Ian Nicholson

Published on Thursday 15 May 2008 21:00

Rugby player and administrator

Born: 4 June, 1925, in Edinburgh. Died: 7 May, 2008, in Edinburgh, aged 82.

WITH the death of Ian Nicholson Boroughmuir Rugby Club lost yet another of the men who had played leading roles in the Meggetland club's development from junior status into one of Scotland's leading outfits.

Ian, born in Edinburgh in 1925, first played for Boroughmuir in 1946 as a rock solid full-back and had just hung up his boots before the club won their first unofficial championship in 1954-55. Ian went on to become treasurer and then president of Boroughmuir, from 1975-77 and there was no happier man when, in his final year in charge, the late Bruce Hay became the club's first British Lion.

As honest and decent a man as you could wish to meet, it was no surprise that Ian plumped for accountancy as a profession and he worked for the Scottish Office, where he was head of the accountancy services division until he retired from that post in 1985.

For the next five years, Ian undertook a specific five-year assignment as the first financial controller of the Northern Lighthouse Board.

In 1990-91, when Boroughmuir claimed the Scottish Premier Division 1 title, Ian, who had also played prominent roles in the building of the first clubhouse at Meggetland in 1970 and the stand and pitch development in 1984, started his final major project – writing a book to mark the 75th anniversary of the club, entitled 75 Years, A History of Boroughmuir Rugby Club, which quickly became a bestseller among the Meggetland members and friends.

As was the norm for him, Ian put his heart and soul into his new role as an author and the end product did him justice. Though he did not enjoy the best of health in his latter years, Ian's interest in Boroughmuir never waned and he will be sadly missed by all his friends at Meggetland, his former working colleagues and members of Barclays Church at Tollcross, where he was session clerk for many years.

Ian is survived by his wife, Marion, daughters, Anne and Marie, and grandchildren, Ross and Sarah.