Dear all,
As some of you may have been told in recent weeks, we recently heard that our former member Ian McIntosh passed away.
Many of us will have played with Ian, many more will have shared a drink or three with him, and more will have stories about "EB" - as he was known to most of us.
I invite you all, whether you knew EB or not, to read Duncan Slaughter's brilliant tribute to Ian, who contributed so much to Old A's during his time here. I have also posted this on the forum on the club website, in case anyone would like to add their own memories of EB.
If anyone has any photos of EB that we could put on the website alongside this piece, please send them to me. Although EB took many of the photos that now adorn our photo galleries, it seems he was never quite so adept at getting himself in front of the lens...
Olly
Ian McIntosh
We recently received the very sad news that Ian McIntosh had died on 15 June 2012 at a tragically young age.
Ian joined Old Actonians CC in the late 1990s. Throughout his time with us, and before his return to his native Wales, Ian was to prove a loyal, devoted and charmingly eccentric member of the club.
He started with us as a player who tried his utmost to land mystery spinners somewhere close to a length and line, usually via a route which took in the lower stratosphere. His delight at any success was unbounded, as anyone who spent an evening with Ian after a day which featured him taking wickets will testify.
After a couple of years, Ian added “umpire” to his CV and officiated in numerous games on Saturdays, Sundays, tour, cricket week, for the ladies and for the colts, where he frequently helped out John Walker by volunteering to umpire for all the age groups. In his early days as an official, bowlers would queue up to bowl from his end as he had a generous interpretation of the LBW law. In one famous 3rd XI game, Ian gave a total of 8 LBWs – 4 to each side – and in part celebration/part apology to the batsmen, bought each team a jug of beer after the game! Ian worked hard at his umpiring, and we missed that devotion to duty when he decided to go back to Wales.
Ian earned his nickname – eB – very quickly after joining the club, just as we were meeting in the bar before setting off for a Devon tour. Ian worked in IT, and was used to talking to other people who shared his passion in all things electronic. One of our ex-members, Mike “The Spy” Jones, another IT man, was joining us for the tour and had never met Ian before. Mike remarked that he hoped Ian “won’t be talking e bollocks all week” and a nickname was born. To his credit, Ian embraced the nickname and it stuck to such an extent that some new members assumed that EB were his real initials, and couldn’t understand why we called him Ian!
Ian’s eccentricity was widely known. His eyesight was never good, and he made many attempts to find ways of keeping his spectacles in place while he was bowling and batting. For one season he arrived wearing what looked like diver’s goggles which allowed good forward vision, but peripheral blindness. His batting was frequently brief but certainly brave. During one innings, he asked for advice on how to play a fast bowler, and was advised to get in line. Through an oversight, the advice didn’t include the suggestion that he tried to hit the ball, with the result that he “wore” a number of short deliveries on his ample torso. That evening, many players, plus surprised passing strangers were treated to a viewing of Ian’s bruises as he cheerfully raised his shirt to one and all. As a fielder, Ian realised that his lack of speed meant that he was not the best chaser of a ball. This led to him developing a technique of falling on a passing ball rather in the manner of a hippo entering a water hole. When this was successful, he would triumphantly produce the ball from beneath his body as if to say that the MCC coaching book has missed a vital style of fielding. When it failed, the ground shook!
So farewell eB. You will always be remembered with great affection at Old As as player, umpire, committee member and devoted talker about all things to do with cricket. No one was prouder to wear the Old As cap and shirt, and no one was happier to be on a cricket field.