Life & Times: Alistair proved to be a winner in every field

ALISTAIR Dodds, a gifted businessman who excelled on the sports field as well as in the board room has died aged 83.

Mr Dodds, from Tranent, passed away in hospital on June 20 following a short illness.

The son of a market gardener, Mr Dodds moved to the Capital to study a BSc at Edinburgh University in 1945 and remained in the city for the rest of his life. While at university he set up his first business the potato roguing firm, the East of Scotland Roguing Company, which he continued to run until the 1980s.

After graduating in 1948, he became a college advisor with the Scottish Agricultural College until 1959, when he set up Crop Chemicals, based in Frederick Street, with Archie Gardener. The company later moved to an office in Stoneybank Terrace, Musselburgh, before finding a home at Drem Airfield, where it remains to this day.

Mr Dodds married Bea in 1945 and the couple lived in West Mains Road before moving to Lygon Road. They had two children, Trevor and Susan, but later divorced.

As well respected on the sports field as he was in business, Mr Dodds became university billiards champion and reached in the semi-final of the Scottish Billiards Championships. He was also president and captain of Waverley Tennis Club. His team won the Scottish Cup.

Equally adept on the rugby pitch, Mr Dodds played for his university before joining Musselburgh Rugby Club. He was a stalwart well into his 30s and even captained the side for two seasons playing in the second row and as a hooker. He also captained the winning team in the unofficial Scottish Championships in the late 1950s.

He also steered Scottish invitational side Co-Optimists to glory and was part of the team that clinched the Inverness seven-a-side tournament. He was secretary of the organisation from 1964-79 and president from 1984-9. But the highlight of his time with the team was taking them to the Hong Kong seven-a-side tournament where they reached the final and were eventually defeated by Fiji.

A keen golfer, curler, shooter and cricketer, he was an active member of The Jesters, a group which plays an annual cricket and golf match at Luftness. He curled for Oxenford Curling Club where he had been president and played in the last Grand Match on the Lake of Menteith.

After retiring, Mr Dodds developed a passion for showing carnations and travelled to shows across the country even devising a system of transporting them to ensure they remained in pristine condition for display.

He was the winner of the Scottish Championships at Dundee seven years consecutively.

In 2008 he was honoured to be invited to join the academic group, the Scotia Agricultural Society.

Mr Dodds is survived by his son and daughter and five grandchildren.