Bill Maclaren was perhaps the last of my Saturday Club of companions from the days when I followed sport in the company of my family.
It’s a select gathering: Bill Maclaren and Eddie Waring, John Arlott and Brian Johnston. Like favourite pieces of music or songs they conjure up cameos of some old times worth remembering. Catch phrases too that added spice to their soundbites.
And I was reminded of them only a few weeks ago when my youngest daughter sent me a text from the All Blacks match v. the Barbarians at ‘Twickers’. She was recalling some girlhood days when we’d watched such games together with the help of these special voices.
Thank you, Bill. RIP
Boadicea's Chariot 
Thanks for this
When I first started goin gto Murrayfield, the commentaries were by Peter West, the ‘dancing fly half’ (other job was compering ‘Come Dancing’). He were rubbish with his ‘Drop-outs’ and his ‘No-side’. We used to gather under his commentary position solely to shout cheap jibes at him. Interesting to see that it got under his skin as I see from his Independent obituary.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/peter-west-548693.html
He was replaced by Bill and it really was going from the ridiculous to the sublime. A true impartial commentator who never get his Jockness get in the way of that impartiality. I particularly remember his commentaries on Alan Lawson’s games for Scotland. You would have been hard put to know that the man was his son-in-law even when he scored.
Two grandsons currently in or about the Scotland team. He’s left a fine legacy to us and a lasting memory to all rugby fans, whatever their nationality.
Can’t disagree with the others in yuor Pantheon bt I would make a place for Dan Maskell as well, myself.
19:00(GMT)
Hello JM, one of the sites quirks is that ‘new members’ have to be approved. (Both comments and posts)
The ‘approver’ resides on the other side of the world!
Would Bearsy or VG please delete this comment once JM’s appears, tks.
Hi Soutie.
Well, in that case, I hope he disapproves me so that I can repost it again in another guise.
I have four typos in the one post and am utterly mortified. Would never have hapened on MyT, in my opinion. I never realised how much I relied on the ‘Preview’ function.
Bearsy and VG, if you do find it in your heart to approve me, please delete this as well. I’ll bear the shame of the typos this time, but it will not happen again, I assure you.
“Rah, Rah, Up & Under!”
“It’s all over, it is now!”
I am not good on sports commentary quotes. I expect you have a few?
Now you’re an author, you can edit it John, all by your wee self. 😉
Sorry, I’m not properly awake. You can’t edit it because it’s on someone else’s blog. Doh!
Bearsy.
How did you get in there in front of enfranchise (twice)? His post was there when I was still waiting to be approved.
Tee hee!
The comments are threaded (nested) down to 3 levels (I can make it more). So if you click on the ‘reply’ on a comment, your comment will be one level lower and appear within the parent comment.
If you click on the ‘reply’ at the bottom of the page, your comment will appear at the top level.
Comments are in time order, including those which were previously invisible because they were waiting for approval.
It’s rather a neat trick and helps follow threads once you are used to it. A sort of filing cabinet. Much better-er than My-T.
P.S. Have you found my picture post yet?
I loved Bill Maclaren’s voice – clear, calm, never flustered. That lovely soft Borders accent.
A happy Burns night to you, JM, and all others celebrating the Ayrshire ploughman.