Peter McLay
Sport: Cricket
Year Inducted: 2003
Originally from Coolamon, Peter moved to Wagga Wagga in 1970. While a student at Mt Austin High School, he played cricket with the RSL Club team.
In 1984 he moved to Sydney to further his cricket career, joining the Western Suburbs Cricket Club. A year later, he was selected in the NSW U19 side to tour Tasmania.
I am expecting big things from Peter McLay now as he has had some time to settle in... and his spin will be a useful asset.
Queanbeyan team captain Peter Solway, The Canberra Times, 12 December 1992
At the Australian championships in Hobart, Peter's consistent performances as a left arm orthodox spinner gained him selection into the Australian youth team that toured India and Sri Lanka in late 1985. Peter performed well, equalling the most number of wickets taken on the tour.
In 1988 and 1989 Peter was selected to play in the Prime Ministers XI game against the Australian Aboriginal team. In 1989 he toured England with the Australian Police Cricket team.
Peter continued to play grade cricket in Sydney and Canberra until 1996, and again toured England with the NSW Police Cricket team.
By 2003 Peter's involvement in cricket centred around encouraging his two sons, Samuel and Angus, to learn and play the game that he loved so much as a youngster growing up in Wagga Wagga.
In 2016, we were honoured to display Peter's baggy green that was presented to him in 1985 as a member of the Australian U19 Youth XI Tour of India and Sri Lanka.
Outside of his sporting career, 2020 saw Peter celebrate 33 years in the police force, stationed in Wagga Wagga. Of Peter, former Riverina Police District Commander Bob Noble said "If you found yourself the victim of a nasty crime, or involved in a serious car crash... he's exactly the sort of person you'd like to step up to the scene of the accident and say 'I'm here to look after you.' He certainly inspires a sense of safety, strength and comfort, and that alongside empathy, compassion and intelligence really makes for the perfect police officer."
Sadly, on 1 January 2023 we not only lost one of our sporting greats, but also a man who contributed incalculably to our region's well-being.