Scottish rugby player Iain Finnie killed in Mustang after motorcycle fell from 1000 ft

KATHMANDU: A well-known Edinburgh rugby player and a key figure in the Watsonian FC rugby club Iain Finnie has been killed in Mustang.

Finnie, 64, was killed in a motorcycle accident on Saturday. The accident occurred around 150 miles outside Kathmandu, on the way to the Mustang tourist district. Finnie’s motorbike fell almost 1000 ft from the mountainside road, local police said.

He was treated at Manipal Hospital in Pokhara but died from his injuries. Finnie played for several teams for Watsonians between 1973 and 1986, most regularly for the 1st XV. He played almost 150 games with the first team, as a hooker, and in the back row.

He was a Scottish School’s cap at hooker and in 1972 broke his jaw playing against Welsh Schools.  Finnie was a well-known figure in Edinburgh sporting circles and had also been a member of Merchants of Edinburgh golf club for the past three years.

A spokesperson for Watsonian rugby club said: “He was a formidable 7-a-side player at hooker and had an impressive turn of speed with great handling skills.”

A spokesperson from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “We are assisting the family and friends of a British man who died in Nepal.”