Several days ago while walking along Victoria Street in Hamilton, I was intercepted by a gentleman with an unmistakable Scottish accent, who identified himself as Ernest (Ernie) McCreight. He said almost apologetically that he had been meaning to call me. He had read my book: “CHAMP. The One and only Alma Hunt”, as well as the recently published “Great Scot”, the James Scotland Symon biography by David Leggat. Scott Symon was the great Glasgow Rangers manager of the 50's and 60'sHaving read my biography on Champ, Ernie was aware of how he had been revered at home in Bermuda, Scotland and the West Indies stellar cricket performances. But he was pleasantly surprised seeing the mention he got in the Symon biography.Ernie must have assumed I knew something about soccer in Scotland and the great rivalry between the “Old Firm” Glasgow Rangers and Celtics. But at the time, I had to confess ignorance.More pertinently, I wanted to know something about Ernie McCreight. I now know he was a young man when he arrived in Bermuda in March 1971 to join the Bermuda Police Service. He served until 1988, resigning with the rank of Sergeant in the Scenes of Crime Department, to establish his own photography business. He had also earned some notoriety playing soccer for the Police through the 1970s and 1980s; afterwards for Warwick United, Hotels International and latterly in the Commercial League.He also gained a Bermudian wife, Barbara McCreight, a 39-year union that has produced two daughters, Nicola and Lauren, who have blessed him with two grandchildren, Tristan and Annabelle.“"I met Alma at the medical practice of the late Dr Cressall where my wife Barbara introduced me to him,” Ernie stated. When Alma heard my Scottish accent he inquired, “Are you a Rangers or a Celtic man?”When I replied that I was a Glasgow Rangers fan he surprised me by saying he was a good friend of Scot Symon, the very successful manager of Rangers between 1955 and 1965. And Champ added, he and Symon played a cricket international together against Australia in 1938 and formed a lifelong friendshipErnie said that was the era when he grew up, a ten minutes walk from Ibrox Stadium and was a regular attendee at the ground.“Alma further surprised me when he stated that he and Scot Symon also played cricket together and were international team mates for Scotland.“I have read your book about Alma (Champ) Hunt and I know how much he was revered as a cricketer not only here in Bermuda but also in Scotland and the West Indies, so I was very pleasantly surprised on reading the recently released Scot Symon biography, Great Scot, The James Scotland Symon story by David Leggat, and published by Black and White Publishing Ltd. where on page 1199 of the book Alma is mentioned.When questioned by a journalist who was close to Symon about friends outside of football the author writes: “As for friends outside of football the only one of any note was the imposing figure from Bermuda called Alma Hunt.“Whatever his antecedents were, they qualified him to play for Scotland and he and Symon played an International together against Australia in 1938 and formed a lifelong friendship."Few outsiders ever got beyond the barrier Scot Symon erected beyond himself and the rest of the world.Scot Symon’s managerial record with Rangers included 6 League Championships, five Scottish Cups, four League Cups; and European Cup Winners Cup finalists in 1960-61 and 1966-67.Scot Symon's other Bermuda connection is that on being fired by Rangers due to the emergence of Celtic under great manager Jock Stein, he was the general Manager at Partick Thistle when a young Dennis McQuade played. McQuade later starred in Bermuda football, and was part of the legendary Partick Thistle team who defeated Jock Steins Celtic 4-1 in the 1971 Scottish League Cup Final.I need hardly state how indebted I am to Ernest McCreight for taking time out to write David Leggat, the author of Great Scott and his pulisherBlack and White Publishing Ltd, for permission to excerpt their publication; and also for Ernie’s admiration and interest in a compatriot of his adopted homeland.