As Hawks prepare to take on Peebles in the Scottish Hydro Shield Final, prop Nick Cox evokes memories of a great Scottish sportsman (rugby player and athlete) Eric Liddell.

Nick, a former England under 21 cap who is a committed Christian and now has a congregation in the West End of Glasgow, has withdrawn from the Hawks squad because the match is being played on a Sunday.

This reminds us of the time when Eric Liddell, also a committed Christian and a Scottish winger, withdrew from the 100 metres at the 1924 Olympics in Paris because the final was scheduled for a Sunday. However, he then went on to take gold in the 400 metres and bronze in the 200 metres. This was celebrated in the famous film Chariots of Fire, much of which was filmed in Edinburgh and St Andrews.

The day of 400 metres race came, and as Liddell went to the starting blocks, the team masseur slipped a piece of paper into his hand with a quotation from 1 Samuel 2:30, "Those who honour me I will honour." Liddell not only won the race, but broke the existing world record with a time of 47.6 seconds.


The Ed wonders if any of the current Scotland squad could approach that time.

This article was originally posted on 8-May-2009, 07:54 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 8-May-2009, 12:07.