Season 2008/09

Sportsman's Dinner Friday 19th June 2009

Home
Match Reports
Fixtures and Results
Player profiles
Penicuik Committee
Manager and Coaching Staff
Our Sponsors

Sportsman's Dinner: Guest Speakers: Willie Young and Sandy Strang. Great raffle prizes, football memorabillia auctions - Tickets £30

Click to enlarge
Willie Young

Willie Young was born in Girvan, Ayrshire, He is the Chairman of Brechin Tindal Oatts - a leading Scottish legal firm.

He is married to Margot, who is a teacher.

Willie was a top class football referee for 15 seasons, during which time he referee-ed over 500 Scottish senior matches, including the Scottish Cup Final, the Scottish League Cup Final, the Bells Challenge Cup Final and the Scottish Women's FA Cup Final.

Before age defeated him, Willie was on the FIFA list of international referees and officiated in 27 different countries at a total of 71 European and world matches, including as 4th official at the 1999 UEFA Cup Final.

He was presented with a Bells' Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005, when he hung up his whistle.

Paulo di Canio of Celtic, once asked him during a game, if he ''wanted to be manager of Rangers?'' and Dick Advocaat of Rangers once accused him, during a game, of being ''a Celtic supporter''. These comments tend to suggest that he was fairly impartial.

Willie Young is one of the few referees ever to send off Ally McCoist but it was in the Robert Duvall film ''A Shot At Glory''.

A successful lawyer and former referee, Willie is an accomplished wit, raconteur and established after dinner speaker.

He is in demand for engagements all over the UK. Willie has spoken at numerous business and sporting dinners and at scores of Burns suppers large and small, from Cumnock to Cairo. He has delivered Immortal Memories in places as diverse as Kenya, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

 

 

Click to enlarge
Sandy Strang

Meet The Strang, raconteur and impressionist - currently in demand throughout Britain as an immensely entertaining and experienced after-dinner speaker.  Sandy Strang, a journo who has penned long running columns in The Herald, The Edinburgh Evening News, The Sun and Scotland on Sunday; a footballer who wore 9 for Cambridge University - and won at Wembley; a cricketer who's played in a record number of Scotland Cup Finals - 9 - he's a man with a tale - or 9 - to tell! Corporate events, charity fund-raising, golf days, sporting dinners - The Strang's your man!

Sandy Strang has handled the entire spectrum of speaking engagements, is equally at home addressing audiences of 8, 80 or 800, and specialises in customising his extensive material to the exact requirements of his specific audience and is also very experienced and accomplished at chairing such events

From Aberdeen to Angus; from Bellshill to Belfast; from Coatbridge to Cambridge; from Hamilton to Hampden; from Ladybank to London; from Manchester to Musselburgh; from Newcastle to Newbridge; from Stavanger to Stenhousemuir - juts a few of the many venues up and down the land where Sandy has entertained a wide range of audience!

Sandy has shared the top-table billing with many of the celebrated luminaries of the after-dinner circuit - Andy Cameron, Scott Glynn, George McNeill, Stewart Coull, Craigie Veitch, Willie Allan, Len Murray, John Htet-Khin, Bill Copeland, Howard Hazlitt, John Gahagan, Johnny Beattie, Kevin Connolly, and Dave Gunson; a host of leading personalities in the world of sport - Alan Rough, Jimmy Nichol, John Beattie, Geoff Miller, Martin Bayfield, Gordon Smith, Sir Michael Bonallack, Sir Garry Sobers, Fergus Slattery, Roger Knight, Alan Kennedy, Dave Watson, Frank McAvennie, Doddie Weir, John 'Bomber' Brown, John Rowbotham, Shaun Udal, Bob Crampsey, Tony Higgins, Chic Young, Andy Irvine, Roger Baird, Andy Nicol, Jim Leishman, Willie Young and Kenny Milne; and many leading figures from public life - Lord Steel of Aikwood, Lord Brodie, Sir Robert Smith, Lord Strathclyde and Lord McFarlane.

Wag of the Year 2007
Sandy won the prestigious Wag of the Year 2007 Competition held in Glasgow at the Marriot Hotel in May 2007.