First Stewartry rugby player to represent Scotland to be honoured at special ceremony
The first rugby player from the Stewartry to pull on a Scotland jersey will be honoured in a star-studded ceremony tonight.
David McMyn will be inducted into the King’s Sport Hall of Fame at King’s College in London.
His great-great-niece Isobel Brown, whose parents Chris and Mary Kate live at Knockbrex near Borgue, will accept the accolade on behalf of the family.
Scottish Olympic gold medallist in rowing, Dame Katherine Grainger, herself a Hall of Fame inductee, will host the event.
Isobel, who works in London, told the News: “My great-great-uncle would have been very proud to be inducted into the hall of fame
“The family is very proud too – it’s really great that he is being recognised so early as it was only inaugurated in 2022.”
McMyn captained his country and in 1927 led the British Lions on a tour to Argentina, which they won 4-0 with McMyn scoring three tries.
Prior to that he studied at Fettes in Edinburgh and at Cambridge University, of which King’s College is a part.
While at King’s he played rugby for London Scottish and became team captain.
Such was his renown, McMyn was one of the sports stars of the day featured on John Player cards.
In a sign of the times, they could only be collected by buying a pack of 20 cigarettes.
His card has a cartoon of him playing rugby one side and a short biography on the other.
Isobel, 26, who puts together programmes for cancer research charities, added: “I have to accept the award and they’ll ask me what I think it would have meant to him.
“I have spoken to a couple of relatives in the Kirkcudbright area just to get a sense of who he was.
“He was the first player from Kirkcudbrightshire to represent Scotland and the British Lions.”