Stuart Pollock

John Stuart Pollock (5 June 1920 – 1 February 2017) was an Irish first-class cricketer and cricket administrator.

Born at Belfast in June 1920, Pollock was the son of the cricketer William Pollock.^[1] He was educated at Campbell College.^[1]

Pollock made his debut in first-class cricket in 1939, when Ireland played Scotland at Dublin.^[2]

He resumed playing first-class cricket after World War II, touring England in 1947 when he played in both first-class matches on the tour against Derbyshire and Yorkshire.^[2] He featured in first-class cricket until 1958, playing a total of 23 matches; twenty of these came for Ireland, with Pollock also playing two matches for the Marylebone Cricket Club and one for the Free Foresters.^[2] Recognised as one of the best batsman in Ireland during this period,^[1] he scored 1,036 runs in first-class cricket at an average of 25.26, and a high score of 129, which was his only first-class century.^[3] He played his club cricket for the North of Ireland Cricket Club,^[1] who he played for into the 1960s, eventually retiring from playing due to a bad back.^[4]

He remained active in Irish cricket following his retirement. He was President of the Irish Cricket Union in 1980, a role in which he was described as "much travelled, popular and successful."^[1] Outside of cricket, Pollock was a competent golfer and squash player, and worked as director in the family timber business.^[1][4]

Pollock died at Downpatrick in February 2017, and was at the time of his death the last surviving Irish cricketer to have played first-class cricket before the war.^[1]

• Stuart Pollock at ESPNcricinfo