Dave Mallion was a lecturer in the Department of Politics at the University, a stalwart of the University Staff cricket team and of Norwood Cricket Club, and a much respected member of the cricket scene in Dundee. Sadly Dave died of cancer in 2005. Among the tributes paid at the time was the following, written by Colin Reid, on Dave's contribution to DUSCC cricket:
"Dave was an ever-present member of the University Staff Cricket Club for as long as any
of the current members can remember. He was a member of the team that recorded the club's
greatest triumph, winning the Small Clubs' Cup in 1985, at a time when the club regularly played
at weekends as opposed to just mid-week evenings. As President of the Club from the mid-1990s he
played a major part in ensuring that we got teams out, especially in the days before e-mail made
it so much easier. He was deeply committed to our ethos that the games are for everyone to enjoy
and that everyone should have the chance to contribute, in the belief that a successful match
does not depend on the result but on the fact that everyone has done something and enjoyed the
event and the socialising in the pub afterwards. He enjoyed several cricket tours over the years,
including to Milan in 1998. Dave was a very occasional bowler, a rather hit-and-miss batsman, a
solid fielder at square leg and a rather unpredictable umpire! As the team's walking memory and
excellent company he is sorely missed by all who played with and against him".
(Thanks to Colin Reid and Alan Bell for their help in enabling us to reprint this tribute
here).
From 2006, the annual fixture between DUSCC and Norwood was renamed in his honour, a trophy was made available (not claimed by either team yet - the first two games having ended, amazingly, in ties...) and the subs which are normally paid by players of both sides to their clubs are for this game donated to a cancer charity. A sum of more than £620 has been raised over the 4 memorial games played so far, in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2011. (Games in 2008 and 2010 sadly succumbed to the weather - well, we are in Dundee...)
The Norwood CC website contains a report on the inaugural Memorial game including a Dundee Courier cutting, and photos of the 'action'.