Mike joined the club as a youngster, the elder of two promising brothers, having been taught the basics of batting by his father, Chris Smith. Chris too was one of the finest batsmen to grace Mannofield, and he nurtured Mike’s talent well during those formative years.

Mike’s batting possessed a heady mixture of elegance, technique, and outright belligerence. His stance and grip were orthodox, and he was more than capable of solid defence when required. However, from an early age two features of Mike’s batting were evident to all. He was one of those especially gifted batsmen who sighted the ball early in its flight, giving him time to select and play the appropriate shot. Mike also loved to strike the ball extremely hard, and he possessed the timing to do so time and time again.

Though he could score all around the wicket, Mannofield supporters will remember most vividly his repeated front-foot shots clearing the boundaries at long-off and long-on. He also took great delight in pulling shorter deliveries far over the mid-wicket ropes. In his pomp, Mike was a stellar talent — hugely entertaining to watch and enormously challenging to face. Many club bowlers suffered as Mike indulged his fierce desire to hit the cricket ball as far as he possibly could.

One innings among many that stands out came in the 1996 Scottish Cup semi-final at Mannofield against Carlton, when Mike scored a stylish, unbeaten 120 to see ‘Shire through to a triumphant cup final that year — a final in which he again top-scored against Clydesdale. The 1996 season was the historic “triple” year in which Aberdeenshire won all three national competitions.

There are cricketers whose full impact on the game is not always reflected in statistics, and Mike at Mannofield was certainly one of those players. More often than not, his displays were eye-catching entertainment. Arguably his only flaw at this level was occasional impatience. Indeed, it could be argued that the days his opponents had most to fear were those when Mike took his time to settle and build a longer innings at the crease.

Inevitably, a talent like Mike’s attracted the attention of district and national selectors, and he was recognised early in his career. He represented his region successfully in age-group teams, frequently producing eye-catching performances, and his progress to the senior national team was a natural step.

In 1987 he made his debut against Ireland, and his Scottish career lasted until 2001. Once again Mike’s shot-making talents were evident, and the international players of his era held him in huge respect, viewing him as a batsman with a special gift.

At Lord’s in 1994, he scored a magnificent unbeaten century against the MCC — a feat not many Scots have achieved at the game’s headquarters. In 1997 he played the match-winning innings against Ireland in the World Cup Qualifier, helping Scotland achieve their first-ever Cricket World Cup appearance in 1999. He also became the first Aberdeenshire player to appear at a Cricket World Cup.

All Scottish international players must be brave, facing challenges against more experienced and often highly paid opponents. The team of Mike’s era were pioneers, and he represented Scotland with distinction on many occasions as they battled to progress through the international ranks.

With his natural attacking style and remarkable timing, many believe Mike would have been perfectly suited to the modern T20 format of the game.

Although batting was Mike’s greatest cricketing joy, he was also a very useful bowler of lively medium pace, capable of extracting movement and life from the pitch. Undoubtedly he had the potential to develop this skill further, but batting was always his true passion — and it was with the bat that he gave our members so many memorable moments.

For much of his career Mike played alongside his beloved brother Roddy, himself a very accomplished batsman and googly bowler.

At this saddest of times, we extend our deepest sympathy to the entire Smith family.