by Peter McLay Death, Obituary – We are writing to express our deepest condolences to you on the passing of Peter “Skylab” McLay, who formerly competed for the Wests. He fought bravely against brain cancer till the first of the year 2023, but unfortunately he was unable to beat it and he passed away as a result of his condition. We would appreciate it if you would give us permission to tell you a little bit about Peter’s time spent at Wests Cricket: On November 16, 1985, Peter competed for the first time for Western Suburbs in the first-grade competition against Mosman. It was a game that they lost. He wears the number 513 and is a member of the first grade team for West.
Peter, who was born in Wagga Wagga and grew up to be a tall left-handed orthodox bowler and left-handed batter, was selected to play for the New South Wales Under 19s cricket team in the National Championships in 1984–1985 and, as a result of his outstanding performance, was also selected to represent Australia Under 19s in Sri Lanka the following year. The National Championships are a competition that takes place every four years. He was a member of the New South Wales Sheffield Shield squad for a number of years and also took part in a considerable number of matches for the New South Wales 2nd XI.
He participated in 59 first grade matches between the years 1985–1986 and 1989–1990, during which time he took 86 wickets at a rate of 25.85. His performance against North Sydney, in which he had 6 for 56, was his best ever. He batted in the lower order and contributed to the team’s total with 401 runs batted in and 20 catches made. When Peter joined the police force in 1988, it was the beginning of his long and distinguished career as a dedicated public servant. He served with distinction until 2021, when he was forced to retire due to illness. It was a pleasure to welcome Skylab as a member of the club.
May he rest in peace knowing that he was a good friend and teammate, that he enjoyed life to the fullest, and that he had a fantastic sense of humor. May you also find comfort in the fact that he lived life to the fullest.
