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The Board and staff of Cricket Ireland are saddened to hear of the passing of our former President, Dixon Rose MBE.
On and off the pitch Dixon excelled in both cricket and hockey, and was a one-club man. He represented Cliftonville at hockey and Instonians at cricket for over 30 years as a player, and as an administrator for both for a further 40 years after retirement. Dixon also acted as an unpaid groundsperson at Shane Park (along with his younger brother Carson) for the entire 38 years that Instonians played there from 1962 to 1999. During this time the club hosted a number of representative fixtures and an international cricket match between Ireland and Combined Services in August 1968.

On the cricket pitch, he played for Instonians, where his proudest moment argubably came when he captained the team to a Challenge Cup triumph against Sion Mills in 1964, contributing with a majestic 44 in the second innings. He also represented Ulster Town in seven Senior Inter-Provincials between 1966 and 1970. He was also a key member of the more social Leprechauns Cricket Club.

He was President of the Irish Cricket Union in 1984 and of the Irish Hockey Union in 1985, and again from 2006-08 when it had become the Irish Hockey Association. He also played a significant part in the NCU and was a member of the NCU Senior (later Executive) Committee continuously from 1965 to 1988. He was also a member of the Sports Council of Northern Ireland. He was described by Clarence Hiles in his book ‘A History of Senior Cricket in Ulster’ as “…an astute if at times abrasive administrator in both codes.”

In the business world Dixon was a partner in the insurance broking firm “Harris Marrian” later known as Willis Faber.

Given his impressive administration of both sports, it was fitting that he was honoured with an MBE for his Services to Sport in 2008. He was also the recipient of the Paddy Patterson Memorial Award, the highest honor given to an administrator at the prestigious Belfast Telegraph Service to Sport Awards in 2001.

Our condolences to Dixon’s wife Joan and their children, the wider family circle and friends.

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Dixon Rose MBE
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