Cape Town – The Western
Province cricket family on Monday mourned the passing of the well-known
businessman and former Western Province opening bowler David McKay at the age
of 72.
McKay was a superb swing
bowler in the mould of Eddie Barlow who played for Western Province from
1966/67 to 1973/1974. Later, he had an association with the province as joint
owner of Constantia Uitsig and hosted many matches at the iconic ground, some
of which involved the Western Province Colt team.
Teams from England, like
Yorkshire, often played preseason-matches at the Uitsig-ground and hired the
beautiful venue from this well-known cricket fanatic and hugely respected
business owner.
McKay was born in De Aar and
represented Western Province during the early reign of Barlow, who transformed
Western Province from a team in the B-section to a Currie Cup-winning domestic
force.
“I was convenor of selectors
when Dave played for Western Province. He was a big bloke and he opened the
bowling for Province. He could swing it both ways through the air, almost like
Stephen Jefferies, but he was not as quick as Stephen,” remembered Fritz Bing,
a former Western Province president and chairman of selectors during the era in
which McKay played.
“Maybe you could compare his
bowling speed to that of Barlow.”
“As a batsman he could really
hammer the ball. He was a good catcher if the ball came straight at him,
because he was a bit cumbersome. He had fingers like bananas,” remembered Bing.
McKay captured 49 wickets for
Western Province, including a career-best innings-haul of 8-76.
His highest contribution with
the blade was 82 for Province.
“As a franchise, we want to
share our sincere condolences with the colleagues, friends and family of Mr
McKay. We honour his contribution to Western Province in spearheading the
attack of the province in a transitional phase of its existence under the
expert guardianship of Bunter Barlow,” said Nabeal Dien, chief executive
officer of the Western Province Cricket Association.
“We are also grateful for the
opportunities our young cricketers had to be exposed to a different cricket
experience at the great Constantia Uitsig-venue,” Dien added.
Dien does not forgot the
generosity of McKay when as youth and amateur manager he freely allowed the
academy and visiting youth sides to play at the famous Uitsig Oval.