Ian MacKay rode a cow south from Caithness to study at Glasgow University in 2001. He had a brief flirtation with the Old Enemy GHK, before quickly seeing sense and crossing the fence to Accies. His conversion was completed at the AGM that year, when he ceremonially burned his fellow escapee Geoff Harding's old club cap.
Since then, Ian has been a loyal servant to the club, turning out consistently for the 2XI to bowl his questioning medium pace, to dig-in as an underrated batsman, and to occasionally show off his great throws from the boundary. In 2009, he is captaining his beloved 2s, looking to build on their success in WDCU 2.
He has also made a handful of appearances for the Accies 1XI and will tell anyone who will listen that his three tight overs in the season opener laid the foundations for Accies' dominant season 2006.
On top of this, he is a keen (if sometimes hungover) coach for the youngsters on a Sunday morning.
Mackay has given so much to the club, but the door, of course, swings both ways. Mackay owes much to Accies, including his most popular nickname, "Mackoy", making light of his Teuchter accent.
Mackay also took a trip on a "big metal bird in the sky", to attend a test match with his teammates. While clearly impressed with this modern mode of transport, Mackoy may do well to stick to cattle in future, a fact to which the cleaning staff at Birmingham Airport will attest.
Ian Mackay remains the only Accie, possibly the only person, ever to play an innings in full batting gear on Paris's metro. It is rumoured he can still hear calls of "wrong carriage!" when he closes his eyes at night...
Written by Austin, updated November '24.