TWO Greenock Morton representatives have spoken of their joy after carrying the Queen’s baton on its journey through Inverclyde last week.
Our consultant for club development, Warren Hawke, and the head coach of Morton Girls, Leeanne McPhail, were chosen as one of only 4,000 baton bearers during the journey.
Warren, originally from the north east of England, said it was an honour to carry the baton in his adopted home town.
“Greenock is my home – I’m an adopted son of the area,” he said.
“I moved here in 1995 and a lot of my work since then has been here, whether with Morton, the youth system or the community initiatives.
“I’ve found a second home in a fantastic part of the world. Being able to carry the baton here was a life experience I’ll never forget. To have so many of my friends and family take the time to come down to see my stint was brilliant.
“Yes, it was only approximately 200 metres and it was over in a flash, but hopefully the family got some good images.
It’s something I can take to my grave – it’s been a fantastic honour.”
Leeanne highlighted the support she received in the run-up to her leg – but did admit the actual act of carrying the baton made her nervous.
“It was an amazing experience. I was completely overwhelmed by the lovely messages that I received wishing me luck on social media and by the amount of family, friends and players who gave up their time to come and support me.
“It was a nerve-wracking experience, but one that I’ll never forget.”
Have a look at the two short videos from on the day of both Leeanne and Warren with the Queen’s Baton.
DSC_0712 Leeanne McPhail
DSC_0722 Warren Hawke