Members of Holy Cross Academicals Cricket Club are mourning the death of their much loved President Mahmood Din.
The club, based at Arboretum Playing Fields in Inverleith recently celebrated its 70th anniversary. Mahmood was a stalwart of the club over several decades. He turned out for the club hundreds of times, contributing with his stylish batting and steady off-spin bowling. He also recruited dozens of players for Holy Cross in his time with the club, making use of his fantastic network of friends and acquaintances.
‘Crossers’ have been recalling the calm elegance of the man and his dry wit. His friend and teammate John McPartlin reflected that Mahmood ‘could take the vicious humour of the cricket dressing room with the best of us, while always seeming to have sympathy with those on the receiving end. His smile was infectious, his joy at seeing you was always authentic. He was unfailingly courteous, in a world where many seem to have lost that ability’.
Former 1st XI captain Simon McOscar spoke of ‘another club legend joining the great oval in the sky’, referencing the losses of founder members Hugh Kilpatrick and George Balfour in 2020. The club have also lost legendary East League character Colin ‘Coco’ McGill and Brian Palmer in recent months. Mark Robertson, his predecessor as Holy Cross ACC President, talked of “dreadful news, a very sad event for the club”.
Mahmood’s family were based in Kampala, Uganda before being among the Asians expelled by Idi Amin. Educated at George Heriot’s school, Mahmood was a prominent accountant, latterly at New Time Associates on Buccleuch Street. He was involved with a variety of businesses and a number of organisations in the city, including the Edinburgh Unity charity and the Edinburgh Central Mosque.
His death on November the 10th followed several months of serious illness. In a double tragedy for his family, Mahmood’s mother, Sofia Begum Din, died a couple of weeks after her son’s death. His funeral service took place at Annandale Mosque on November 11th with his burial at Old Dalkeith Road Cemetery.
