'Voice of rugby' knighthood call

Bill McLaren retired as a commentator in 2002

An online petition to get a knighthood for the "voice of rugby", Bill McLaren, has been backed by 2,500 people.

The internet campaign was launched on the social networking site Facebook at the beginning of the month.

Scotland and Glasgow centre Graeme Morrison has supported the bid saying the 86-year-old Borderer's commentaries were "synonymous with rugby".

Mr McLaren, from Hawick, retired in 2002 and has already received an OBE, CBE and MBE for services to the sport.

Rugby fans would like to see him become Sir Bill McLaren in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.

Current Scotland international Morrison said it would be a fitting tribute.

You can go anywhere in the world and anyone who knows anything about rugby will instantly recognise Bill McLaren's voice Graeme Morrison

He said: "His voice and the way he commentated is synonymous with rugby and he invented some of the best one-liners the game has ever heard.

"I think that now there are certain commentators who moan and who are very biased towards their own countries, whereas Bill was enthusiastic but never one-sided.

"You can go anywhere in the world and anyone who knows anything about rugby will instantly recognise Bill McLaren's voice."

The campaign's founder, Bruce Aitchison, from Edinburgh, said the next step was to start writing to MPs and MSPs.

He has already received the support of Roxburgh and Berwickshire MSP John Lamont.

"Everyone knows how important rugby is to the Borders but there is probably no Borderer who has contributed more to Scottish rugby over the past half century than Bill McLaren," he said.

"As a community, Hawick is rightly proud of McLaren, although this campaign has made it clear that his influence has spread far beyond his native shores."

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version