in his element as, just as in his rugby days when Edinburgh dominated their Inter-City rivals, he helped ensure that eastern dominance of national cricket finals day continues.

That Clydesdale had previously won this season’s Scottish Cup served to underline just how good this 114 run victory was, Southwell’s blitz knocking the stuffing out of the Glasgow side, albeit he acknowledged that Carlton had benefited from their ground’s selection as the ‘neutral’ venue for the final before the season began, while seeking to deflect from his own efforts.

“I think most people thought it would be a bit closer but then Alasdair Evans at the top of their innings, I’ve seen him bowl well this year but that was as good a spell as you could hope for and Omar Ahmad’s two wickets have just changed the game getting Richie Berrington and Con de Lange. So it was a brilliant team performance and that’s the best thing about it,” he observed.

“I’ve really enjoyed it here this season. As soon as the sun gets on this wicket it’s an absolute road so it’s been great to bat on. I played most of my games here because with a young family it’s hard to play every game and they are a great bunch of guys. Their performance in the latter part of the season in particular has been absolutely outstanding. We’ve had a brilliant run and played some pretty good cricket as well.”

Fit enough to still harbour a slight hope that he may once again attract the attention of Scotland selectors, Southwell is aware that his experience of playing elite professional sport for so long can also help others.

“I’ve obviously been fortunate enough to play at that level, so can come in and not really feel the nerves that I probably would have done at the age of 19/20,” he noted.

“I can give a lot of the other guys a bit of experience as well. I always wanted to play cricket at a high level when I was younger. It’s been 17 years now and a lot’s happened, so it’s just brilliant to be back playing, to be playing a good standard and to be scoring some runs.”

If he keeps performing like this the only statistic that works against him becoming an international cricketer, namely his date of birth, may quickly become irrelevant.