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Edward Liddle's International Profiles
Robert W Alexander
  • Born 24 September 1910, Belfast
  • Died 19 July 1943, near Catania, Sicily
  • Educated RBAI, Queen's University, Belfast
  • Occupation Police officer
  • Debut 18 June 1932, Scotland atGlenpark Greenock
  • Cap Number 387
  • Style Right-hand bat, right arm fast medium
  • Teams NICC, Queen's University

Bob Alexander, a genuine tail ender with few batting pretensions, was a wholehearted fast medium bowler, and was a key member of the NICC attack throughout the 1930s. His one chance for Ireland was against Scotland at Greenock in 1932. He failed to take a wicket, but had unexpected success as a batsman making 28 in the second innings, adding 58 for the last wicket with Leinster batsman Frank Reddy, who thus reached his 50.

Alexander was better known as a Rugby player, mostly for Instonians, though he did play a season for NIFC. A wing forward, as the terminology of the time had it, he gained 11 Irish caps from 1935/6, scoring a try in his second match, against England. He toured South Africa with the 1938/9 Lions under fellow Instonian Sammy Walker, later to become a much appreciated BBC commentator. Alexander was one of the successes of the tour, being a try scorer in the final Test when the Lions came from behind to win. The try was an all Irish afair. Scrum half and Irish cricketer George Morgan fed his diminutive out half George Cromey who jinked through the Springbok defence to send Bob crashing over in the corner. It was his sixth try of the tour. Cromey, who was five feet high and a newly ordained Presbyterian Minister was to live until 2006, dying in Ballymoney, Co Antrim aged 93, to the best of my knowledge the last survivor of the tour. Bob was killed in Sicily, shortly after the Allied landings, in some of the heaviest fighting of the campaign.