Amateur career Scotland was educated at
George Heriot's School, Edinburgh, and
Trinity College, Cambridge, where he read history and economics after completing two years
National Service with the
Royal Signals at
Catterick Garrison (and where he played 13 times for the Army as well as for other army representative sides). Having struggled with the Latin component of his Cambridge entrance exam, he then ran into further trouble when he had a disastrous trial for
Cambridge University R.U.F.C., and it was claimed he lost his form all that autumn and as a result was only third choice for the university, despite being first choice full back for the Scottish team. In 1963, work took Scotland to Edinburgh and he left Leicester after 40 games and 240 points. On 1 November 1999, Scotland was named in the Tigers' "Team of the Century", despite only playing 40 games in 18 months for the club.
Provincial career After moving to
Aberdeen, Ken Scotland played for Aberdeenshire, and for the
North and Midlands district team. he played for 34 different teams. These included
London Scottish FC,
Heriot's FP and
Ballymena. Richard Bath writes of him that: "Like
Gavin Hastings against
France nearly three decades later, Ken Scotland started his international career on a high note, scoring all six points in his country's win over France. Yet although Scotland made a huge impact when he won his first cap aged 19, it could all have been so different. Until circumstances caused his selection at full-back at for the Scottish Trial earlier that year, Scotland had always played fly-half. That experience of playing fly-half added another dimension to his game, and he soon emerged as the first true attacking full-back in an age where a safety-first attitude and a large boot were the most important attributes for any No. 15... Novel at the time, it is now the staple diet of attacking full-backs the world over." But on the other hand, Scotland missed three penalty kicks against in the 1962
Calcutta Cup match. ==Cricket career==