Another bad news day...

charlie clown · February 15, 2018

Heard last night that my Uncle Jim passed on after being admitted to hospital last week with pneumonia. He was my dad's older brother but as he still lived in in his native Paisley I didn't see too much of him overall but we both made efforts to keep in touch and I'm really glad I saw a bit more of him over the last few years than I had done for decades. He was a lovely, lovely man, really humble despite the fact that he was a fantastically gifted sportsman. He'd been a pro footballer in his younger days, after being the top scorer in the Scottish Amateur League competitions for a few years he turned pro and played for Queens Park, Glasgow Rangers and then Birmingham City. After he stopped that he took up golf and was a mate and regular playing partner of Bob Torrance which I would imagine meant that he was pretty good at that too.

When he could no longer play golf he took up bowls. And although his bowls team won often enough his proudest moment came when he was bowling one day and the competition MC announced his name over the PA "next up to the mat, Jim T.......". When he came off the green at the end of the match a misty-eyed old codger ambled up to him and said " did I hear that right? You're Jim T.....?". "Yes", says Jim. "But are you THE Jim T...., league's tops scorer in 1958?". "Aye". "Could I have your autograph for my grand-kids?" Given that he was about 82 at the time he couldn't get over it, assumed that nobody alive would have remembered or cared.

Anyway, I'll be raising a glass to him tonight and I hope I can get up to Paisley for the send-off.

Gethin · February 15, 2018

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