Sport

A RHU man, Matthew Dickie, was a Rangers and Scotland international goalkeeper in the early days of the game.

Born in the village on August 19 1873, he opened and ran for many years a successful tobacconist shop, with a much-used billiards saloon upstairs, in Sinclair Street, Helensburgh. He died on December 30 1959 at the age of 86.

A RHU man was one of the founders of a Scottish sporting institution, Glasgow Rangers Football Club.

Moses McNeil (seated, right), who formed the first Rangers team in the west of Glasgow in 1872 with his brother Peter and two friends, was the son of John and Jean McNeil.

ONE of the best known and most liked sportsmen to emerge from the Helensburgh area was Ryder Cup golfer Tom Haliburton.

Son of Mr and Mrs Robert Haliburton, he was born Thomas Bruce Haliburton in Ardencaple Cottage, Rhu, on June 5 1915 and lived there for some years before the family moved to Loudon Cottage, Shandon, where he learned to play and love golf.

THE annual Scottish Open golf tournament, held for some years at the Loch Lomond club at Luss and now at other courses, always means a trip home for top BBC sports presenter Hazel Irvine from Cardross.

The former Hermitage Academy pupil, whose parents still live in the village and who once took part in Helensburgh's Ne'erday Swim, is one of BBC Sport’s most experienced and versatile broadcasters.

MISSION accomplished . . . that was the verdict of the Helensburgh man who masterminded the success of the Team Great Britain sailing squad at the 2008 Olympic Games at Beijing in China.

Royal Yachting Association Olympic manager Stephen Park, known to his friends as Sparky, set a target for the team of four medals, and they won six — four of them gold. His achievement was recognised when he was awarded the OBE in the 2009 New Year's Honours List.

A HELENSBURGH woman sailed into the record books in May 2003 when she became the first British woman and youngest ever competitor to complete the longest race for any individual in any sport, around the world alone.

It was an achievement which was to earn Emma Richards, now Mrs Sanderson, the MBE and a revered place in the history of her sport.

HELENSBURGH’S only Olympic Games gold medal came, appropriately enough, in the sport of sailing.

It happened in September 1988 on the Suyong Bay at Pusan at the Games in Seoul, Korea, and it was an unexpected triumph for burgh man Mike McIntyre.

A RHU resident of 23 years was a football star in his day . . . and then became a millionaire businessman.

Malcolm Finlayson, who died on November 26 1914, is considered to be the best goalkeeper Scotland never capped in the 1950s, starring for many years for Wolverhampton Wanderers in front of 50,000 crowds and winning league championships in 1958 and 59, and the F.A. Cup in 1960.

THE GREAT BRITAIN team returned from the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea with their best ever medal haul of one gold and four bronze . . . but four Winter Games earlier the grand-daughter of a Helensburgh chemist was completing a back to back gold medal triumph.

Speed skater Catriona Ann Le May Doan — known to all as Cat — was the first Canadian to achieve a gold medal at successive Winter Olympics, triumphing in the 500m distance in Nagano, Japan, where she also won a 1000m bronze, and Salt Lake City in Canada.

A HELENSBURGH man whose international rugby playing career was interrupted by the Second World War went on to become a top referee. 

The late W.Copland W.Murdoch, or Copey to all who knew him, played for Scotland both before and after the war, and his name became famous in Scottish rugby circles.

IT would be surprising to think of Helensburgh as a Hampden Park or a Murrayfield with Scotland playing England . . . but it happened on Saturday May 22 1965.

In almost constant rain, Craighelen Tennis Club hosted an international tennis match between the two countries and — as forecast — Scotland were hammered by 7 rubbers to 1 by an English team which included future Wimbledon champion Virginia Wade.

HELENSBURGH held a Highland Games in June 2008 at Ardencaple after a 56-year absence — and now it has become an annual event again.

The previous Helensburgh Highland Games was held on Saturday July 26 1952 at what was then known as Camis Eskan Park, and the second last was at the same venue on Saturday July 23 1949.