WORCESTERSHIRE supporter Alec Mackie has been following the fortunes of the County at New Road as a member for 70 years.

Long-standing journalist Mackie, who worked for the Birmingham Post for 12 years and was a council press officer for 20 years, first stepped foot onto New Road during the 1947 season after being made a junior member by his father.

He has witnessed many ups and downs in the fortunes of the County during the following seven decades and can still be seen passing on his vast knowledge in the press box.

Mackie is a passionate follower of the club and was proud to see skipper Joe Leach lead the team to promotion from Specsavers County Championship Division Two last summer as champions.

He celebrated his 79th birthday on New Year’s Eve and to mark his 70 years as a member-supporter the club invited him to choose his all-time best Worcestershire XI.

It includes a member of the current side in wicketkeeper Ben Cox who experienced another outstanding season behind the stumps in 2017 and was named in the Professional Cricketers' Association team of the season.

Mackie, who was also Herefordshire and Worcestershire Fire Brigade press officer for a decade, is a great admirer of the way Cox has blossomed into one of the best glovemen in the country.

He also made many contributions with the bat.

Mackie said: “Last season his keeping was outstanding and in my opinion he is the best wicketkeeper-batsman to have played for Worcestershire that I have ever seen and there have been some very good ones going back many years.”

MACKIE’S ALL-TIME BEST WORCESTERSHIRE XI

DJ Kenyon, GM Turner, GA Hick, TW Graveney, BLD D’Oliveira, Kapil Dev, OB Cox, RO Jenkins, R Howarth, LJ Coldwell, JA Flavell.