THE IRISH TIMES

Friday, January 21, 1977

DUNLOP IS

NEW ICU

PRESIDENT

By Sean Pender

Alex Dunlop, of Dublin YMCA, is the new President of the Irish Cricket Union.
A forceful and down-to-earth legislator, he takes over from Belfastman Cecil Cave
at next Sunday’s ICU annual general meeting in Dundalk. Dunlop’s election will be greeted
with unanimous acclaim. No one has worked as conscientiously or as constructively for the
betterment of Irish cricket over the past two decades. Even in his playing days as a steady
medium-pace bowler with the Claremont Road club, he was already contributing
substancially of his time and energy towards the administration of the game in this country.
So good at his job was he as honorary treasurer of Leinster Cricket Union that recognition
quickly followed at top level. In 1957 he was approached to assume the same post on the
parent body. His wise management of ICU finances covered nine profitable years.
Then a short respite from cricket, for business and family reasons, before back refreshed he
came in 1970 as President of the Leinster Cricket Union. In three years – he was twice
unanimously re-elected – much of importance was achieved. Dunlop, in fact, revitalised the LCU.
Among several projects launched or expedited during his terms as Leinster chief were the schoolboy coaching scheme, the sessions for potential coaches, the club schoolboy branch,
the overs format in the Senior Cup and the laying of union-subsidised artificial wickets.

BOUCHER’S TRIBUTE

Of his contribution to the establishment of coaching on a highly organised basis Jimmy Boucher
then honorary secretary of the ICU, said: “ But for Alex Dunlop the coaching scheme in 
Leinster would hardly have been carried through at all. He virtually shouldered the entire
scheme himself”. On stepping down from the Leinster presidency, Dunlop became in 1974
a Dublin delegate to the ICU. Already he has produced a comprehensive much valued policy document. And now, almost as a natural progression, he has been honoured with the most  prestigious post in Irish cricket. Perhaps Dunlop’s major stroke of genius, though, was in persuading Rory Yates Hale to go forward in 1971 for the position of honorary secretary of the LCU. For years to come the dramatic results of this decision will still be felt – though Yates Hale sadly and suddenly passed away in office two weeks ago. No sporting organisation in this country could boast as efficient, as reliable or as hard-working a secretary as the Yorkshire-born Yates Hale proved to be. Of Yates Hale’s achievements Des Cashell, current ICU President says:
“He raised our standards to a level we did not know existed”.