Bill McLaren - The Voice of Rugby

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grannysrock
Posts: 472
Joined: Wed Mar 02, 2005 9:21 am
Location: Belgium

Bill McLaren - The Voice of Rugby

Post by grannysrock » Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:53 pm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8468584.stm

I am deeply saddened to learn of his passing.
When he commentated on rugby, I was interested, excited and if Scotland was one of the teams playing, passionate. How good he was - can be measured in how less interested, excited, passionate I feel now when I watch a game of rugby on tv.
I as a very amateur family historian have entertained silly dreams of Bill narrating the televisation of the unwritten novel in my daft wee heid. For me his voice was a bit more than the voice of rugby.
Bye bye Bill
Newhaven-DRYBURGH,NICOLL,HUNTER(+Alloa) ; Lesmahagow-MITCHELL,LAMB, BARR, BROWN,CALLAN; Comrie-MCDOUGALL, MCEWEN, MCLAREN, BRYSON; BEW - PRINGLE, FISHER,SPENCE;Edzell-MIDDLETON,DORWARD;
Edin.-JOHNSTON, MONTGOMERY;Fife-SIME, FORRESTER, WANLESS
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LesleyB
Posts: 8184
Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2005 12:18 am
Location: Scotland

Re: Bill McLaren - The Voice of Rugby

Post by LesleyB » Tue Jan 19, 2010 11:10 pm

For me, his voice is the sound of the Saturday afternoons of my childhood. I'm taken back in time just hearing him.
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Russell
Posts: 2559
Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2005 5:59 pm
Location: Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire

Re: Bill McLaren - The Voice of Rugby

Post by Russell » Wed Jan 20, 2010 1:28 am

Whwn Scotland was considered one of the top rugby countries I'm sure it was Bill's lucid, unbiased, but always enthusiastic description of every game that inspired youngsters to take up the sport. Where are we now ? We will miss his gravelly dialect, his humour and genius too.

Russell
Working on: Oman, Brock, Miller/Millar, in Caithness.
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Johnston, Reside, Lyle all over the place !
McGilvray(spelt 26 different ways)
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Rach
Posts: 360
Joined: Wed Nov 16, 2005 6:25 pm
Location: Tweeddale

Re: Bill McLaren - The Voice of Rugby

Post by Rach » Fri Jan 22, 2010 1:28 pm

I heartily agree with all the other messages.
Bill made it easy for people like me who weren't that knowledgeable about the rules to follow the game. Somehow you could picture things much more clearly when he was on duty.
As well as that I always loved it when he said, " They will be dancing in the streets of [---] tonight."
Rae
Names of interest: Perthshire- Taylor, McDonald, McRaw, Gould; Caithness- Cormack, Campbell, Sutherland; Berwickshire- Darling, Johnson, Whitlie, Forrest/Forrester/Foster, Barns/Barnes,Buglass/Bookless; Wilson, Thorburn, Cowe, Laing, Rae, Colven, Collin,
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