Worcestershire CCC supporter Alec Mackie has been following the fortunes of the County at New Road as a member for an incredible SEVENTY years.
Long-standing journalist Alec – he worked for the Birmingham Post for 12 years and was Hereford-Worcester City Council press officer for 20 years – first stepped foot onto New Road during the 1947 season after being made a junior member by his father.
He has witnessed the many ups and downs in fortunes of the County during the following seven decades and can still be seen passing on his vast knowledge in the press box.
Alec is a passionate follower of the Club and was delighted and proud to see skipper Joe Leach lead the team to promotion in the Specsavers County Championship last summer.
He will celebrate his 79th birthday on New Year’s Eve and, to mark his 70 years as a member-supporter, has chosen his all-time best Worcestershire X1 at the invite of the Worcestershire CCC website.
It includes a member of the current Worcestershire side in keeper Ben Cox who experienced another outstanding season behind the stumps in 2017 and was named in the PCA Team Of The Season.
Alec is a great admirer of the way Cox has blossomed into one of the best glovemen in the country and also made many contributions with the bat.
He said: “Last season his keeping was outstanding and in my opinion he is the best wicket-keeper batsman to have played for Worcestershire that I have ever seen – and there have been some very good ones going back many years.”
Alec’s all-time best Worcestershire X1 is:
1) DJ Kenyon
2) GM Turner
3) GA Hick
4) TW Graveney
5) BLD D’Oliveira
6) Kapil Dev
7) OB Cox
8) RO Jenkins
9) R Howarth
10 LJ Coldwell
11) JA Flavell