Alastair McCorquodale

Alastair McCorquodale

Alastair McCorquodale in the Olympic Village, London 1948
Personal information
Nationality	United Kingdom
Born	(1925-12-05)5 December 1925 Hillhead, Glasgow
Died	27 February 2009(2009-02-27) (aged 83) Grantham, Lincolnshire
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	172 lb (78 kg)
Sport
Sport	Athletics Cricket
Coached by	Guy Butler (athletics - 1948)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games 1948 London 4x100 metre relay
Updated on 30 May 2016.

Alastair McCorquodale (5 December 1925 in Hillhead, Glasgow – 27 February 2009 in Grantham) was a Scottish athlete and cricketer.

McCorquodale was educated at Harrow where he opened the bowling for the 1st XI in the 1948 Eton v Harrow match at Lord's. He represented Britain in Athletics at the 1948 Olympic Games in London. He was denied a bronze medal in the 100m final by a photo finish, but won a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m relay. He never ran again.

He also represented the Free Foresters, Marylebone Cricket Club in 1948 and Middlesex in three matches in 1951, as a left-handed batsman and a right-arm fast bowler. He toured Canada with MCC in 1951-52. He was the seventh oldest living Middlesex first-class cricketer prior to his death.

McCorquodale was born in Hillhead, Glasgow City on 5 December 1925. He spent his childhood growing up in Essex, and was educated at Harrow School. He was in both the football and cricket first XIs, and was in Elmfield House.

As the Second World War was ending, he joined the Coldstream Guards straight out of school in 1944. He was deployed to Germany as a Lieutenant, where he took up athletics to avoid having to do lots of drill. He was successful at it, winning the army 100 metres title in 1946. The following year he managed a sprint double, taking both the 100 metres and 200 metres titles.

Success at the Amateur Athletic Association Championships followed, as he took the 220 yards title in 1947. He managed all of this while remaining rather unfocused on athletics, preferring rugby and cricket and having a relaxed attitude to training where it is said that he would stub out his cigarette to go on the track.