F KENNEDY

1920 - France, Wales, Ireland and England
1921 - England

Finlay Kennedy played in the school XV from 1907-09, he played in the cricket XI and was the athletics champion!

On leaving school he went almost immediately into the FP 1st XV and played regularly until 1922 apart from the war years. He was captain from 1911 until 1921 and played in the Edinburgh team from 1910-21.

In 1919 he was chosen, many thought somewhat belatedly, to play for Scotland and on New Year's Day 1920. When he took the field at the Parc des Princes and became the first Stewart's FP internationalist. Scotland beat France by a goal to nothing, Kennedy converting a try by G B Cole. Later in the year, against Wales he scored two magnificent penalty goals from near the touchline just inside the Welsh half which virtually won the game for Scotland. Against Ireland, Kennedy contributed 7 points in Scotland's win by 19-0. Unfortunately, they lost at Twickenham 13-4 thus depriving Scotland of the Grand Slam.

At the beginning of the next season, Kennedy was unable to play due to injury and a recurrence of Malaria contracted during the war. He was restored to the team for the Calcutta Cup match. He had the honour of leading the forwards who now included his team mate J C R Buchanan and so for the first time two Stewart's FP's played in the same Scottish team.

It was a great shock when only four years later this fine forward died, largely because of the debilitating effect of the illness which he had borne with typical courage and humility.

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