Sport

THE SILVER medal Anna Burnet won in the mixed Nacra 17 class at the Tokyo Olympic Games was greeted with delight at the Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club at Rhu, and by the whole Helensburgh and District community.

WHILE Helensburgh interest in the Tokyo Olympics was focussed on the sailing stars, gold medalist Eilidh McIntyre, silver medalist Anna Burnet, and finalists Charlotte Dobson and Luke Patience, in one burgh household what mattered most was the cycling.

In charge of the very successful GB cycling team was performance director Stephen Park, whose parents Douglas and Sylvia live in Crawford Drive. For his efforts he was awarded the CBE in the 2022 New Year's Honours List.

AN AMERICAN golf club holds an annual club tournament called ‘The Battle of Glen Fruin’ — and now it plans to create its own monument to the 1603 battle.

John Vernasco, from Chicago, Illinois, contacted Helensburgh Heritage Trust to find out the dimensions of the Trust monument at the west end of the glen to those who died in clash between the Colquhouns and the MacGregors.

THE DRAMATIC finish to the 2019 ICC World Championship propelled cricket into the media spotlight — followed by the Ashes, the no-holds barred Test match series between England and Australia.

There is a link between Helensburgh and Australian cricket, former Aussie skipper Stan Sismey, who found his bride-to-be in Helensburgh when serving with the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment during World War Two.

SCOTLAND is universally acknowledged as the home of golf, and bald statistics show that this is no myth.

In 2002 Scotland was ranked as world no.1 in terms of golf courses per unit of population, the next five being Ireland, U.S.A., Wales, Sweden and England.

ONE of the good guys of Scottish football in years gone by was a well-known Helensburgh man.

This was reaffirmed with the release in 2017 of a new account of the life of Rangers and Scotland goalkeeper and Scotland manager Bobby Brown.

JUST BEFORE the world waterspeed record was set on Loch Lomond on July 18 1932 by Kaye Don, there had been a trial run with a 13 year-old girl on board Miss England 111.

She went on to become Countess of Arran and, 48 years later, the fastest woman on water and the first to travel on water at over 100mph.

PARALYMPIC gold has been the highlight of a quite outstanding 2016 for Helensburgh wheelchair tennis star Gordon Reid.

The year began with his first Grand Slam title — victory in the men’s singles at the Australian Open in Melbourne.

LOCH LOMOND is world-famous for its beauty, history and romance — but it not so well known as the scene of a successful attempt on the world waterspeed record.

On July 18 1932, Kaye Don set a new record in Miss England 111, when he was timed at 119.81mph.

A GOLFER from Helensburgh got up early one morning to be at the golf course for 8am to drive off from the first tee down the fairway . . .

This signalled not only a race by caddies to find the ball, but the start of one of the busiest years of 67 year-old Keith Macintosh’s life.

THE RETURN of a trophy last won for a cross country race held by Arrochar Youth Club in 1947 to the Arrochar, Tarbet and Ardlui Heritage Group sparked a wave of enthusiasm to resurrect an Arrochar 10k race.

A LONG-SERVING teacher at Helensburgh’s Lomond School is an institution in Scottish womens hockey . . . and still playing at the age of 52.

Head of Physical Education Margery Taylor won nearly 100 caps for Scotland and is still match secretary of the 4th XI at the Glasgow Western club which dominates the sport in this country.